ASIA

India’s Big FM network has roped in multi-talented Moubani Sorcar as their newest RJ for its Kolkata station.
She will host a new show called ‘Kolkata Mohito with Magic Moubani’, weekdays 5 pm to 9 pm.
Also known as ‘Magic Barir Meye‘ (Magic House Girl), Moubani Sorcar, whose real name is Purbita Sorcar, is the daughter of renowned magician P.C. Sorcar Jr.
Through her show, the celebrated actor will make people see the positivity and beauty in everyday moments and help them create their own magic from the mundane.
Sunil Kumaran, Product, Marketing and THWINK BIG, BIG FM said: “Moubani is a hugely celebrated artist in Kolkata with a keen talent to unearth stories and help people lighten up. She will surely lend a purpose to the overall content of the new show ‘Kolkata Mohito’ and bring some fun, excitement, and laughter in these times.”
RJ Moubani said, “This is my first stint as a Radio Jockey and through this show, I want to help people find magic in everyday moments and add that little spark of joy to make the evenings magical for my listeners. The current times are challenging, but if we can bring about any change in the mindset and help people divert their minds towards positive information and spread some good cheer, I will consider my mission accomplished. I am looking forward to interacting with my listeners and delivering a power-packed show that will inspire, entertain and bring people together. BIG FM is a great platform to reach out to millions of people, and I could not have asked for a better opportunity.” […]

Radio journalist Renante “Rey” Cortes, who worked for DyRB radio station located in Mambaling, Cebu City, Philippines was shot dead last Thursday, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) reported.
Cortes used to host a regular political news program in which he often criticised the local elite, often resulting in conflict with political personalities.
According to the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), he had been the target of a murder attempt in the past.
He was leaving the station around 9 am, just after finishing his show when an unidentified gunman on a bike shot him.  He was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
Rappler reported that DyRB administrative associate Nova Banawan said two unidentified people had visited the station’s office a day before the attack to inquire about his schedule.
(RSF) called on the Philippine government to order an independent investigation.
“We urge the Philippine authorities to order an independent investigation that sheds all possible light on the killing of Renante Cortes,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Asia-Pacific desk. “The context of this journalist’s murder (as he left the radio station), the method used by his killers and the previous attempt on his life – this very disturbing combination clearly indicates that he was targeted in a reprisal for his work. In these circumstances, any negligence in the police investigation would be seen as a denial of justice for all journalists.”
The Philippines is ranked 138th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
“Authorities must fully and independently investigate the killing of journalist Renante ‘Rey’ Cortes, determine if it was related to his reporting, and bring all those involved swiftly to justice,” said Shawn Crispin, Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) senior Southeast Asia representative. “Until authorities show they are serious about bringing violent attacks on journalists to justice, these wanton killings will continue.”
The Philippines ranked seventh on CPJ’s most recent Impunity Index, a ranking of countries worldwide where journalists are slain and their killers go free. […]

PwC has released their special report on the annual Global Entertainment & Media Outlook. Now in its 22nd year, the Outlook is the premier source of information and insight into the evolution of this dynamic, diverse and fast-changing sector.
In 2020, the pandemic triggered the sharpest contraction in overall E&M revenues in the history of this research. And it accelerated changes in consumer behaviour to pull forward digital disruption and industry tipping points by several years. In 2021, those tipping points morphed and coalesced into power shifts that are rapidly reshaping the industry.
One of the clearest trends is that players are realising they may be better served by figuring out how to meet consumers at their convenience. People prefer the ease and convenience of self-directed podcast listening to adhering to radio stations’ schedules. As a result, audio content providers are diversifying their offerings to become more of a destination where consumers will linger and browse. For example, although podcast platforms in many territories tend to specialise in particular topics—comedy, politics and so on—the leading providers in the mature Chinese market, such as Ximalaya and Nasdaq-listed Lizhi, aggregate many different subjects and types of podcasts into a single offering. Clubhouse and Spotify use live and recorded podcasts to re-create a personalised radio type experience.
Total global entertainment and media (E&M) revenue fell -3.8% year on year in 2020, by far the most significant drop in revenue — US$81.0bn, or more than the value of 2020’s entire music, radio and podcasts segment — in the history of the Global Entertainment and Media Outlook.
As more global regions emerge from lockdown and see increasing rates of vaccination, a forecast year-on-year rise of 6.5% in 2021 and a further 6.7% rise in 2022 will help drive total global E&M revenue to increase at a 5.0% five-year CAGR. However, this seemingly healthy growth comes from a greatly depressed base year — extending the CAGR period to six years provides a less optimistic picture with a rate of just 3.5%.
Sectors that meet digital and mobile consumers where they are find rapid growth. The projected CAGR for Virtual Reality from 2020-25 is the highest among all segments at 30 percent, while Music, Radio and Podcasts are projected to grow at 9 percent. […]

After more than a year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SPH Gift of Music, a series of free community concerts sponsored by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation, will return with A Gift of Love, a concert by Ding Yi Music Company on 24 July at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium. SPH Radio is the official radio partner of the event.
Ding Yi Music Company, a renowned Chinese chamber ensemble and recipient of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award in 2019, will perform two shows at 3pm and 7pm respectively. Online audiences can catch the live-streamed concert at 7pm on the Facebook pages of SPH, Ding Yi and 96.3 Hao FM.
A Gift of Love concert aims to spread joy and hope amid the pandemic situation. It is a reminder to take comfort in the love of our family, friends and those around us during challenging times.
Inspired by the 2021 National Day Parade theme of ‘Together, Our Singapore Spirit‘, the multi-cultural repertoire will feature popular favourites such as Chinese pop hits Friends Forever and My Dearest Baby, Indian medley Veena Concerto, Malay medley Beruntung Jadi Anak Kelatan and one of Singapore’s favourite National Day songs Home, written by Dick Lee.
The concert, conducted by Wong De Li, Dedric, will be hosted by SPH Radio 96.3 Hao FM DJ De Ming who will also perform a song with the ensemble. The programme will also feature two soloists, Cellist Chee Jun Sian and Veena musician Madhavan Kalaichelvan. […]

India’s 93.5 Red FM network announced ‘The Audio Film Project’ starting July 26.
The show will have ace Bollywood Director, Vikram Bhatt narrating high intensity horror and thriller stories on air to give listeners a never-before experience in the form of audio films.
It will air every Monday to Saturday at 9 PM.
Speaking on the announcement, Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO, RED FM and Magic FM, said: “Audio is a personalised form of storytelling, and the tradition is ingrained in India’s fabric. It is also one of the most powerful content formats on radio. Vikram Bhatt has built a legacy of films in the space of horror and thrillers and our listeners are in for a lot of thrill and spine-chilling content.”
Talking about the initiative, Vikram Bhatt said: “Have you ever felt that the book was better than the movie? Have you ever felt more scared while hearing a ghost story than seeing one? I am certain you have and the reason is that imagination sees more than the eyes can ever see. I have now collaborated with RED FM for The Audio Film Project that aims at creating a unique experience for radio listeners. It focuses on storytelling and live narration that will give listeners an experience of stories vividly through the audio format.” […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat Bryson

It’s all about managing tension levels!
I’ve often heard it said that the easiest person to sell is a salesperson. If you are like me, you appreciate good technique. You probably also recognize bad sales skills when you experience them. Part of determining what’s “good” and what’s “bad” is how the salesperson makes you feel during the process. Which brings us to the point of today’s newsletter: How do WE make OUR clients feel during our sales process?
We know that prospects need to feel comfortable with us. If they aren’t, they probably won’t buy from us. No one wants to deal with a “slick” salesperson, one who makes you doubt their sincerity and credibility. We want to make our interactions with clients person to person, not salesperson to victim. We also know that as we lead prospects to the point of making a decision, the tension level in the room will spike. Since we are the only person that we have control over, it’s up to us to manage the tension level, to bring it down, to make our prospect comfortable. How do we do this?
We need to be sure that we aren’t intimidating prospects by using “radio”, “TV” or newspaper lingo. Those technical terms should never be used outside our offices. Many times, our prospects don’t understand them, but they won’t say anything. They simply remain quiet, uncomfortable and they keep their wallets closed. They simply won’t buy.
We also need to make sure we don’t have any annoying habits that can drive a prospective customer crazy. I’ve seen all kinds of little “tics”: clicking pens, shaking feet, straightening a tie, bouncing around in a seat. In close proximity, these can be most off-putting.
We need to watch our language. Some words in the English language sound harsh. They will spike the tension level: contract, deal, sign, cost, buy, liable, obligation, price, pay, decision.
Other words will lower the tension level: authorize, approve, agreement, results, proven, easy, save, results, profit, let’s.
I once trained a gentleman who had sold newspaper for 15 years before he joined our radio team. As we were going through this material, he shared with me how he used these words. When he was dealing with a prospect who was using a competitor’s product, he used the words like this:
“How liable are you when you sign their contract? What type of obligation do you have to pay for their deal? With our agreement, we make it easy. All you have to do is authorize this campaign and the results have been proven by other of our clients.”
In other words, he used the bad words when referring to the competition and the good words when referring to his own. I thought this a bit diabolical but certainly brilliant. Try it: it works! I’m always happy I train with people smarter than I am. I learn so much!
Our job is to manage the tension level, to make our potential clients comfortable in saying, “Yes” to our offers. Use these techniques: higher billing awaits!

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