ASIA

SPH Media’s AWEDIO app, powered by Triton Digital, was awarded the Excellence Award for Radio Podcast – Singapore at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 last month.The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognizes excellence in broadcasting and media in the Asia-Pacific region. The awards are organised by the Asian Business Review.The award recognizes the company’s outstanding achievement in the field of radio podcasting in Singapore. SPH Media received the award for its quick and creative adoption of audio streaming and podcasting technology from Triton Digital into its workflow. This allowed SPH Media to repurpose daily broadcast radio content from its 5 radio stations into podcasts with minimal intervention. It also used the technology to dynamically insert ads and cross-promote podcasts from across its wider network of news titles, including podcasts from The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Harian and The Business Times. This helped SPH Media to triple podcast downloads in 3 years. SPH Media has been a pioneer in the radio podcasting industry in Singapore. The company launched its first radio podcast in 2016, and has since produced a wide range of popular radio podcasts, including The Land Before Bedtime, Ready Set Go!, True Crimes of Asia And Book Monsters.

“We are honored to receive this award from the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards,” said Ignatius Low, Editor-In-Chief, Lifestyle and Entertainment Media Group at SPH Media. “The popularity of podcasts and other on-demand digital audio content is a trend that can benefit traditional broadcast radio stations as well. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our radio team, who have laid the necessary foundations needed for SPH Media to be home to an always engaging range of high-quality podcast content that is drawn from its network of radio titles and news titles.”“We are thrilled by the growth SPH Media has experienced upon integrating Triton’s technology to expand its podcast creation, distribution, promotion and monetisation efforts in Singapore. Our focus is always on helping our partners deliver the best audio experience possible,” said Richard Palmer, VP of Market Development and Strategy in APAC for Triton Digital. […]

Megan Lazovick, the Vice President of Edison Research, has presented the key findings of a new research study “Dashboard Dialogue” at the WorldDAB Automotive conference with drivers saying radio is an integral part of the in vehicle experience.You can watch Lazovick’s presentation below.

[embedded content]The study was conducted through in-car interviews with radio listeners and over 2,400 online interviews particularly exploring the usability and consumer preferences of digital radio.Findings include:
Radio is the top choice for audio in cars. 91% of recent and prospective car buyers see the importance of having DAB/DAB+ or FM radio in their vehicles
82% of prospective car buyers and 79% of recent car buyers say they would be less likely to purchase a vehicle without a radio
Drivers value radio for its ability to provide necessary news updates, traffic alerts, and weather forecasts
75% believe radio provides a better listening experience than other audio sources in cars.
One person surveyed would give up their air conditioning over their radio!With car manufacturers investigating innovative technologies for drivers, and Tesla and BMW omitting AM from electric vehicles, WorldDAB commissioned Edison Research to conduct this major study to understand the listener’s experience of using radio in the car. […]

ABC Radio Australia will be heard in the Republic of Palau for the first time in more than five years.Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, ABC Radio Australia programs will be carried on the Republic of Palau’s national radio broadcaster, Eco Paradise FM (EPFM).The signing was attended by Palau Minister of State, the Hon. Gustav Aitaro and the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon. Pat Conroy.ABC International Services Head Claire Gorman acknowledged the support of the Australian Embassy in Koror for brokering the agreement and said: “This new partnership is a first step towards the aim of establishing a full FM radio service in Palau, an ABC initiative funded under the Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy.”Gorman continued: “The ABC is proud to partner with EPFM and has a long history of engagement with Palau, including the provision of ABC Australia content on Palau National Communication Corporation’s (PNCC) television service.”ABC Radio Australia has recently increased its Pacific-focused content and under the agreement, Palau residents will have access to programming including flagship regional current affairs show Pacific Beat as well as culture, education and music shows Stories from the Pacific, Pacific Playtime and Island Music.ABC Radio Australia is available via EPFM on FM radio at 87.9FM and on EPFM Ngerel Belau AM Radio at 1584AM from Wednesday 28 July 2023. […]

Futuri, the AI-powered software solutions provider for the media industry, today announced the launch of SpotOn, a revolutionary new technology designed to streamline the commercial creative process. SpotOn optimizes AI to instantly generate effective, standout creative to vastly improve operational efficiencies and help close more business.
SpotOn is an end-to-end AI solution that uses generative AI to craft compelling copy to promote a client’s product or service. Users can select voiceover talent from a vast library of human-cloned or synthetic voices, available in dozens of languages. To finish the production, SpotOn offers a fully licensed music library designed to help users match the right tone and tempo to appeal to the audience, captivating their attention from start to finish.
Each spot is meticulously structured and scripted to hit the right points and make a brand’s message resonate. Spots can run on-air as-is, or serve as a powerful first draft for a brand’s production team to fine-tune. The SpotOn system is so simple and intuitive that media account executives can even create commercials “on the spot,” delivering the wow factor to earn the client’s business and expedite the sales process. The AI-powered audio production system can also generate spot tags and station liners.
“Futuri’s SpotOn is yet another example of how AI can be an incredible assistant for growth. With SpotOn, brands can save countless hours by streamlining the production process and speeding up the sales cycle,” said Futuri CEO and Founder Daniel Anstandig. “Now sales teams can deliver spec spots and commercials to any client, regardless of size, instantly. We believe the best way to get clients to appreciate the power of audio is for them to hear it themselves, and SpotOn makes that possible at scale.”
For more information on SpotOn, visit FuturiMedia.com/SpotOn. […]

Keith Williams, RCS Vice President Asia Pacific spoke at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union RadioSonic conference in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday.Mr Williams presented ‘Radio Innovations’ which included an update on the rapid uptake of AI on radio across the Asia Pacific region and the latest integration of RCS Cloud products coming to marketRadioSonic is staged as part of ABU’s new programming mega-event ABU CON-FEST which strategically brings together ABU’s signature content events; ABU TV-CON, ABU RadioSonic and #ABUdigital all in one place with the vision to create a single gathering of producers to share new ideas and talk about creating content that matters. […]

Podbean’s Norma Jean Belenky helps us navigate pitfalls and avoid mistakes.Serving as Podbean’s Head of Events, Norma Jean produces Podbean’s virtual events and hosts, produces Podbean’s official podcast, Podcasting Smarter and supports Podbean’s enterprise and internal podcast customers in APAC.Belenky is a creative entrepreneur whose career has encompassed media, events, podcasting, marketing & social media, business development, project management, health & wellness, and the arts.  She specializes in event management, creative business strategy and start-ups, project management, business development, branding, marketing, and product development.Her session at Podcast Day Asia (part of Radiodays Asia) will be on the mistakes people often make that can be avoided.  Norma Jean will be giving advice on what you can do to make your podcast, or podcast network, more successful.  She will identify key areas for improvement as well as important areas that shouldn’t be overlooked.If you are just starting out on your podcasting journey, Norma Jean Belenky’s session will be vital to your growth, and if you are a seasoned podcaster or have a range of podcasts in your network you can identify key areas for improvement – often with little effort.Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash […]