ASIA

More speakers have been announced for Radiodays Asia and Podcast Day Asia. Radiodays Asia takes place 2-4 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Podcast Day Asia takes place on Tuesday, September 5, and is part of Radiodays Asia.
Jacqueline Bierhorst, President of WorldDAB, Netherlands
Jacqueline has been a pioneer in commercial radio all her career, specialising in distribution, marketing and content and currently wears many hats!  She is the owner of Jacky B Entertainment Solutions, president of WorldDAB, chair of the WorldDAB Marketing Group and an active ambassador of digital radio throughout Europe and beyond. Jacqueline is also consultant of the Flemish Government, Department of Culture, Youth and Media on the introduction of DAB+ in Flanders, initiating collaboration throughout the Flemish stakeholders on digital radio, chair of the round tables DAB+ and Online in Flanders and country manager for Radioplayer Netherlands.Alan Fontanilla, CEO & co-founder, The Pod Network Entertainment, Philippines Alan is a brand communication expert specializing in entrepreneurial and creative initiatives. As CEO and co-founder of The Pod Network Entertainment, he drives innovation in podcasting in the Philippines, creating new ways for brands to engage with audiences. Alan also serves as Head of Marketing at Packworks, transforming sari-sari stores with digital solutions. He is a board member of the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers Foundation.

Lauren Joyce, Chief Strategy & Connections Officer, ARN, AustraliaLauren has spent two decades in the media industry, operating primarily in strategic capacities she has dedicated her time to assisting brands to convey their stories and establish connections with customers. Her unwavering passion lies in blending the power of audio with insight-led thinking, resulting in content worth spending your time on. Lauren has been locally and internationally recognised for her work and contributions to the industry. In 2022, she was named B&T’s Women in Media Marketer of the Year and was the recipient of Chief Executive Women’s Maureen Kerridge Scholarship. Lauren is currently ARN’s Chief Connections Officer, responsible for visual production, digital content, PR, marketing, promotions and business intelligence.Harry Lock, Editorial Manager, Public Media Alliance, UKHarry leads the Public Media Alliance’s (PMA) editorial team, overseeing the organisation’s content, whether that’s advocacy, statements, reports or podcast. The Public Media Alliance is a global association of public service media, with a responsibility to promote the values of public broadcasting. Before that, Harry was a broadcast journalist with Radio New Zealand.You can register for the whole three-day Radiodays Asia conference, or you can register just for Podcast Day Asia. […]

RNZ went live on Thursday with its new Pacific shortwave transmitter, replacing its old one that dates to 1989.Pacific high commissioners and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters met in RNZ House in Wellington to mark the launch, while another delegation from RNZ was at the transmitter site in Rangitaiki near Taupō.“It was very important back then but it’s still seriously important now,” Peters said, referring to when RNZ Pacific started.

New Zealand and China are now the only two countries providing a shortwave service to the region, with Australia’s ABC pulling out in 2017.RNZ has been broadcasting into the Pacific for the past 75-years using shortwave with the station RNZ Pacific launching in 1990.“Shortwave is the most certain system there is to make sure that in a crisis, tsunami or cyclone, we can get through to them,” Peters said.In a NZ$4.4 million project, RNZ has installed a new Swiss-made Ampegon shortwave transmitter, capable of both digital and analogue signal, to replace its old transmitter.RNZ’s chief executive Paul Thompson said it is a significant infrastructure upgrade and secures the future of the RNZ shortwave service into the wider Pacific.He said shortwave is still relevant despite there now being a multitude of ways to access content. “A lot of those [ways] rely on digital infrastructure, fibre links working, or local transmission assets, where shortwave beamed from New Zealand gets through to those communities.”Thompson said the number of listeners is unknown and that a survey to find out how many people are listening, even if it was possible, would be prohibitively expensive. However, he said he knew people were listening, with RNZ Pacific journalists often finding listeners in the most remote locations. […]

In its 3rd joint workshop with the Indonesian public broadcaster, RRI, top DRM experts will explain how the DRM standard supports and provides a fully integrated disaster and early warning service called Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), thus saving lives.The workshop “DRM Emergency Warning Functionality – EWF for Indonesia” will be held on Thursday, August 1.During the workshop speakers will explain how the already demonstrated and ready to use DRM-EWF can automatically wake-up DRM receivers and inform the general public (and relevant authorities) in Indonesia and elsewhere about the impending disaster.

The Indonesian and DRM experts will also detail use cases of EWF (including in Indonesia), how DRM receivers can present visual and audio alerts and introduce the stages that the authorities and the broadcasters need to go through for the successful adoption and integration of DRM-EWF into the national alert infrastructure. The speakers will explain how digital DRM receiving platforms in the house, on mobiles, in cars and outdoors can alert the maximum number of people in the affected areas as promptly as possible, thus saving lives.Speakers will include RRI specialists, the representative of the Indonesian disaster agency, DRM receiver manufacturers and technical experts. […]

Content from BPRWhether we like it or not, radio commercials are the raison d’être of the radio business, for those radio stations funded by the selling of airtime. Despite this inconvenient fact there is often a chasm dividing the programming department from the sales department within a commercial/private radio station. Programming often falls into the paradigm of seeing themselves as the shining light of entertainment while sales is their nemesis. Reciprocally sales often see themselves as the unappreciated benefactors of the radio station without which there would be no jobs and toys for the programming team.Both paradigms are unproductive, particularly in the 21st century. In an ideal world, programming and sales should work hand in hand finding solutions rather than friction, understanding the common ground and looking for every opportunity to create a win-win.

The common ground that binds everyone together inside a radio station is the listener. How well a radio station engages with the listener determines both the size of listening audience and how effective the radio commercials are. The task of achieving satisfied listeners and successful outcomes for clients is inextricably linked because both have to be achieved in the same 60 minutes each hour of the day.While we may departmentalise each hour of program into what we think is the optimal order of content delivering the optimal listening experience usually commencing at the top of the hour, people do not necessarily listen to radio that way. People are tuning in at various times throughout the hour and the experience can be very different depending on when that tune in event occurs.It is best to think of the hour in terms of ratio of content rather than some vertical order of content that listeners are going to conveniently listen to.The reality is that commercials often represent 20% or more of what a listener will experience while listening during the hour. They are an integral part of what a listener encounters and while there is a paradigm that listeners “hate” or “avoid” radio commercials this is in fact an erroneous perspective.What listeners actually do is manage their exposure to radio commercials (as people do when consuming all forms of commercial media).Let us unpack that a little more:Radio listeners are not morons. When people tune into a commercial/private station they do so knowing they will hear commercials. Radio listeners also hear, absorb, and react to radio commercial messaging that targets their interests, needs, problems and desires which is why radio advertising works so well.The problem is not radio commercials that speak to the listeners’ interests or needs, it is the commercials that do not. The challenge is carrying the listener through the commercials that are of no interest to them, so they are still listening to your radio station at the end of the commercial break.Another critical issue to take on board is that a radio commercial of no interest to the listener is the same as a station promo of no interest to the listener, or a contest of no interest to the listener. It is not just commercials that we have to be concerned about, it is everything that interrupts or delays the principal reason people listen to your radio station. Radio commercials are nowhere near the sole cause of listeners tuning out, however for the purposes of this article we will stay focused on commercial content.The primary issue at stake when it comes to radio commercials and their effect on the listening experience is the “Shit to Fun” ratio (STF).  It is critical for programming and sales to understand this as it goes a long way towards bringing both areas of a radio station into alignment and enhancing the listener’s experience and their level of engagement with the station.In the next installment we will explore what the STF ratio is and how to best manage it.By Wayne Clouten, BPR […]

Commercial Radio Malaysia has re-elected Media Prima Audio Chief Executive Officer Nazri Noran as President.The announcement was made at its 27th Annual General Meeting recently. Nazri was appointed as CRM President in July last year.The meeting also appointed c Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Faris Amir as Vice President, Rizal Sahimy, General Manager, Suara Johor Sdn Bhd as Honorary Secretary and Maslina Alias, News Manager, Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia as Honorary Treasurer.

Nazri said he was honoured to be re-elected as president and would focus on enhancing the relatability and relevance of radio despite the challenging times for traditional media.“Together, we will innovate and engage our audiences, ensuring radio remains a vital part of the media landscape,” said Nazri.Vice President Faris Amir said: “Collectively, we’ll strive to continue on driving innovation and growth, towards enriching the broadcasting landscape in Malaysia.”Photo: CRM […]

Al Arabiya Network, the Arab world’s leading source of news, announced the launch of its brand-new podcast hub, Mazeej.Featuring a variety of diverse content and programming tailored to the wide-ranging interests of a global Arab audience, Mazeej hosts top topics spanning from business and politics to arts and culture, health and wellness, sport, and more.Mazeej is tailored to listeners of all adult age ranges, offering a new and distinctive style of podcast that’s far from the usual traditional approach.

Lending their talents to Mazeej is Al Arabiya Network’s cohort of prominent journalists and presenters, including Nicole Tannoury, Layal Alekhtiar, Islam AlNajjar, and Hanan Al Masri. These established media personalities bring to life a series of contemporary issues and stories affecting Arab listeners from the four corners of the earth.MAZEEJ HUB HIGHLIGHTS“Masha’er” with Dr. Osama Al-JamaaUsing storytelling grounded in documented psychological science, “Masha’er” explores the fascinating intricacies of the human psyche.“Jareema” with Mohammed AlshaibaniThe crime analyst delves into the complex criminal cases of the past that have left investigators puzzled. “Jareema” expertly narrates these cases while scientifically analysing the behaviours of these criminal masterminds.“Umm Al Qossas” with Amro ZakiFeaturing interviews with inspiring figures from Egyptian society who share their experiences, talents, and expertise, “Umm Al Qasas” offers listeners unique insights into both their personal and professional journeys.“Yeman” with Ahad YaseenThis series captures the testimonies of Yemenis, chronicling their sorrows, joys, pains, and hopes, from Yemen to the world.“Khalf Al Jidar” with Hanan Al MasriDelving into inspiring stories from behind the separation wall, “Khalf Al Jidar” captures the reality of the evolving Palestinian experience through insightful interviews and testimonies.“Wa Ma’a Ba’ad” with Layal AlekhtiarJoin experts, specialists, analysts, and journalists as they examine the implications of the world’s current news stories.“Sasat” with Nicole TannouryAn engaging current and historical events series featuring candid discussions with prominent politicians and experts, documenting significant political events.“Heewar Teejari” with Islam AlNajjarShowcasing interviews with the founders of major commercial brands, highlighting key moments in their careers, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way. […]