ASIA

The GfK Radio Audience Measurement Survey (RAM) Wave 1, 2022 reported a new high for Malaysian radio as listenership reached almost 96% of individuals in Peninsular Malaysia, equivalent to a high of 21.3 million weekly listeners, marking an increase of 217,000 from the previous survey.From this, Astro Radio grew its market share by 3% to 16.4 million weekly listeners or 77.1% of 21.3 million available radio listeners, strengthening its position as the radio operator with the highest number of listeners in Malaysia.Astro Radio’s increased reach in radio listenership is underpinned by 16.6 million average digital radio streams, 25.7 million social media followers, 359.6 million video views, and 146.1 million monthly average Facebook page reach.Astro Radio brands continued to lead as No. 1 across all languages: HITZ, the No. 1 English brand; ERA, the No. 1 Malay brand; MY, the No. 1 Chinese brand; and RAAGA, the No. 1 Tamil brand. Astro Radio recorded a reach of 87.6% for English audiences, 71.9% for Malay audiences, 71.1% for Chinese audiences and 93.6% of Tamil audiences.
With 2.6 million weekly listeners, HITZ also achieved the highest ‘Exclusive Audience’ for English brands at 257,000 listeners, the Highest Breakfast segment for English brands with 1.2 million listeners and the Highest Drive segment for English brands with 1.3 million listeners. HITZ also recorded an increase for Time Spent Listening to 5 hours and 24 minutes.
MIX recorded 1.2 million weekly listeners, with the Breakfast segment increasing to 542,000 while the Drive segment garnered 489,000 listeners. MIX recorded an increase of more than 40% for its Exclusive Audience to 108,000.
LITE charted 771,000 weekly listeners with Breakfast and Drive segments receiving 368,000 and 374,000 listeners respectively.
ERA, also Malaysia’s No. 1 radio brand, increased its weekly listenership to 5.8 million, and continued to achieve Malaysia’s highest weekly reach on radio amongst young Malay listeners between the ages of 10 to 29, with 2.9 million listeners. The Breakfast show remained No. 1 with an increase of 3.1 million listeners, and the ERA Drive Show remained the highest with 2.7 million listeners. ERA also achieved the Highest Exclusive Audience amongst all radio brands with 866,000.
SINAR, remained Malaysia’s second most-listened-to brand overall and the No. 2 Malay-language radio brand in Malaysia, with an increase in weekly listenership to 5.2 million weekly listeners. SINAR Breakfast and Drive segments increased to 2.6 million and 2.5 million weekly listeners respectively. SINAR also recorded an increase in Exclusive Audience to 679,000.
GEGAR, Malaysia’s No. 1 radio brand in the East Coast, increased its reach to 2.6 million weekly listeners consisting of approximately 35% from Kelantan, 22% from Pahang, 26% from Terengganu and 16% from the West Coast.
ZAYAN recorded weekly listenership of 340,000 with the Drive segment increasing to 185,000, while the Breakfast segment garnered 153,000 listeners.
Weekly listenership on MY increased by 300,000 growing to 2.8 million with the Breakfast and Drive segments achieving the highest number of listeners across Chinese radio brands with 1.8 million and 1.6 million respectively.
RAAGA, Malaysia’s No. 1 Tamil radio brand increased its weekly listeners to 1.8 million. This increase was also reflected in the Breakfast segment with a high of 1.1 million listeners, and an increase of more than 260,000 in the Drive segment to 1.2 million listeners. RAAGA also recorded an increase in Exclusive Audience by 131,000 to 753,000.
The survey was carried out over 6 weeks with a mix of traditional radio diaries (75%) and e-diaries (25%) distributed to 6,000 unique individuals across Peninsular Malaysia to capture their listening habits. 21 commercial radio brands subscribed to this wave and Astro Radio secured 6 positions in the Top 10 brands ranking.Data source: GfK Radio Audience Measurement (RAM), Wave 1 2022 | Facebook Page Reach: Facebook Business Manager (Jan – Mar 2022) | Digital Streams: Radioactive (Jan – Mar 2022) | Website Unique Visitors/Page Views: Google Analytics (Jan – Mar 2022) | Video Views: Facebook Creator Studio, CrowdTangle, YouTube (Mar 2022) | Total Social Media Followers: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok (Mar 2022) […]

New York Festivals® Radio Awards announced the 2022 Storytellers Gala award-winners. Innovative audio work created by world-class storytellers from 24 countries were celebrated at the April 26th Storytellers Gala virtual event.From Asia, Indian entries led with one bronze and 10 finalist cartificates.Club FM from India bagged a Bronze in the Craft category for Best Sound for its Egg Day promo. It also won four finalist certificates. India Vision Foundation’s Radio Parvaaz, Music Broadcast Private Limited’s Radio City and Sri Sri Publications Trust’s The Art of Living Radio all won two finalist certificates each.Mediacorp Singapore earned two finalist certificates while Radio Taiwan International got one finalist nomination.Creative and compelling audio entries from around the globe were recognized by the 2022 Radio Award Grand Jury including engaging podcasts and audiobooks, masterful dramas, and documentaries, up to the minute news coverage, entertainment and music specials all created by world renowned storytellers.All Entries in the 2022 competition were judged online by NYF’s Radio Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe.RTÉ Ireland, the international radio network, was honored with the Broadcaster of Year Award. Captivating award-winning entries awarded gold trophies include: “Sing! Dublin’s Gay and Lesbian Choir” and “One Day / Lá Dá Raibh” (RTE Lyric  FM), “Mamó, By Sara Keating, Read By Ingrid Craigie” and “Documentary on One: L’Agression” (RTÉ Radio 1).Welcoming the award, RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said: “We are honoured that our radio stations and programmes, as well as our people, have been recognised among such prestigious company by the New York Festivals Radio Awards. While radio is evolving rapidly in a very competitive media landscape, it continues to occupy a special place in the lives of our listeners who come to us, not just for vital news and information, but to plug into the life and culture of this country across arts and entertainment, music and performance, drama, factual documentaries, sport and so much more. It is important that we continue to satisfy the clear appetite for authentic, diverse and original local content and provide a valuable platform for our talent. Congratulations to all this year’s nominees.”HarperCollins Publishers UK was honored with the 2022 Radio Production Company of the Year the Year Award for their exceptional audiobooks. Gold trophy winning work includes “Lord of the Rings,” “Gangsta Granny Strikes Again,” and “Einstein the Penguin.”“We are delighted to be recognised with the Production Company of the Year Award. This is a wonderful testament to a landmark year for the HarperCollins Audio team, with standout productions across a wide range of genres. We’ve been able to work with some of the most talented actors of the day, as well as highlight brand new talent from diverse backgrounds, and bring together incredible casts to make our recordings truly memorable.”—Fionnuala Barrett, Audio Publishing Director, HarperCollins UK2022 Grand Awards“Have You Heard George’s Podcast?” – from BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live – Narrative/Documentary Podcast. BBC’s award-winning podcast is a genre-defying, award-winning and critically acclaimed podcast that delivers a fresh take on inner city life through a mix of storytelling, music, and fiction.“If you haven’t ’Heard George’s Podcast?’, you need to. In this latest Chapter 3, George the Poet and producer Benbrick continue to raise the creative bar, beautifully showing the possibility and power of audio to tell important stories, and in particular stories of Black life and music. They also collaborated with the BBC Concert Orchestra, which must be the first time a full orchestra has recorded the score to a podcast series, and all achieved during strict lockdown conditions. We’re really proud of Have You Heard George’s Podcast? and delighted it’s the second year in a row that a BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds podcast has been awarded the Grand Jury Prize.” —Dylan Haskins, Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live“U.Me: The Musical” – Magnum Opus Broadcasting – Best Original Music. The Grand award-winning new original musical created especially for the BBC World Service is a love story for radio and podcast tells the story of two young people on opposite sides of the world who meet online and make a true connection.“I think the overall message the project gave us at Magnum Opus Broadcasting, was of the power of collaboration: especially in a socially distanced, locked down world. londontheatrereviews.co.uk described U.Me: The Musical as: “without a doubt… the most creative and inspiring piece of art produced by the devastating effects of this pandemic. Whether that’s the case or not, it’s a ‘piece of art’ designed to offer hope; and it couldn’t have done so without that collaborative process. And if the pandemic taught us anything, maybe it’s that collaboration – in the arts, medicine, or whatever sphere – can overcome many, seemingly insurmountable, obstacles.” –Lewis Borg-Cardona, Producer, Magnum Opus Broadcasting“The Sounds of America” BMP Audio – Culture & The Arts. BMP Audio’s Peabody award-winning series, The Sounds of America showcases some of the works selected for the National Recording Registry which selects 25 works each year to preserve for all time. BMP’s award-winning documentary series earned the 2022 Grand Award.“We’re thrilled to be honored with the Grand Award for The Sounds of America radio series! The series profiles audio recordings preserved at The National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Recognizing recordings that made a significant impact on American culture!  What better way to pay tribute to our audio heritage than through audio storytelling.”—Ben Manila, Founder/Executive Producer, & Jennie Cataldo, Producer, BMP Audio.New York Festivals Storytellers Gala honored Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports with the twelfth annual New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award.  Greg Gumbel, television sportscaster for CBS Sports presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. McManus.Podcasts from around the globe engaged listeners in a wide range of genres. Gold trophy winners include “American Radical” (NBC News), “9-11 Janice Brooks, the South Tower” (Sky News Radio), “Jaleh’s Drive For Freedom” (ABC Radio National), “Sounds of the Moana” (Centre for New Zealand Music Trust), “Vital Signs – My Mind Is Terrorizing Me” (SiriusXM), “Embrace Everything – The World of Gustav Mahler” (Aaron Cohen Productions), “The Effect” (B7 Media /Audible), “My Only Story: Back to School” (Media24 & My Only Story NPC), “Interprètes afghans : partir ou mourir (Afghan Interpreters: Leave or Die)” (Radio-Canada), “Before–After: The 1972 Bulltofta Hijacking” (Sveriges Radio), The Greatest Menace” (Lockdown Productions /Audible), “Tender” (Broadwave), “The Lake” (Popsock Media), and “False Idol” (Religion of Sports).Audio Books captivated listeners. Entries earning Gold include “Lord of the Rings,” “Gangsta Granny Strikes Again,” and “Einstein the Penguin” (HarperCollins Publishers), “A Slow Fire Burning” (Penguin Random House UK), and “Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon Audiobook” (Pushkin Industries).Captivating documentaries celebrated compelling non-fiction narratives explored through sound.  Gold trophy-winning work includes “King Louis The First Of Britain” (6Foot6 Productions), “Encounters – Stories about our Natural World” (Regan Hutchins), “Stuff The British Stole” (Marc Fennell), “Virgin Radio Pride” (Virgin Radio UK), “Game of Empires. Malvinas 1982: Colonized by the Dictatorship” (National Radio from Argentine. The Public Radio), “The Doc Project – The Skyluck Journals” (CBC), “The Let It Be Story” (Howlett Media Productions Ltd.), and “The Long Haul: Texas and The Pandemic” (Texas Standard). Visit the 2022 Radio Awards winners’ showcase HERE.Enthralling entertainment entries earned Gold including “U.Me: The Musical” (Magnus Opus Broadcasting), “Major Events” (Sveriges Radio),  Silver trophy winners: “Exonerated with Clay Cane“ (SiriusXM ), “Enoch Arden, From The Balcony Of ICI Premier “ (Radio-Canada), and “The Adventures of a Young Pirate Queen – season two” (Roundstone Media Ltd). Sound entries earning Silver: “JUKEBOX | 25 Miniatures” (Götz Naleppa) and “Movies and Musicals with Aedín Gormley: Sondheim Special” (RTE Lyric FM).Breaking news coverage, features and investigative reports from broadcasters around the globe earned Gold: “Assault On The US Capitol” and “The Fall of Afghanistan” (CBS News), “The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout” (KUT 90.5), and “Third Squad: After Afghanistan” (Airloom Media).  Silver winners include “Mina Smallman, For All Women” (BBC Radio 4), and “My Name is Joe McDonnell, Hunger Striker” (Ocean FM).Visit the complete 2022 Radio Awards winners’ showcase HERE. […]

Our coverage from the 2020 NAB Show in Las Vegas continues with Panelists:Chairman, President and CEO of Audacy, David Field andCo-founder, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, Bob Pittman.Reflecting on the effect the pandemic had on radio, and ever confident and upbeat on the industry, Pittman says, “I get the feeling that we are just getting started, that we have tremendous opportunities, that from the listeners side, you’re picking up people who the year before valued peace and quiet, and now that they’ve got peace and quiet they want something on, and (the audio industry) is the beneficiary of that.”He says that now consumers have replaced the clock radio with Alexa “…in the same sort of rooms the radio was in and getting the same sort of usage, number 1 is AM,FM radio, number 2 is weather, number 3 is music” radios biggest problem is “not thinking big enough. No one dreamed the cable networks would be that big, no one dreamed the internet would be that big”Field agrees saying that “we are on the cusp of the best era for radio…the extraordinary explosion of content and experiences that we are now offering listeners through technology, we are on the cusp of radio and audio surging forward and delivering great results. On the lessons learnt of the last two years, Pittman says, “…we saw in the early days of the pandemic this incredible increase in use of digital devices in the home for radio stations. And they discovered us in some places, I think they would have never discovered something… on smart TVs, Roku and on and on, video game consoles, etc.“And I think and now that, of course, as people return to normal habits, that usage in the home of those devices is still there. So I think from a device standpoint, very important. I think from a bonding with audience standpoint, the number one place people got their news about COVID is radio.“Radio is the most trusted medium for being multiple greater than social. And I think living through that experience and keeping people company, in some cases keeping them sane, I think there’s is a relationship that will be a forever relationship, whatever that bond was, stays.”Pittman says that now the challenge for radio is to take advantage of this change in listening habits, to continue to engage the audience, and to remember what it is like to be the person sitting next to the driver in the car.Radio stations have achieved an elevated role as local broadcasters with trusted news and information, as well as being accountable for the massive amounts of misinformation their audiences are getting on social media. […]

Jacobs Media will release their 2022 Techsurvey in just a few weeks, and radioinfo’s Wayne Stamm caught up with Fred Jacobs at the 2022 NAB Show.Listening to AM/FM radio in cars is decreasing according to the 31,000 core listeners representing the listening habits of 450 stations, and Fred says while radio professionals may be talking about what is happening with the connected car, they may be missing the bigger picture.He says, “I think the bigger piece to all of this is the idea of who does radio compete against, because so often we think about the other stations down the dial as being our core competitors and maybe we don’t think about digital streaming and podcasts and all the other audio that is a part of people’s lives now. “So part of what Tech Survey is all about is to help connect you better with your audience and what they’re doing when they’re not listening to you.”And on the point about car owners becoming a lot more tech savvy about their incar systems, Fred agrees and says, “Because just a few short years ago, the complaints were rampant. I mean, people couldn’t even find the radio in their cars and they didn’t know how to pair up their phones.“But my theory is that as a result of COVID, a lot of mature citizens kind of figured out how technology works. I mean, they had to they had to figure out how Face Time worked so they could see their grandchildren, and they had to figure out how to talk to Alexa so that they could get their content and I think the same thing happened in the car.“And the automakers, I think, have done a better job dumbing it down, honestly, simplifying how all of this works, and the bottom line is just about anybody can connect their phone in their cars.“But even these sophisticated systems, I think by and large work better than they used to work. So, yeah, people are figuring it out.”The new Techsurvey will show a decrease in AM/FM listening in the car and he says, “I think that’s natural. I think that would be happening anyway, but I think the onslaught of technology maybe accelerates that. But the good news is, is that radio can still make sure that it’s meeting the audience where they are on digital platforms.”Techsurvey 2022 results will be available in a few weeks. Last years results are here.The full interview with Fred Jacobs from Wayne Stamm, who is in then USA covering NAB for radioinfo. […]

Radiodays Asia is back as an in-person and online event on September 6 and 7 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.It will be the third edition of the new conference from the team who produces Radiodays Europe, the world’s largest and leading conference for radio and audio development, in collaboration with broadcaster organisations in the Asia-Pacific.Radiodays Asia includes a fantastic line-up of speakers, leading experts and professionals from around Asia, Australia and across the world. Topics ranging from radio and podcast strategy, new digital developments, successful formats and content development, fact checking and investigative journalism, podcast storytelling and business, social media, audio advertising, sales and the latest research about consumer behaviour. The most important trends and new ideas worldwide in one place.The main conference runs over two days with two parallel tracks of sessions. It will have meet-ups and interactive sessions as part of the programme to facilitate networking and sharing of ideas. There will also be an exhibiton area where you can learn the latest about services from our commercial partners. In addition four educational training workshops will be included in the offer, as well as an evening networking event.The main Radiodays Asia conference will be hybrid – in-person in Kuala Lumpur and online for those who are unable to travel.The first Radiodays Asia was held in KL in 2019. It got fantastic feedback from participants, coming from 30 countries. Attendees gave the event an astonishing 4.25 rating on a 1-5 scale.  The second, virtual event in March 2021 saw attendees from 40 countries and the same high rating: 4.25.Radiodays Asia registration will open on 27 April with Early Bird offers. […]

GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV, today announced that Thomson Broadcast has signed a definitive agreement to acquire GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory filings and is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.GatesAir is a renowned company in the Broadcast industry with a history of powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability over the past 100 years. GatesAir has recently seen strong growth, coming off a very successful participation in the North America Spectrum Repack program. GatesAir worked with Bowen Inc. on a robust process which involved interest from several strategic and financial parties, with Thomson Broadcast prevailing due to its highly complementary fit. The combination of GatesAir with Thomson Broadcast will create a scaled, comprehensive platform with greater capabilities in innovation, design and product efficiency and an expanded portfolio of holistic, turnkey broadcast solutions.“GatesAir is already an undisputed leader in the broadcast industry, and our combination with Thomson Broadcast will create a combined company of larger scale even better suited to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers all over the globe,” said Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir. “I am very proud of the GatesAir team for its stewardship of and innovation in this industry over the past century and look forward to entering the next 100 years as an even stronger business leveraging the strengths of two legendary broadcast brands. On behalf of everyone at GatesAir, I’d like to thank Gores for their strategic guidance which was invaluable in growing our business and driving innovation.”“Over the course of our successful partnership with Bruce and the management team, GatesAir has driven tremendous growth and transformation through organic and inorganic initiatives, establishing itself as a premier, independent broadcast company with market leading technology and service,” said Edward Johnson, Senior Managing Director at The Gores Group. “We have no doubt GatesAir will continue on its successful trajectory and strengthen its market leadership alongside Thomson Broadcast.”For more than 100 years, Thomson Broadcast has forged extensive experience in the fields of Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTV) and AM Radio, including DRM. Thomson Broadcast is an international French company well known in the broadcast sector. Over the past two years, Thomson Broadcast has received awards for providing exceptional DTT turnkey solutions to large-scale digital migration projects in Africa.“In 2018, we have set the goal to establish ourselves in the US Market. With Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir now united, these two companies will make us stronger in America and globally as well,” says Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Thomson Broadcast.“Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir together can bring innovative and revolutionary products to the broadcast industry in the centuries to come,” says Aby Alexander, President of Thomson Broadcast USA.“We are delighted to have reached this point,” says Amine Oubid, CEO of Thomson Broadcast. “From the start we were excited to work with the GatesAir team and saw the obvious fit of the two companies. The transaction closing can’t come fast enough for us. We’re very proud to participate in the rallying of two century-old companies and excited to start working together.” […]