ASIA

Radio Ghargasht, a local station in the southeastern province of Khost, Afghanistan, resumed operations on Saturday following a three-day ban imposed by the Taliban.The timing of the station’s brief closure coincided with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, observed on November 2.Established in 2017, Radio Ghargasht broadcasts 18 hours a day, reaching audiences in surrounding provinces, including Paktia, and border areas of Pakistan.Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered the shutdown after the station aired background music during its programming, a practice now prohibited under the Taliban’s strict media guidelines.According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), the station is now permitted to operate solely under the condition that it refrains from any music broadcasting.Prior to its closure, a meeting was held in Khost with representatives from the department of Information and Culture, Virtue and Vice, and the General Directorate of Intelligence, where media outlets were explicitly warned that all forms of music broadcasting were strictly prohibited.A day after the station’s closure, another meeting was convened by the Department of Information and Culture of Khost province. Subhanullah Azam, the Director of Information of the department, issued a stark warning that media outlets defying the music ban would face severe consequences.AFJC welcomed the station’s reopening but strongly condemned the initial closure as a blatant violation of press freedom principles. It urged Taliban authorities to adhere to Afghanistan’s media law, which they have recognized, ensuring that journalists and media organizations can operate freely and without undue restrictions. […]

At a one day workshop in Tunisia this week, the Arab States Broadcasting Union explored the latest trends in digital archiving for radio and television content.ASBU has also developed a cloud storage and exchange system for its members, and that was also showcased at the workshop.ASBU Cloud consists of high-security servers on global cloud networks and high-speed Internet connections, offering many applications and services that can be used in the audiovisual and IT fields, including, most importantly content exchanges in the form of live broadcasts or files with editorial information.A presentation from Australian expert Steve Ahern, showcased the latest radio digital archiving techniques and also exposed participants to the next innovations that are coming to archiving with the introduction of AI to Archiving systems.Ahern spoke about using archives to promote trust and remind audiences that radio and tv broadcasters have been around long enough to build a legacy of credible content that is real and editorially curated. With so much fake news and disinformation on the internet, audiences need to know which organisations they can believe.Cloud storage is becoming cheaper and easier to use, but security is paramount to protect valuable historical archives from hacking and manipulation. The ASBU Cloud is a valuable resource for members.Due to the value of archival content, Ahern urged workshop participants to find safe ways to monetise their content, but to ensure that the provenance of the content can be proven by digital watermarking and other techniques, so that , if it is pirated then the copyright holders can take action to recover payment and reparations for the content theft.

Ahern explained how new AI tools are being added to archiving systems, mentioning various systems such as Media Guru and Vida which he has reported on in conference articles for radioinfo. The same AI tools used to revive John Lennon’s voice for the Beatles song Now and Then are being deployed now in archival systems to clean up old audio and video and make it more usable. With the addition of speech to text and synthetic voice tools, the possibilities for new types of production featuring people who have passed away, is now possible. Ahern warned however, that if sing the new tools for generate synthetic content, it must be fully declared and explained so that audiences do not perceive it as fake content.Broadcasters are creating the future now of how they can use archival material from the past. “Used wisely it will bring credibility to you as broadcasters and also enrich society by making real moments of political and cultural history available to everyone in your country,” said Ahern.Organised by the Head of ASBU Radio, Yasser Garrana, the workshop also featured a rundown of current tools used by ASBU Members delivered by Egyptian expert Dr. Mohamed Abdel Majeed (pictured).Some of  the tools are listed in the presentation slides below (text in Arabic). Other presentations in the workshop included a talk on copyright by Ramzi Al-Qarwashi and showcase presentations from Sudanese, Iraqi  and Lebanese Radio. […]

Technological innovation is rapidly improving products and driving growth across the consumer audio industry, according to Kavish Patel, Research Analyst at Futuresource, who delivered the opening presentation at the Audio Collaborative 2024 conference in London today.Patel presented a wide breadth of market data and analysis based on Futuresources’s annual Consumer Home Audio Market report including industry growth figures, consumer preferences and trend identification.He highlighted five key insights:Consumer audio can expect 4% growth in 2024.The consumer audio market is predicted to increase 4% from $81bn to $85bn a year from 2023 to 2024, driven by the headphones segment which represents 67% of the market and is growing at 7%.Factors driving growth are (1) sound quality, (2) battery life and (3) ease of use.

Technological innovation is rapidly changing the audio industry.Spatial audio, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), Ultra Wideband (UWB) and Biometrics are four key technologies that are driving change in products across the audio industry.Spatial audio is becoming more prominent with spatial audio standards like Dolby Atmos becoming more prevalent within mass-market devices. Over 47% of soundbars are expected to support spatial audio by 2028.Bluetooth Low Energy is enabling products to connect to more devices at once, while increasing battery life performance, enabling consumers to wear devices for longer while switching easily between audio sources.Ultra Wideband is a very low power wireless technology that can deliver high quality audio transmission. Its use within the headphone segment is aiming to achieve audio streaming quality comparable to wired headphones.Biometrics is in its early stages with integration into audio products but has emerged as a trend in 2024. Brands are placing multiple biometric sensors into headphones, which in combination with artificial intelligence, provides consumers more health tracking capabilities. This has been most prominent in Apple’s release of its newest Airpods Pro.TWS (True Wireless Stereo) is fuelling headphone growth.The True Wireless Stereo (most commonly known as wireless earbuds) category represents 70% of the headphones market segment and is the key driver of headphones growth.The sector is also being propelled by growth in Over-Ear headphones which represent $12bn in value while In-Ear Wired products continue to decline with sales totalling $2bn.TWS growth is expected to slow between 2024 and 2028 as the market reaches saturation and product quality increases in the direction of more durability and repairability.Over-ear headphones are making a comeback.Growth in Over-Ear headphones has made a comeback since 2023. Sony is the biggest brand operating in this category, while new entrants like Sonos, which released its first headband product earlier this year, are also fuelling category growth.Consistent product innovation in over-ear headphones including features like spatial audio, ANC (active noise cancellation) and conversation enhancement technologies is driving consumer demand in this category. Consumers are willing to invest more in their Over-Ear Headphones for these features, along with better durability and battery life.Home audio is readjusting after a pandemic boom.The home audio segment is expected to decline by 2% in 2024, with bluetooth speakers representing the only expanding product category at 4% year on year growth.Within home audio, wireless speakers are the dominant category representing $16bn in value, while soundbars and hi-fi systems trail at $6bn and $1bn respectively.Audio Collaborative is an annual audio industry conference that brings together industry experts to analyse trends and market insights from across audio. […]

Benztown, a leading international audio imaging, production library, voiceover, programming, podcasting, and jingle production company is offering stations of all formats and market sizes its holiday-packed, market-exclusive “Christmas in a Box” audio production library.Stations can get the “Christmas in a Box” library for free with a Benztown library subscription. New this year are 25 highly engaging and fun “Behind the Holiday Hits” features, created by producer Val Garris.Also available from Benztown as a freebie is the Christmas in a Box AudioPack, filled with holiday cheer, including festive SFX and musicbeds sure to bring Christmas cheer to listeners who need a little Christmas now.It is available from now through January 1, 2025.To get the free library with a Benztown library subscription or to purchase the library, contact [email protected] […]

Filipino radio journalist Maria Vilma Rodriguez was shot dead by unknown assailants near her home in home in Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao on October 22.Rodriguez, 56, used to present 105.9 Emedia FM’s news program Barangay Action Center.  She is the fifth journalist to be killed in the country since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became its president in June 2022.It takes to 200 the wider tally of journalists killed in the country since democracy was restored in 1986, according to data from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).Police arrested a suspect on Wednesday, said Zamboanga City police official Kimberly Molitas, but declined to identify the individual. Police were looking at a family feud as a potential motive, she added.NUJP Zamboanga City said: “We condemn this atrocious attack against a journalist and a woman at that. We are urging the Zamboanga City Police Office to probe deeper into this, unmask the killers and their masterminds, and put them behind bars. We don’t need a tale of another unsolved case that ended up as archives or statistics.”The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The IFJ strongly condemns the killing of journalist Maria Vilma Rodriguez. The Marcos Jr. Government must do more to ensure the safety of Filipino journalists and media workers. The Federation urges Philippine authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into her murder, determine the motive behind the attack, and hold those responsible to account.”“These kinds of vile and atrocious acts have no place in our nation, which values freedom, democracy, and the rule of law above all,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement, describing the attack as barbaric and calling upon the authorities to conduct a swift and impartial probe into the incident.“The killing of radio reporter Maria Vilma Rodriguez shows that the murderers of journalists remain undeterred in the Philippines,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Until President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government firmly moves to end impunity, these heinous crimes against the press will continue.”

The Philippines ranked eighth on CPJ’s most recent Impunity Index, a global ranking of countries where journalists’ murderers are most likely to go free. […]

The Rush Hour with JB & Billy is being expanded to South Australia and WA – while Marty Sheargold will now drive NSW and Queensland listeners home – as Triple M unveils its new Drive show line up for 2025.Sheargold will continue to be heard nationally across the Triple M network, from 3-4pm, Monday to Friday.Then, in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and all Triple M regional markets in New South Wales and Queensland, The Marty Sheargold Show will continue across the Drive shift from 4-6pm.Triple M’s Rush Hour with JB & Billy will now be heard from 4-6 p.m Monday to Friday across Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and Triple M’s regional stations in the southern states.The new Triple M line up for 2025 marks the end of the Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth Rush Hour shows.It comes just days after Queensland’s Rush Hour show – hosted by Annabelle ‘A.B’ Brett and Elliott Lovejoy – achieved its first #1 result in the latest Townsville survey, up 2.9 to 21.4.Last month came the news that Adelaide’s top rating Rush Hour drive show – hosted by Andrew Jarman, Bernie Vince and Greg Blewett – would be winding up, along with the Perth show, which had Andrew Embley and Katie Lamb at the helm.

SCA says “These shows have featured an exceptional group of broadcasters and Triple M acknowledges the hard work and commitment that the teams have dedicated over several years.”  Sheargold says he looks forward to returning to the Drive shift for NSW and Queensland listeners in 2025 and giving them the extended version of the show.“I also wanted to thank the teams from the Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast and Queensland Rush Hour shows who have all had amazing stints and been hugely entertaining. I’m committed to carrying on their legacies.” James Brayshaw and Billy Brownless said “We’re excited that our live show will now be extended for our listeners in South and Western Australia, which are legendary footy states with an incredible history of successes.”“We also want to acknowledge the Adelaide and Perth Rush Hour teams, many of whom are great mates, and congratulate them on their shows. We don’t underestimate the opportunity we have been given and we are focused on creating a show that honours them and their listeners.” SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron also acknowledged the teams these shows will be replacing.“We sincerely thank our existing state Rush Hour shows for their hard work and commitment over the last few years and look forward to a different approach nationally in 2025 with more exciting announcements to come soon.” The 2025 Triple M Drive line-up commences across the Triple M network in January 2025. […]