ASIA

Big Take Asia won the Best News Podcast award at the Asia Podcast Awards 2024.It won in the Major category, which was open to registered businesses that publish more than 10 podcasts and have more than five staff.Every week, the Big Take Asia podcast from Bloomberg News brings listeners the most important story from the region. With a team of award-winning producers and editors, it takes the audience inside some of the world’s biggest and most powerful economies, and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive this ever-shifting region.Each 15-minute episode gives an in-depth look at what happened, how we got here, and why it has financial and business ramifications across the globe. It draws on Bloomberg’s unparalleled network of reporters, from Beijing to Bangalore, Seoul to Singapore and Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, to deliver original reporting and give context to stories that can move markets.Asia is key to understanding how the global economy and the worlds of business and finance tick. It’s at the centre of increasingly fraught geopolitical tensions and is where the only real threat to the US superpower status will rise and is rising. With this in mind, The Big Take Asia launched in May, to help international listeners make sense of the diverse, dynamic and complex issues in Asia.Within several months of the launch, the show has netted over 200,000 downloads in less than three months, demonstrating our broad reach and ability to provide valuable insight to help decode this vast region covering some 40 countries and more than 2,000 languages.Our launch episode, “The Rise of Modi, Part 1: Why India’s leader Is So Popular – And Polarizing,” is the first episode in a two-part deep-dive series into the life and motivations of India’s divisive leader, Narendra Modi.The episodes, released ahead of the world’s largest election, have been downloaded more than 65,000 times so far. […]

WorldDAB’s conference session at IBC 20204 takes place on Sunday, 15 September.The theme is Energising radio: global advances and innovations in DAB+, moderated by WorldDAB’s Project Director, Bernie O’Neill.Bernie O’Neillis Project Director of WorldDAB and has headed the organisation since 2011, with overall responsibility for the direction and management of WorldDAB activities, she works to further the adoption and implementation of DAB+.Jacqueline Bierhorst is the newly appointed President of WorldDAB and brings a wealth of experience from broadcasting in the Netherlands. She passionately supports global collaboration to advance the uptake of DAB+.Matthieu Rawolle is a Senior Media Analyst at EBU (European Broadcasting Union) since 2021.  As part of the Media Intelligence Service, he writes reports and helps EBU Members anticipate the industry’s evolution and defend public service media’s value and uniqueness..Lindsay Cornell has worked for the BBC in a variety of engineering, editorial and leadership roles spanning radio, TV, and spectrum regulation. He has considerable experience in leading collaborative projects through his roles as Chairman of CEPT FM PT51, dealing with spectrum issues for programme-making, and as Chairman of the WorldDAB Technical Committee, managing the stability and development of the respective standards.Will Jackson is Communications Manager with extensive experience of UK audio and radio, including regulation, network operation and production.To register for a free visitor pass to IBC2024, click here and use the WordDAB Customer Code IBC4581. This includes access to the WorldDAB session on Sunday. […]

Money Talks won the Best Money and Business Podcast award at the Asia Podcast Awards 2024.It won in the Major category, which was open to registered businesses that publish more than 10 podcasts and have more than five staff.Channel News Asia’s (CAN) weekly podcast simplifies personal money management.Since its launch in July 2022, it has quickly become a top performing podcast for CNA, clocking in an average of 60,000 listeners a month.The podcast landscape is replete with financial advice shows. They run the gamut from “finfluencers” to corporate financial advisors who give specific advice on how to make money. From the start, CNA’s offering was rooted in one key idea: To cater to our broad-church audience with sound financial information, but given in an accessible, personal way.Each episode takes a simple approach: What do listeners need to know  so that they can make informed decisions about their money? And we keep the episodes to under 30 minutes, with fun elements like “Questions out of a hat”.The current host, Andrea Heng’s easy hosting style, coupled with topical issues has kept listeners – growth on Spotify and Apple have been steadily increasing. Andrea also won the Investor Education Journalist of the Year last year for her work on Money Talks. This is an award given by Securities Investors Association Singapore. […]

The Ministry of Information, Kuwait National Radio has awarded the contract for Radio Archive Project to Al Rashed Group and chosen NOA GmbH, a leading AV digitizing and archiving specialist, to modernize its radio repertoire. The comprehensive project includes the digitization of the broadcaster’s entire repertoire and disaster recovery backup.
As per the seven-year agreement, finalized at the end of June, a complete NOA mediARC archive management system will be integrated into Kuwait Radio’s existing Dalet playout. Concurrently, the organization’s complete radio archive using NOA’s ingestLINE will be digitized.
The first year of the project will focus on the delivery and ramp-up phase, followed by a three to four-year period during which the entire archive will be digitized. The mediARC Archive Asset Management system will be installed at the radio broadcaster’s main site in Kuwait City, with the disaster recovery site located in Magwa. All framework modules will support the storage system, holding four copies.
Dr. Nidal Fawaz, Director of the Technology Solutions Division at Al Rashed Group, said: “While the organization’s radio archive has been partially digitized for production purposes,  the re-digitization of the entire inventory  is yet to be completed. The MOI tender amounts to approximately €10 million. The goal is to digitize some 260,000 archival audio carriers dating back to the 1950s, including quality control, inventory, and enrichment of metadata.”
NOA’s mediARC solution provides a flexible framework for Archive Asset Management, enhancing efficiency for broadcasters and archives of all sizes. The NOA ingestLINE offers professional, purpose-built digitization tools for archive preservation projects, ensuring flawless quality and outstanding cost-effectiveness.
“After a thorough analysis of this prominent tender, we’re excited to finally start this project with our contractor Al RashedGroup and their International technical partner NOA,” added Eng. Dalal Alhindal, Project Manager of MOI – Kuwait Radio. “This initiative will preserve our unique radio archive heritage, one of the oldest in the Arab world.”
The installation represents the first of its kind in Kuwait, adding to NOA’s significant installations for AV archiving at Abu Dhabi Media Corp. and Sharjah Broadcasting Authority in the region.
Jean-Christophe Kummer, managing partner of NOA, added: “We’re thrilled to expand our footprint in this region by winning this prestigious seven-year project with our partner AL Rashed Group. Our enterprise framework, based on NOA mediARC and ingestLINE, combined with our experience in delivering archive technology for over 5 million hours of AV material worldwide, positions us well for success in this endeavor.” […]

The DRM Consortium is preparing a better and more complete presence than ever before at IBC 2024, RAI Amsterdam from September 13 to 16.Just a few days remain to register for the “DRM – Connecting All through Innovation” virtual pre-IBC event on September 10. This will bring the latest on DRM and preview the live Amsterdam events.On September 14 the DRM Consortium has planned two face-face events.Gospell Digital Technology invites all those interested in digital radio to stop over at Hall 1 stand B14 at 1100 (CEST time) to explore the latest end-to-end digital broadcast solutions offered by the company and be there to hear about all the new developments and announcements.In the afternoon, at 1600 (CEST time), Fraunhofer IIS will meet and greet all those interested in Hall 8 at stand B80 to get the latest developments and announcements on DRM, meet DRM experts and network with those involved in promoting the global, all-frequency, efficient DRM standard.On September 15 join DRM members at an event hosted by Nautel Hall 8 at stand D70 for a session on the continued relevance of digital radio.Other DRM member companies and their experts present at IBC are: Ampegon, CML Micro, Encompass, BBC, Desay SV, RFmondial, RF2Digital, Starwaves, Bosch, Dolby, RRI, NXP, Panasonic, Skyworks, Assendive, Cambridge Consultants, DAC System, Inntot, Szomel, Kintronic Labs, Spaceline.The DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja, thinks that: “The theme of this year’s IBC of delivering innovation and connecting communities, fits perfectly the mission of the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium. Meeting all listeners’ needs, energising the market, enabling content everywhere, DRM is committed to bringing together all stakeholders interested in unlocking new opportunities with this most flexible digital audio broadcasting standard.DRM is complete, robust, and global, delivering so many extra benefits beyond excellent audio and multimedia. It can also offer unique and ready to use services (like emergency warning and distance learning), while saving energy costs, spectrum and ensuring full-country coverage.” […]

The New York Festivals® 2025 Radio Awards competition is officially open for submissions.The New York Festivals Radio Awards offer a platform to celebrate creative storytellers from around the world. For 67 years, NYF has recognized both innovation and exceptional quality in broadcast audio content across all genres and platforms since 1957.“This year, we are thrilled to announce the debut of multiple new categories for fiction and nonfiction reflecting the ways today’s audio storytellers are encouraging audiences everywhere to tune in and stay engaged,” said Rose Anderson, EVP and Executive Director, New York Festivals. “They join our existing categories for Sound Art, Audio Books, Podcasts, and Social Justice.”Always at the forefront of the evolving global landscape of audio content creation, the 2025 Radio Awards has kept pace with global industry trends and introduced seven exciting new categories further showcasing the wide range of talent and creativity that drives the industry.The Pop Culture Documentary category highlights and celebrates creative radio documentaries that capture today’s trends.New in Entertainment, the Anthology Program category shines a spotlight on engaging curated audio collections. Digital Anthology will showcase the diverse audio selections encompassing digital media. Anthology Podcasts honor expansive works featuring unique voices united by a common theme or purpose. Audiobooks transports listeners into new worlds, the new Audio Book Technical Production Team category celebrates innovative contributions in the industry.On Air Talent categories set the stage for honoring captivating top-tier audio talent, new categories for 2025 include Program Host and Sports Anchor/Analyst.View the 2025 NYF Radio Awards powerhouse category roster: HERE.NYF’s Radio Awards receives entries from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from over 30 countries around the globe. The mission of the competition is to honor the achievements of the men and women who make up the global audio storytelling community.New York Festivals invites award-winning industry leaders from 6 continents around the world to become members of their world-class Radio Awards Grand Jury. The 2025 Radio Awards Grand jury will be recruited in the coming weeks. Entries are judged on production values, creativity, content presentation, direction, writing, achievement of purpose, and audience suitability.All Entries in NYF’s 2025 Radio Awards will be judged by the Grand Jury comprised of some of the world’s most recognizable voices and captivating audio storytellers from around the globe including producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals.Award-winning entries for 2025 will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery. View the 2024 winners’ showcase.The entry deadline for the 2025 Radio Awards competition is January 31, 2025.To enter the 2025 Radio Awards please visit: HERE, for additional information visit: Rules and Regulations and 2025 Radio Awards categories. […]