ASIA

In his message on World Radio Day (WRD), the Director General of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Muhammad Asim Khichi, said radio is the most effective and popular medium in dissemination of information during catastrophes and natural calamities.He said radio had vast outreach even in the time of modern technology and in the presence of other modes of communication.Khichi said Radio Pakistan adhered to the theme of this year’s World Radio Day, “Radio and Trust” and was known for broadcasting authentic and credible news. It received hundreds of emails and phone calls from the public about its content, which showed people’s trust in Radio Pakistan.Highlighting its expanding coverage, he said all transmitters are being transformed from analogue to digital, which will not only increase its outreach, but also improve voice quality. This will expand its coverage area to Far-East, Central Asia, and the Middle Eastern regions.He said in Radio Pakistan was livestreaming its transmissions, which could be accessed on social media. It has also started podcast service in 15 different categories, which could be heardon Radio Pakistan’s website. […]

The Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) launched the country’s first news radio station to mark World Radio Day on February 13.Al-Ekhbariya Radio is a radio branch of the country’s state-owned Al-Ekhbariya TV channel. The SBA wants to expand focus on national news content through the station.The transmission will initially be available in the capital Riyadh, the Red Sea city of Jeddah and Dammam in the eastern region.The signal frequency numbers are Riyadh – 93.00, Jeddah- 107.7 and Dammam – 99.00.Broadcast time will be from 7 to 10 in the morning, from 12 to 3 in the afternoon – which will feature local political coverage, and in the evening from 6 to 9 pmWith a a network of 85 correspondents, it will offer updated bulletins, news briefs and stories covering a variety of societal issues and important international developments.Ahmed Al-Dawwari, editor-in-chief of Al-Ekhbariya Radio, said it will have 80 percent local content and 20 percent Arab and international content.According to Mohammed Al-Harithi, SBA CEO, the launch is part of the authority’s strategy toward distributing media discourse across all platforms and shifting toward specialized media to meet the needs of segments of Saudi society.He added that the interest in launching the station comes as the Kingdom witnesses rapid changes at all levels, creating an urgent need to provide new political and economic information to the public.Station director Mubarak Al-Ati told the Al-Ekhbariya TV “Today” program that the station is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plans to build a more diverse and sustainable economy along with a vibrant society.“Launching the station is in the interest of the Saudi media renaissance to keep pace with the developments the kingdom is undergoing at all levels. Saudi media will continue to leap and advance in service of the kingdom’s leadership and people,” he said. […]

Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) held a ceremony on February 11 to celebrate the 11th edition of World Radio Day (WRD), under the theme “Radio and Trust“, with the participation of VOV leaders, heads of functional departments, and dozens of local radio and television stations nationwide.As part of his address at the ceremony, Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative in Vietnam, said that with this year’s WRD theme, UNESCO wishes to affirm the public’s trust in radio as a popular, high-quality, objective, and reliable means of communication. It also aims to promote attention to audiences, especially those who are disadvantaged in society, whilst finally it remains essential to promote the application of digital technology and modern broadcasting methods. This should be done to competently complete the task of information and propaganda with confidence to survive.Whilst VOV has successfully carried out its mission for peace in the past, in the modern era, we believe that VOV will continue to overcome new challenges and successfully complete its mission. In line with this, UNESCO remains ready to accompany VOV in this journey, emphasized Manhart.According to Ngo Minh Hien, Vice President of VOV, for nearly 10 years, the broadcaster has consistently launched a range of activities to celebrate World Radio Day solemnly, with a view to clearly affirming the role of radio in today’s society, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic impacting all aspects of social life.The celebration therefore creates a forum for colleagues and journalists working as broadcasters of VOV, as well as the national radio industry, provincial radio and television stations to share experiences and promote the development of radio in an era of information explosion.“In the age of information explosion, the most important role of radio is to establish a reliable source of information. That’s also why this year UNESCO has adopted the theme of World Radio Day as ‘Radio and Trust’. Today’s event serves as a forum for broadcasters across the country to share experience, find new directions for radio, and affirm the role of radio as a guide for information in society which is approached by the most people,” affirmed Hien.Building on more than a century of history, radio remains one of the most trusted and widely used forms of media. Throughout the years, radio has provided quick and affordable access to information in real time, in addition to professional coverage about matters of public interest, as well as guaranteed distance education and entertainment. Bridging the gap between “traditional” and state-of-the art technologies, radio now offers a variety of content through different devices and formats, such as podcasts and multimedia websites.“Radio still maintains a strong foothold to connect the community, promote information exchange in the context of many new media methods appearing. At present, media organisations are advocating for strong innovation of new forms of media in order to increase the effectiveness and attractiveness of radio and catch up with the common development trend of world media,” the VOV Vice President added.Tim Rowel, General Manager of Piano in APAC region shared ideas on how international broadcasters generate new funding and increase revenue on subscription platforms.Radioinfo Asia’s Steve Ahern, who is also Head of the ABU Media Academy, shared his ideas on the role and future of radio in the world. He said that while audience consumption patterns show that the number of households with radio sets is decreasing, and youth do not listen to radio sets, but they do listen to radio through mobile apps, streaming and smart speakers, which gives radio an edge over competitors. Radio is still personal, trusted and a source of company. It still stimulates the imagination as it is the only media without a screen. It is anonymous, has a robust transmission infrastructure and is essential in emergencies. He also emphasized that in these days of fake news and disinformation, trust and credibility are essential for audience retention. Brodacasters should make sure that their audience trusts them more than fake social media accounts. […]

Malaysia’s Astro Radio station Lite FM has announced a refreshed announcer line-up and a number of new segments.Veteran host Aanont Wathanasin (Non) joins Asha Gill in ‘The Lite Breakfast with Asha and Non’, every Monday to Friday, from 6am till 10pm. The show will feature many new segments including Weekend Recap, on Mondays, where Asha and Non offer their take on the biggest sports headlines from over the weekend; Lite Explainer, on Mondays, where the announcers decipher the topics that we are supposed to understand, but never really quite figured out; Lite Up Your Life, on Wednesdays, where Asha and Non speak with experts about wellness, nutrition, fitness, different therapies and finance; But Why?, every Thursday, for discussions on everyday customs and traditions that we practise without wondering, “But why do we do this?”; What We’re Watching, every Friday, where the announcers will suggest movies and series that you can binge on over the weekend and The C-Side, every Friday, where Asha and Non get up close and personal with CEOs and leaders on personal and professional stories.On weekdays new announcer, Ika, will make a return to radio, in the ‘Relaxing Favourites Workday’, from 10am till 3pm. She will interact with fans spotlighting topics that touch on women’s strength and character.Phat Fabes will host Lite Drive on weekdays from 3pm till 8pm, with the following segments:What a Trip!, on Fridays, where Fabes speaks with solo traveler Angela Carson, who shares travel tips and stories; Mind Your Money, on Wednesdays, where Fabes chats with Dato Dr. Nazri Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Inter-Pacific Asset Management Sdn Bhd, to bring you the tips you need to be financially savvy; Just Ask, where Fabes asks politicians and decision-makers burning questions about top news stories and Make My Day, on weekdays, where fans and listeners can request for their favourite songs. […]

Pure has launched an innovative suite of new products for the iconic Evoke range that are built on Frontier’s leading Venice X platform, offering the benefits of SmartRadio to their customers.The new Evoke Spot, Evoke Play and Evoke Home products offer a diverse choice of usage across any home while taking the listening experience to the next level with a choice of DAB+, FM and Internet Connectivity. Every model of the new reimagined line is a SmartRadio device and therefore combines the reliability of FM and DAB+ with the choice and flexibility of streaming Internet Radio, Podcasts and Spotify Connect.Both Pure and Frontier have developed multiple products together, disrupting and changing the industry one collaboration at a time. Looking back on Pure’s product history, the Evoke-1 first laid the foundation and then adapted to customers’ needs over the course of 20 years, evolving into stereo product (Evoke 2) and then providing enhanced user experience with an added large colour screen and Bluetooth functionality (Evoke H4)Keeping with this constant evaluation of customer needs and addressing current trends, the latest reimagined Evoke Series composed of the Evoke Spot, Evoke Play and Evoke Home combine the advantages of SmartRadio while keeping contemporary design and focus on usability. Pure forwent the inclusion of any microphones or voice assistance allowing for maximum privacy. The new Evoke models feature a foldable colour display that doesn’t only save space and make this compact music system look even slimmer, it also makes it easy to conceal distracting lights. Keeping ease of usability in mind, complex functions such as alarm clock, timer or changing the audio source are hidden away under the foldable display while everyday functions are easily accessible on the surface of the devices.Frontier’s solutions are used by the world’s leading audio brands and are in millions of devices. Pure and Frontier have shaped the radio market with their innovations over the last 20 years and continue to push ahead. The Venice X module supports Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Deezer as well as over 60k Internet Radio stations and 100k podcast episodes.Both Frontier and Pure are members of the SmartRadio logo programme, which aims to promote SmartRadio and educate users on the benefit of owning a SmartRadio over a DAB radio.Adrian Nordhaus, head of innovation and product management at Pure said: ‘We wanted to create a high quality and reliable product that had the best user experience that we could offer to allow us to be competitive in the growing SmartRadio market. We chose Frontier to work with and selected their Venice X platform, which combined high levels of functionality into a single, highly integrated turnkey module that enables SmartRadio products.’Prem Rajalingham, managing director at Frontier said: ‘We are delighted to work with Pure and once again create innovative products that will lead the SmartRadio market. We continue to see the SmartRadio market growing, with brands moving more products from simple DAB + FM to SmartRadio products that combine DAB, FM, Internet Radio, podcasts and catch-up radio.’ […]

Community radio in South Asia seems to caught in the crossfire between ‘development’ and ‘rights’ as restrictive legislation and cumbersome application procedures handicap the sector’s growth.Rules such as the ban on news broadcasting in India and in Bangladesh (where there is an exception for development-related news have prevented the emergence of an enabling environment for the sector in the region. At the same time, policy-makers increasingly acknowledge the social impact of community radio as a critical vehicle for poverty eradication.Bangladesh’s experience with community radio has demonstrated significant social impact over the past decade.Community radio is largely a rural phenomenon in the country and has been acknowledged for its contribution to addressing social iniquities like child marriages and natural disasters like cyclones and floods.In 2005, an AC Nielson survey observed that radio was one of the two mass media ‘that penetrates the poorest sections of society.’ A 2009 Bangladesh Institute of Social Research survey entitled Community Radio Readiness in Bangladesh reinforced Its popularity and credibility as a medium for social change, indicating that 94% of respondents ‘believed that radio can solve any community problem.’While this may be an oversimplification, a 2021 survey conducted by the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) suggests similar insights in terms of both listenership and trust.The survey also shows that community radio listenership jumped from 6.8 million to 10 million in less than 3 years – surely because of the pandemic. Listeners emphasised that the pandemic had created ‘panic, especially during its early stage when there was no vaccine and there was a paucity of appropriate healthcare. Miscreants had also been spreading misinformation on social media.’It was during this stage that community radio stations across Bangladesh began a concerted campaign comprising community service announcements, interviews with government officials and experts, radio jingles and spots, interactive phone-in programmes with doctors and health expertsBangladesh community radio’s efforts to combat covid-19 have been internationally recognised at the UN World Summit on the Information Society 2021 at the International Telecommunication Union Headquarters in Geneva.Community radio has created scope for the poor and marginalised community to raise their own voice; it is a voice for the voiceless. It has become a new platform for local elected representatives, local law enforcers, the private sector and civil society to facilitate good governance.A distinctive contribution of community radio lies in its ability to give voice to the excluded, and to bring peripheral voices from the margins to the centre. Bangladesh’s recent track record in this regard would also indicate ground for measured optimism.In 2015, Free Press Unlimited, a Dutch independent information advocacy group, and the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) conducted a study titled Pioneering Connecting and Empowering Voice for Change, to evaluate the participatory nature of community radio for the marginalised in Bangladesh. The study encompassed 18 operational community radio stations across the country.This highlighted that community broadcasting had had a constructive impact on the participation of women, along with marginalised sections such as the Dalit community, transgender actors and persons with disability.BNNRC conducted a similar follow-up study, tracking the participation of women, in 2017. This indicated that the gap in participation between average youth-men and youth-women had narrowed substantially over the years, with women comprising 45% and men comprising 55% of all regular and volunteer broadcasters.The gap continued to close when the data was further disaggregated. Out of all regular broadcasters, 63% were youth and 47% were youth-women.[1] The study also observed that many community radio stations were led by women, while one of the stations is entirely run by women.In 2021, trends suggest a substantial deepening of the sector in terms of both community engagement and social impact.Community radio advocates in Bangladesh have embarked on an innovative strategy of using fellowship programmes to incentivise participation from disadvantaged groups. The fellowship programme incorporates training on community media journalism, fact-checking, research and new media marketing.While community radio listeners are used to listening through low-cost radio sets, there has been a seismic shift; in 2021, most listeners tune into radio programmes through their mobile phones. Community radio stations have thereby started internet broadcasting, essentially going into the podcast model.A BNNRC survey in 2018 indicated that audiences increasingly favoured podcasts – visual programmes with a ‘watching’ option as they ‘listen.’These trends indicate that community radio broadcasting in Bangladesh has moved firmly from the initial phase of legitimisation and awareness-building into the consolidation growth phase.Community radio in Bangladesh has reached a point where it is empowering the people at the margins with the right to the information that has an impact on their lives. For more insights, read the full article by Asha Sen, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, AHM Bazlur Rahman, the co-founder and CEO of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication and Ashish Chandra Sen, Founder President of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Asia Pacific. […]