ASIA

Earlier this year, in February and March, the DRM Consortium conducted an extensive trial of the DRM standard in the FM band in New Delhi and Jaipur in India at the request of the AIR (All India Radio).It was a part of an evaluation of two digital radio options for the FM band for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to choose from and recommend.The measurements were done with a professional DRM receiver and a selection of commercial DRM receivers and mobile phones upgraded for DRM reception in the FM band.

The measurements were carried out based on a pure-digital single DRM signal (block) as well as multi-DRM configurations (placing multiple DRM blocks side-by-side from a single transmitter). DRM is a pure digital standard, but a simulcast operation (DRM and analogue FM signals side-by-side from a single transmitter) was also conducted from the same transmitter. DRM was also shown to work in FM white spaces without affecting ongoing analogue FM transmissions.The measurements demonstrated that DRM can deliver up to 3 audio plus 1 multimedia service per DRM signal block in the given spectrum , while allowing for maximum utilisation of the FM-band spectrum.During the trial it was confirmed that adding DRM transmissions to the FM band is fully compatible and does not interfere with on-going analogue FM services. Also, DRM as a pure-digital radio standard has the ability to efficiently broadcast multiple DRM signals side-by-side from a single transmitter, and for operating in flexible configurations alongside an analogue FM signal from the same transmitter.DRM also delivered additional Journaline advanced text service in multiple Indian languages, to be ready for delivering Emergency Warning Functionality, and to efficiently enable traffic, travel and online teaching services over broadcast, without requiring internet connectivity.It was also proven that existing receiver models, already supporting DRM in the AM bands as adopted by India, can support DRM in all bands by a simple firmware upgrade without hardware modifications.Download the full overview here […]

On 20 December 1939, just after the start of World War II, Robert Menzies launched Radio Australia with the words: “The time has come to speak for ourselves”.Today, its international audiences are in the millions and in the regions and countries of great geostrategic importance to Australia.Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) International today operates on a budget of $11 million per year, estimated to be less than a third of pre-2014 levels. It has a staff of 38 who work mainly in media development programs for the Pacific region, and sometimes parts of Asia, and a small number who manage and administer its various international broadcast channels (radio and TV) as well as wide-ranging digital content activity.

ABC International management and staff have been committed to Australia relevant in the Asia-Pacific region, but its present resources are not enough to reach a potential audience of more than three billion people. It has the capacity to do more to reach audiences in the Indo Pacific region and needs more funding and support for needed expansion.ABC Radio has FM service in 13 of the most populous locations across the Pacific and in Timor Leste with a monthly listenership of at least 407,000.It has syndicated in-language (Tok Pisin/Solomons Pidgin/Bislama) news and current affairs program Wantok to Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on their shortwave service which is heard in the remotest locations across the Pacific.It also shares Wantok and our other daily news and current affairs program Pacific Beat with partners such as PNG’s NBC provincial services while also making the case to Government to expand Radio Australia’s FM footprint.Alongside this, its International Development team works with local media and broadcasters to build and strengthen their own transmission capacity, to take homegrown media and stories to populations in remote and urban regions.It has also commissioned the ground-breaking Pacific women’s issues program Sistas Let’s Talk, education content for pre-school and early primary students in Pacific Playtime and a Pacific focussed music show Island Music.It recently got some funding to create a new Pacific focussed sports program for ABC Radio Australia (Can You Be More Pacific). It builds on our existing bespoke programming for our Pacific radio audiences which includes comprehensive coverage of Pacific news and current affairs (delivered in English and through the in-language Wantok program) produced by ABC’s dedicated, specialist Pacific team in the Asia Pacific Newsroom in Melbourne. […]

Afghanistan continues to be a perilous place for journalists after Taliban took control of the country last month.Dozens of reporters have been killed in the last few years, and local reporters are now at even more risk as Taliban fighters conduct searches for them.News organisations and media outlets have been making frantic efforts to get staffers, journalists, stringers, translators and fixers who played a major role in their reporting from Afghanistan, out of the country.

Nematullah Hemat of the private television station Ghargasht TV is believed to have been kidnapped by the Taliban, and Toofan Omar, the head of the private radio station Paktia Ghag Radio, was shot dead by Taliban fighters according to government officials. Amdadullah Hamdard, a translator and frequent contributor to Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper, was shot dead on August 2 in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. Last month, world-renowned Indian photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Danish Siddiqui died in Kandahar, presumably killed by Taliban militants.Recently, Taliban fighters searching for a Deutsche Welle journalist shot dead a member of his family and seriously injured another, while other relatives of the journalist were able to escape and are on the run. Deutsche Welle also reported that the homes of at least three of its journalists have been searched by the Taliban.“The killing of a close relative of one of our editors by the Taliban yesterday is inconceivably tragic and testifies to the acute danger in which all our employees and their families in Afghanistan find themselves,” Deutsche Welle Director General Peter Limbourg said in an article published on the broadcaster’s website.Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan has emailed White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan with an “urgent request” on behalf of his paper, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for the US military to help evacuate “204 journalists, support staff and families.”Deutsche Welle and other German news media also made a similar appeal for help for their Afghan staff.The organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on the UN Security Council to hold an informal special session to address the perilous situation of journalists in Afghanistan. […]

Paul Mckenna, recently named by the London Times as one of the world’s leading and most important modern gurus alongside Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, will join Radiodays Europe (RDE) 2021, for a session.He will be interviewed by Francis Currie, Consultant, UK, in a special session.Mckenna initially started his career as a radio broadcaster in pirate radio – namely, Radio Sovereign, Radio Jackie and Radio Caroline. He also worked in local radio for Chiltern Radio, Capital Radio and finished his radio career at BBC Radio 1 in 1991.

He is one of the world’s bestselling non-fiction authors, selling over 10 million books in the last decade in 35 countries around the world. He has worked his unique brand of personal transformation with Hollywood movie stars, Olympic gold medalists, rock stars, leading business achievers, and royalty and has helped millions of people successfully quit smoking, lose weight, overcome insomnia, control their stress, and increase their self-confidence.He currently presents a podcast for Global Media called ‘The Positivity Podcast,’ where he interviews people as a psychologist, not a journalist, to find out what keeps them happy, positive and successful. Guests have included Simon Cowell, John Cleese, Ryan Seacrest, Mel B, Paul Oakenfold, Pru Leith, Roger Daltrey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and KSI amongst others.RDE 2021 will be a live in-person event in Lisbon from October 9 to 11, 2021. It will also be available virtually, on-line.Register here. […]

The AIBs, the international competition for journalism and factual productions, has announced its 17th annual shortlist.Work from 83 companies is shortlisted in 21 categories, reflecting the diversity of the world and the wide range of audiences that our entrants serve – from regional broadcasters through to global services, production companies large and small.In the Radio and Audio category, following entries were shortlisted in various sub-categories:

For the first time, the AIBs have received entries in the Welsh language, alongside work in English, Arabic, Flemish, Mandarin, Arabic, Swedish, Japanese, German, Farsi, Spanish, Danish, Filipino, Romanian, Hindi and French.The global panel of judges are now starting their work evaluating all the shortlisted work. There are more than 50 judges spread across every continent. The latest expert to join the international jury is the Director-General of Radio Television Afghanistan, Ismail Miakhail. Ismail is currently living in a different country and he is working on the vital role of evacuating RTA staff who are at risk from the Taliban because of their work at the national broadcaster. This number includes many female reporters and presenters.Also new in 2021, the AIBs will reward the organisation that has contributed the most to championing or reporting media freedom. It has never been more important for broadcasters to encourage their audiences to understand that media freedom is vital to democracy, as well as to ensuring economic growth and preventing climate catastrophe.“The AIBs 2021 shortlist reflects a remarkable range of work produced by the world’s most tenacious journalists and the most talented producers,” says Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the Association for International Broadcasting. “From COVID to Brexit, the menopause to addiction, Trump to Uyghur detention camps, the range of subjects that this year’s entries cover for audiences worldwide is immense. The journalism and productions offer many glimpses into aspects of life around the world, telling human stories innovatively and creatively. We extend our congratulations to all the shortlisted journalists and programme makers and thank them for their commitment to getting facts to audiences.”The complete shortlist can be viewed on the AIBs website at https://theaibs.tv/AIBs-2021/Shortlist-2021/AIBs-2021-shortlist-170921.pdf. The award winners will be revealed in a two-part TV programme that will air on Friday 12 and Monday 15 November 2021. […]

Malaysia’s Astro Radio has kickstarted a collaboration with TikTok, leading destination for short-form mobile videos, launching three new weekend shows on HITZ, MY and GOXUAN.The collaboration is expected to expand reach and cross-promote a wider selection of content and music across platforms.The weekend shows on HITZ, MY and GOXUAN will feature trending songs from TikTok, viral challenges, as well as interviews with TikTok Creators on-air or via the SYOK app.

On HITZ TikTok Hour: Everything Trending on TikTok this week! hosted by Calista, listeners can enjoy TikTok Live sessions with fans for discussions about artistes featured on HITZ playlists, including ACE, Billie Eilish and more.MY fans can catch the MY TikTok Music Chart show hosted by Daniel Wong, for a countdown of the top 10 Chinese TikTok viral songs along with updates on trending TikTok challenges. The GOXUAN weekly chart show GOXUAN TIKTOK 神曲 showcases Top 10 trending music choices on TikTok, including 程响 《四季予你》 / Gaston Pong 《Ring Ring Ring》 which were widely used in TikTok videos. GOXUAN fans can also enjoy fun and relatable short form videos on the radio brand’s TikTok account, which now has the biggest following among local Chinese radio brands. In the coming weeks, GOXUAN fans can also enjoy new campaign GOXUAN 他说啥 (GOXUAN Whatcha say?) where the GOXUAN announcer will act out a short sitcom.These weekend shows air on HITZ every Sunday at 1pm, on MY every Saturday at 6pm and on GOXUAN every Saturday at 10pm.Kenny Ong, CEO of Astro Radio, said: “Astro Radio continues to evolve audio experiences for our 17 million weekly listeners. We are excited to be the first Malaysian radio network to collaborate with TikTok, a global digital content destination, to entertain and delight our listeners with more relevant music and content. With the tremendous increase of content creation on TikTok, there has been an increase in the demand for music from the platform as well, and through this collaboration, we continue to bring Malaysians together through the power of music.”Sheau Mei Cheah, Music Marketing Lead, TikTok South East Asia commented: “As the leading platform for music discovery in today’s digital landscape, TikTok is an integral part of this country’s musical heartbeat. From homegrown talents to international music icons, the support of our user community has helped launch many diverse music careers to greater heights. Inspiring creativity and bringing joy is our main goal at TikTok, and we’re excited to work with Astro Radio to encourage even more creative expression across Malaysia.” […]