ASIA

The Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium (DRM) Consortium will mark World Radio Day 2025 on February 13. This event chosen (since 2011) by UNESCO aims to celebrate radio transmissions by all category of broadcasters, such a public, commercial and community stations. The theme for World Radio Day this year is Radio and Climate Change, which focuses on “empowering radio stations to enhance their journalistic coverage of one of the most critical issues of our time,” according to UNESCO.The DRM Consortium marks this event by reminding all radio stakeholders of the key benefits the DRM standard can provide in tackling the negative effects of the major changes in global climate.  This is a natural emergency of huge proportions which has claimed thousands of lives and, therefore, we are welcoming the UNESCO initiative to ‘encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio…’.Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) can be part of the global effort in mitigating the effects of natural or man-made disasters with its fully integrated disaster and early warning service called Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF).The DRM digital radio standard, which can be used in all frequency bands (below and above 30 MHz), should therefore be the major building block of a national emergency warning policy, providing full and continuous alert services, audio, text, maps in more than one language, potentially even from remotely located transmitter sites, when all other internet or TV towers fail in the disaster areas.EWF support in receivers can be ensured with no need for special chipsets or extra adaptations for this alert system. Everything needed for EWF is already in the radio receivers, built according to the specifications issued by the DRM Consortium.To ensure that this digital service is effective, key requirements (and immediate advantages) are necessary:
Send notifications to a maximum number of people in the affected areas as promptly as possible
Must cover large areas with very high reliability (with DRM being the only standard running in all frequencies and providing local, regional, national and international coverage, as required)
Must work when common information services and local services fail
Make warnings available on devices that people use on daily basis (desktop, pocket receivers, cars)
Reach devices that are still operational, if electricity fails (i.e. radio sets and other devices with independent energy source)
Be as un-intrusive as possible for daily use
Must be available and continuously on-air for the duration of the emergency in one or several languages
Control of emergency notification and immediate access by authorities
Make emergency messages available to the widest possible audience, including the visually or hearing impaired with complete and detailed information by audio and multilingual on-demand advanced text on receiver screens (Journaline)
For more information about the benefits of the DRM Consortium integrated warning and emergency system, please place ewf.drm.org in your browser to be able to access and download the documents describing in detail this life-saving digital radio service.For a quick demonstration on how a regular radio transmission can be switched to an emergency alert using a digital receiver please watch: s.drm.org/video-ewf. […]

On World Radio Day (WRD) 2025, Vietnamese national radio broadcaster the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) will feature a one-hour radio program on this year’s theme – Radio and Climate Change.The theme for the 13th edition of the WRD celebrates the many opportunities that radio broadcasting brings for giving prominence to climate change issues.The VOV program will feature Vietnamese and foreign guest speakers from Asia-Pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and GIZ organization, Germany.The program will be live on air at 9am on February 13 Vietnam time and will also be livestreamed on its facebook fanpage.Has your station planned something for #WolrdRadioDay2025? If yes, why don’t you share the details and we will cover it, just write to us at [email protected]. […]

India’s School Radio, an online radio for children and youth, will feature special curated programs to mark World Radio Day (WRD) 2025 on February 13.The theme for the 13th edition of the WRD, Radio and Climate Change, celebrates the many opportunities that radio broadcasting brings for giving prominence to climate change issues.While the Paris Agreement takes on capital importance, radio contributes to achieving its international objectives by supporting populations facing climate change through disseminating fact-based information, listeners’ voices, and dedicated radio shows.School Radio, which began its journey on 13 February 2015, coinciding with World Radio Daylets children and youth to create content in any topic, language, or medium and exposes them to solutions.This year, it is inviting students and teachers to develop 15-minute radio programs in English/Hindi or any language of their choice on the WRD 2025 theme, which will be broadcast on the station.Has your station planned something for #WolrdRadioDay2025? If yes, why don’t you share the details and we will cover it, just write to us at [email protected]. […]

Radio Pakistan Abbottabad, a key regional station of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), is organizing a special live event to mark World Radio Day (WRD) on February 13.Established in March 1991, the station is a platform for news, culture, entertainment, and educational programs.The theme for the 13th edition of the WRD, Radio and Climate Change, celebrates the many opportunities that radio broadcasting brings for giving prominence to climate change issues.Radio Pakistan Abbottabad’s live even will feature discussions on the impact of radio, interviews with senior broadcasters, artists, and media professionals, as well as interactive segments with listeners. The event will highlight the role of radio in shaping public opinion and strengthening community bonds.It will involve around 15 key speakers, including radio hosts, journalists, and cultural figures along with approximately 70 guests, including students, media enthusiasts, and local community members. A wider audience is expected to join via our live radio broadcast and digital platforms.Has your station planned something for #WolrdRadioDay2025? If yes, why don’t you share the details and we will cover it, just write to us at [email protected]. […]

The DRM Consortium released its DRM Consumer Radio Receiver Functionality Recommendation. The document describes and defines the core functional parameters of consumer radio receivers capable of receiving DRM radio broadcasts. As DRM is being increasingly rolled out, adopted and demonstrated globally such a document is necessary to offer a guide to receiver manufacturers, but also broadcasters and regulators, so that consumers get a common and consistent DRM digital radio experience.DRM – Digital Radio Mondiale – is the international ITU-R standard for digital radio in all radio broadcasting bands, maintained by the not-for-profit DRM Consortium. DRM is the digital successor technology for the former analogue AM and FM transmissions.The DRM Receiver Functionality Recommendation applies to all types of consumer-targeting DRM radio receivers, with detailed application-specific requirements for automotive receivers, personal mobile devices (such as mobile, feature, and smart phones or tablets incorporating built-in radio receiver functionality for terrestrial broadcast radio), and general-purpose receivers (all types of stand-alone receivers, including home and desktop radios).The Consumer Receiver Recommendation builds upon the more technical DRM MRR – Minimum Receiver Requirements Specification (mrr.drm.org), which must be implemented and followed by any DRM receiver. The new Consumer Receiver Recommendation covers DRM digital radio in all broadcasting bands: in the LW, MW, SW and VHF bands (Band I, II and III) and Analogue AM and analogue FM radio.According to the DRM Technical Committee Chairman, Johannes von Weyssenhoff: “The document describes three clear and simple levels of functionality as a guide to receiver manufacturers. These functionality levels do not necessarily need to be implemented on a single chip, module or even device. The level 2 (Feature Radio) defines a well-rounded radio receiver with a key set of features. The Receiver Recommendation is comprehensive and simple to follow. It allows manufacturers to produce excellent receivers, whether they gofor levels 1, 2 or 3 (Essential Radio, Feature Radio or Advanced Radio solutions). No matter the level a DRM receiver will prove it is a fitting and flexible audio broadcasting system for the 21st century.”DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja, also welcomed the release of the DRM Consumer Radio Receiver Recommendation seeing it as “a useful tool for any manufacturer, broadcaster and regulator. The guide will allow manufacturers the freedom and flexibility to produce receivers of variable degree of complexity that offer a consistently good experience for the listener. It also allows for receivers to incorporate applications and services (like distance learning, emergency warning) that fully meet the needs of many economically and socially diverse communities across the continents. The guide will become thus an essential tool in the DRM eco-system that will bring receivers in numbers, with the adequate functionality, to the countries embracing the DRM standard and their millions of listeners.” Dowlnload a copy of the document here. […]

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities raided and suspended the country’s only women’s radio station – Radio Begum, last week.According to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC),  on February 4 the station was raided by the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) and the Ministry of Information and Culture, leading to its closure and the arrest of two employees.In a statement, Begum Radio revealed that during the incident, the authorities interrogated employees and confiscated computers, hard drives, documents, and personal phones belonging to female journalists, as well as detaining two male employees. Citing safety concerns, Begum Radio has opted not to provide further comments on the situation until their employees are released.Established on March 8, 2021, coinciding with International Women’s Day, Begum Radio aims to educate girls and support Afghan women. The station has consistently refrained from any political activities.Jawanan (Youth) Radio, which shares its premises with Begum Radio in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan area, stated that its office was also closed due to its proximity to Begum Radio. The station reported that one of its sports program hosts was also arrested. Jawanan Radio has appealed to its listeners for assistance in securing the release of its cricket reporter and resuming operations. Founded in 2008, Jawanan Radio focuses on raising civic awareness and fostering dialogue among various communities.The fate of those detained is currently unknown. Following the raid, an officer instructed the staff of both stations to leave, effectively shutting down their offices.In a press release on X (formerly Twitter), the de facto Ministry of Information and Culture claimed that Begum Radio, was involved in activities that constituted “multiple violations” and was producing content for a foreign television outlet.“Due to the violation of the broadcasting policy and improper use of the license (from the ministry), the radio station was suspended today so that the related documents can be carefully evaluated and the final decision can be taken,” it added.

However, the statement did not clarify the specifics of the raid or the detention of employees.AFJC strongly denounced the raids and the subsequent closure of these stations as a serious infringement of the fundamental rights of these media outlets and their personnel. It urged the de facto Ministry of Information and Culture and the General Directorate of Intelligence to promptly and unconditionally release the detained employees, lift the restrictions imposed on these media outlets, and allow them to resume operations in accordance with the country’s media law.Reporters Without Borders (RSF), posting on X, demanded “the ban be lifted immediately”.The freedom of information watchdog says the Taliban authorities closed at least 12 media outlets in 2024. […]