ASIA

India’s Big FM network ran a campaign called ‘Big Cybershield’ to raise awareness about cyber security by educating people to use the digital space cautiously.The month-long campaign threw light on various issues such as credit card and banking phishing scams, fake government sites and emails, document cloud phishing scams, fake jobs, lottery scams and event phishing.It was supported by various eminent personalities such as Abhishek Bachchan, Gulshan Grover and Jimmy Shergil who promoted the activity on-air. Targeting the senior citizens, a digital classroom was held for them where a cyber expert taught things about ‘safe online practice’ every day.According to ScamCheck India about 885,000 listeners benefitted from this activity.The initiative culminated on the network’s  social media in the presence of Satej Dnyandeo Patil – IT & Home Minister Maharashtra and Tushar Bhagat – Founder Scamcheckindia.com, and was moderated by RJ Rani.Sunil Kumaran, Country Head – Product, Marketing & THWINK Big, Big FM said: “The past two years has been a testing time for all of us, especially now that the world has moved to digitization completely, people are facing a lot more trouble to deal with cybercrime.  Through this campaign, we were able to create awareness among the general public about the pitfalls of the limitless worldwide web. We are thrilled that we could harness the power of the media towards this much-needed initiative.” […]

The deadline for sending entries for 2022 New York Festivals® Radio Awards competition is February 9.New York Festivals Radio Awards honors storytellers from around the globe. Since 1957 NYF has celebrated excellence and innovation across all genres and platforms, keeping pace with industry-wide developments and global trends.Last year, the awards received entries from more than 30 stations, networks and independent producers from across the globe.

Asian entries won one metal and seven Finalist nods at last year’s Radio Awards.Entries are judged by the Grand Jury made up of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe, including a number from Asia including India, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.Entries are judged on production values, organisation, presentation of information, creativity and use of the medium.All entries in the 2022 competition will be judged online by NYF’s Radio Awards Grand Jury. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery.To enter, visit: HERE, for additional information visit: Rules and Regulations. […]

Kadal Osai 90.4 FM in India’s southern state of Tamilnadu is the country’s first and only radio channel for fisherfolk which also raises social and environmental awareness.Armstrong Fernando from Ramanathapuram district’s Pamban town started the station, whose name means ‘Sound of the Sea’, about five years ago. The station now has a team of 12 members.Pamban island is located between peninsular India and Sri Lanka, with a population of over 100,000 out of whom 80 percent are engaged in fishing.

The 24/7 channel provides weather updates, information on potential fishing zones, local news, traditional music and promotes marine conservation. It also serves as a direct link between the government and the community to quickly resolve people’s problems, from receiving government incentives to purchasing tokens for fishing.The station also ran a successful initiative to conserve endangered species who would often get entangled along in the fishermen’s nets along with the fish.Radio Kadal Osai began rewarding fishermen with INR 1,000 ($13.35) if they released trapped turtles to the ocean while capturing the moment on their phones.“This became a huge success. A lot of fishermen sent us videos of them releasing turtles to the sea. We give them cash rewards and also announce their names on the radio. This also helped to create awareness about the conservation of sea turtles,” Gayathri Usman, the station head of Kadal Osai told TRT World.“People now don’t take plastic bags to the sea. They are cautious and aware that polluting the sea would directly affect their livelihood,” she added.The station has also been educating people about pandemic-related issues and debunking disinformation about the virus.Lenin, who works as the channel’s programming coordinator, told TRT: “The radio has a great influence in the lives of the people who listen to it [compared to] TV, social media or word of mouth. People acknowledge that there is little possibility of being misinformed on this medium.” […]

Content from BPRWe’ve all been in brainstorming sessions, whether in a room with others or via Zoom with colleagues based anywhere & everywhere.Whatever the problem to be solved, there are those who will contribute and those who would like to but won’t.

Why?When it comes to group interactions with colleagues, individuals are particularly vulnerable to a condition known as motivation to conform. The reasons for this can include the need to avoid rejection and conflict, accomplish group goals or establish one’s identity. After all, why undercut your Group Program/Content Director’s views or challenge an opinionated CEO if it means somehow diminishing your own power, influence or authority?This risk aversion is a big factor in the success or failure of brainstorming sessions.The global management consultancy, McKinsey & Company, recently posted an article “A Better Way to Brainstorm”.One of McKinsey’s management tools is Anonymous Brainstorming.This concept can be a counterweight to our motivations to conform and help contributors feel like their expertise and ideas are being fairly considered.Here’s how McKinsey’s Anonymous Brainstorming works.To ensure that all ideas are weighted equally, the person in charge of the session (CEO, Group Program Director etc) appoints a facilitator to collect ideas submitted through a central software application. (This step would be managed ahead of the brainstorming session.)During brainstorming, ideas would not be presented in a specific order or tied to specific person. This provides anonymity and allows for proposals that may run counter to the opinions of “the loudest voice”/the most powerful person in the session.The facilitator presents the list of ideas and the individuals vote on them independently (and anonymously) to reveal the degree of alignment behind each idea. Once the ideas have been vetted and reprioritized, the group repeats the silent-voting process until a clear choice can be made.Now this type of structured facilitation will take more time and effort than a traditional brainstorming session—but it has the potential to reveal truly original business initiatives and creative concepts that may not have come to light if the participants thought their reputations were on the line.By David Kidd, BPR […]

Registrations are open for the ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2022, which will take place from March 21 to 24.Organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the symposium is a leading event for broadcasters in the region and beyond.This year’s theme for the event is ‘Evolving Media Workflows’.

The programme will include a conference where speakers will address topics of interest to broadcasters, masterclasses by sponsors on industry issues of their choice and an opportunity for industry partners to highlight their latest products and services.The virtual event is open to Sponsors, Industry Partners, Speakers and Delegates from ABU Members and around the world.Register for the event here. […]

UNESCO calls on all radio stations to celebrate the eleventh edition of World Radio Day,under the theme “Radio and Trust“, on February 13.Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).Building on more than a century of its history, radio remains one of the most trusted and widely used media.

Throughout the years, radio has provided quick and affordable access to information in real time and professional coverage about matters of public interest, as well as guaranteed distance education and entertainment.Bridging 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.Still, not all world citizens believe they get the information they need. Recent world events and the Covid-19 pandemic have eroded trust in the media in general, fuelled by the circulation of false content rapidly spreading on social media.The resulting financial constrains that forced reduction of staff and the loss of advertisement to Internet companies have accelerated declines in news media revenue, including for radio, and raised the costs of verified information, particularly for local radio outlets.This year’s subthemes for World Radio DayTrust in radio journalism: Produce independent and high-quality contentRespecting basic standards of ethical journalism has become challenging in the present high- tempo digital age. However, in order to keep or raise listeners’ trust, journalism must continue to be based on verifiable information that is shared in the public interest, holds the powerful to account and helps society build a better future for all.In this context, editorial independence is essential, as it may show the ability of radio stations to bring news free of influence. Moreover, the understanding of digital technologies and social platforms is key to avoid circulation of unverified information. Investing in fact-checking, investigative journalism and rigorous verification of sources and content are some of the practices radio broadcasters could strengthen to keep audience trust.An informed audience equipped with Media and Information Literacy competencies is also necessary, so that listeners discover, consume, and respond critically to content, and thereby appreciate the quality journalism that the radio station is bringing to them. More and more radio stations are therefore including media and information literacy shows in their programming schedule.Trust and accessibility: Take care of your audienceGaining listeners’ trust implies conveying diversity in all its forms: staff origins, information sources, formats, distribution channels, programming, editorial content, etc. People who feel represented and can access information that is relevant to them may become loyal listeners.However, reaching out to a selected audience group implies serving the informational needs of all listeners and being a catalyst for integration and social participation – including persons with disabilities. Digital radio platforms provide grounds for innovation in the accessibility of content for the latter, such as the use of sign languages or automated subtitles for hearing-impaired audience when streaming, or announcements of content for blind listeners.Furthermore, voice being the main communication resource in radio, stations with the ability to recruit personnel with disabilities, for example blind radio hosts, could let it be known. Their experience could be inspirational for listeners.In terms of diversity, participatory radio such as community radio is likewise important to ensure that communities of interest, especially hard-to-reach, under-represented or diaspora groups, do not feel at the margins of news making and can credit radio with their confidence.Trust and viability of radio stations: Ensure competitivenessHow can radio survive when financial crisis hits the media market? How to transform loyal audience engagement into financial sustainability?This sub-theme links the economic survival of radio stations to their ability to attract and retain a large enough base of loyal listeners to be sustainable or to embed listener interaction into their business models.Most radio stations are small or medium enterprises, when not totally non-profit, and find themselves in dire situation. Even public service broadcasting is facing license fee cut plans and reticence from citizens to pay audio-visual taxes in times of streaming services and Web radio when they can access content otherwise.New funding models are to be researched and discussed, for instance subscriptions, membership models, pay-per-listened content, very local advertisement and other. […]