ASIA

According to reports by Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ)  and Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), three radio journalists were arrested by the provincial directorate of the Taliban-controlled Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Afghanistan on April 21.The journalists – Ismail Saadat of Naz FM Radio, Wahidullah Masum of Iqra FM Radio, and Ehsanullah Tasal of Wolas Ghag, were detained after being summoned and questioned about broadcasting music and talking to female callers during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr earlier this month.On April 23, the department of virtue and vice in Khost province confirmed this through a message in the joint group of this department and journalists on WhatsApp: “Media were advised multiple times not to include background music in programs or to make phone calls in entertainment programs with women as it is forbidden. Those who violated this order were sentenced to prison by the department and will be charged for not implementing the laws of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) and will be introduced to the court in the future.”The Taliban outlawed playing and listening to music when they retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021.Last month, the Taliban police chief in Khost Province banned women and girls from phoning broadcasters, the AFJC said, adding that female listeners sometimes called in to ask questions on educational programs.Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from high school.“The detention of Afghan journalists Ismail Saadat, Wahidullah Masum, and Ehsanullah Tasal is only the latest example of the Taliban’s ruthless suppression of the press since the group returned to power in 2021,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York “The Taliban must immediately and unconditionally release all detained journalists and allow the media to operate without restrictive measures like bans on women callers.”  AFJC demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the journalists and called for the cancellation of directives that severely restrict media freedom in the country.Photo: AFJC […]

Content from BPRMuch has been written about how radio has reinvented itself over the years, most notably how it transformed because of the introduction of television, with radio moving from a medium people primarily consumed in the evening to a medium mainly consumed during the morning and workday.Radio’s enduring attribute has been its ability to wrap around the lives of people, listening being something that does not prevent a person from doing other things unlike reading or watching. No other form of media has moulded itself to the way people live, like radio has.For decades radio has been principally “socialised” as a source of information and entertainment at the beginning and end of the working day. This is where radio has performed best and been most securely anchored to the daily routine of adults.The last few years has however created a “decoupling” of the way radio is socialised. First, there are more audio and entertainment choices diluting usage, second, the way people work and think about work and life has changed for many. This has created a much more complex matrix of listening behaviour and motivation. It would be fair to say that during the last four years all the listening balls were thrown into the air, and we are now starting to see where they are landing.All the evidence points to a resocialisation of radio amongst many adult listeners which presents both challenges and opportunities. Some key issues include:
More people using more radio stations for shorter periods.
Many people, no longer starting their day with radio.
More people using radio on weekends.
Fewer people listening to radio every day.
More people starting their radio listening day after 9am.
The most telling finding however is that relative to all the other listening choices adult listeners have radio is increasingly distinguished by its combination of music, personality, information, and localism. Importantly, most adults prefer this listening “mix” as a backdrop to their daily lives and get annoyed when their favourite radio station does something to screw it up and they have to find satisfaction in something else. The majority of adults who move from radio to other audio are “pushed”.  The good news is that they become equally disenchanted with other audio after a while and return to radio.What defines “localism” however has changed. It is not just local news, name-dropping suburbs, and community service announcements. It is now much more about conveying a sense of shared experience with the listener.Understanding the resocialisation of radio in your market and why people behave the way they do is more than critical, it defines your future.By Wayne Clouten, BPR […]

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) recently welcomed the founders of the International Student Broadcasting Championship (ISBC) – Phillip Vinciullo, Annwen Burrows, and Marcel Marais – as part of their Asia tour. The visit highlight was the Forward Together: Metro Manila Campus Broadcasting Networking Summit, which was a testament to the growing influence of student media on a global scale.
Hosted by UST, the Forward Together summit, organized by the MICE and Events students of the UST College of Commerce and Business Administration and TMN, brought together universities from across Manila. The event featured engaging panel discussions, led by Assistant Director of the communications bureau Faye Martel, delving into “Global Trends in Campus Broadcasting,” and exploring the vibrant landscape of campus media.
 ISBC Founder Phillip Vinciullo remarked: “The student summit provided the perfect platform to discuss global trends and explore the current media landscape and industry opportunities post campus media. Additionally, it was an honour to hand over the inaugural 2023 ISBC Station of the Year trophy in person to the UST Tiger Radio team.”

Co-Founder Annwen Burrows emphasized the impact of the recognition, stating: “The award ceremony was a proud moment handing over the inaugural trophy and highlighting the hard work and dedication of the Tiger Radio team. The ISBC team had a fantastic time engaging with the UST Tiger Radio team, even participating in their Tiger Rush program and exchanging social media content with a fun Aussie snacks vs. Filipino snacks challenge.”
During their tour across the region, ISBC embarked on a journey of collaboration and development, visiting esteemed colleges and universities such as Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore and Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, among others. Their engagements extended beyond academic institutions, as they also met with major media groups, identifying trends, needs, and laying the groundwork and opportunities for an exciting ISBC 2024.

The Philippines leg served as the conclusion of the ISBC Asia tour, which encompassed exciting visits to Singapore and Malaysia. Co-Founder Marcel Marais shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming ISBC 2024, extending an invitation to students from colleges and universities worldwide to stay informed through ISBC’s social media channels and website.
 “For all the details for ISBC 2024, visit ISBChampionship on all social handles or visit ISBC.CO,” Marais said, emphasising the importance of staying connected and engaged as preparations for #ISBC24 unfold.
The visit of ISBC to UST epitomised the company’s commitment to fostering excellence in student media on an international scale and its passion for bridging the gap between graduates and industry and developing the landscape of media education and innovation. […]

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait said on Monday that the first-ever Hindi radio broadcast had started in the country.The program will air every Sunday on Kuwait Radio on FM 93.3 and FM 96.3 from 8.30 pm to  9 pm starting April 21.With around one million population, Indians are the largest expat community in Kuwait and both the countries enjoy friendly relations.India has been a trading partner of Kuwait and until 1961 the Indian rupee was legal tender in the gulf country. The year 2021-22 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.Photo: Twitter […]

Pat Bryson reports from the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas for radioinfo.I attended the National Association of Broadcasters’ convention last week. The 5 days were filled with sessions on a multitude of topics: engineering, programming, sales, podcasting, the future of radio and, of course, AI.Artificial Intelligence has been a leading topic for the last couple of years. Daniel Anstandig of Futuri Media did the opening keynote with Ameca, an AI-powered humanoid robot as his co-host.They “talked” about a new study that examined AI’s role in media. Guess what? It seems the public is ready to accept AI used to give them better content. They also think that AI is currently being used in more stations than it actually is. Maybe that’s because they can’t readily distinguish between AI and human content.I spoke at the Broadcast Educator’s Association session for students who are looking to join our industry. I was pleased to see the room filled with eager young people. These students are the future of radio and television.The Broadcast Leadership Training alumni held their reception Sunday evening. I was honored to be a graduate of that program in 2005. The program will celebrate its 25th year in 2025. It boasts over 400 graduates, many of whom have gone on to start their own companies, to manages groups. The program was the brainchild of Diane Sutter and was created to help minorities progress in their dreams. It certainly helped me with mine. I started BBI the next year.Mentoring and Inspiring Women held their annual dinner on Monday evening. It was a sold-out crowd of 120 high-powered women in our industry. The “buzz” was deafening. These women mentor other women in broadcasting, helping them to progress in their careers.Vendor rooms were full of innovative technology. For engineers, it was like kids in a candy store. Old ways are being replaced with better and better options for delivering and creating our programming.But this article isn’t about a listing of sessions or offerings. It’s about the spirit that filled the hallways of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the restaurants and bars of hotels where broadcasters gathered to share ideas, do deals, and meet colleagues.EXCITEMENT is a good word for the spirit I felt.There was a current of electricity surrounding the group (no pun intended). Over 61,000 broadcasters assembled from 163 countries. Over half were first-time attendees. They came to learn, to look at new technology, to meet people, to do deals. In our business, it’s as important whom you know as what you know. The NAB provided a good space to increase your network.Not since 2019 have I felt this level of optimism. Weaving through the halls (there were so many people that “weaving” is what you had to do), I noticed smiles on faces. And I could see the smiles because there were very few masks. Old friends were greeted with handshakes and hugs. Forget the elbow bump! Fear was replaced with confidence.I remember my first NAB years ago when I was a newly promoted sales manager. My GM took me to Vegas. Wow! My first look at the tens of thousands of broadcasters assembled there sparked this thought: “If this many broadcasters are here, the rest of their staffs are back home manning the stations. How BIG IS this industry?” I realized for the first time how powerful broadcasting is. How vital we are to business. How important we are to our listeners. And I felt proud to be a part of it.I felt that same pride at the NAB this year.Someone described radio as the cockroach of media. I’m not sure how pleased I am to be compared to the big black bugs I regularly try to squash, but I must admit they are persistent, fast and you can’t get rid of them! They’ve been around 320 million years. So, maybe the comparison is solid. Radio continues to survive, to evolve and to grow.NAB 2025 will be April 5-9. Do yourselves a favor and add it to your calendar.See you there!About: Pat BrysonPat Bryson has worked in the radio industry for over 30 years. During that time, she was one of the highest billing sales people in the radio industry in her market. Her career advanced to General Manager, where Pat created a culture of over-achievement for her stations. Since founding BBI, Pat has worked with broadcasters around the world and has been a featured speaker at many conferences.Pat is a regular contributor to radioinfo (see here at the Brisbane ACRAs with Peter Saxon and Wendy Whalley)
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According to a report by the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC), Habib-ur-Rahman Taseer, a local journalist associated with Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe in southeastern Ghazni province in has been detained by the Taliban intelligence since April 6 and has now been transferred to the regime’s prison.Taseer was reportedly detained for preparing local reports for Radio Azadi. His smartphone was seized by the authorities and its contents were checked without his consent.Another source in Ghazni provincne told AFJC that Taseer had faced pressure before his arrest, including being removed from a joint WhatsApp group of journalists and local officials.Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe and the Taliban have not issued any comments regarding this incident so far.Radio Azadi is based in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, and produces and broadcasts programs for Afghanistan.In December 2022, the FM frequency of Radio Azadi and Voice of America, both US government-supported outlets, were suspended by the Taliban.Two months later, the regime shut down the websites of these two media outlets, saying that they had repeatedly “failed to adhere” to the regime’s press laws and “violated journalistic principles.”The AFJC expressed serious concern about Taseer’s continued detention and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.AFJC data shows that at least 59 journalists and media workers were arrested in the last solar year alone. The majority of these cases involved violations of Taliban media directives, which contradict the country’s media laws.Photo: AFJC […]