ASIA

The 2023 program for Radiodays Asia has been released covering everything from AI to Gen Z.Keynote speaker Valerie Geller will discuss connecting with your radio audience and making listeners stay and come back for more.Christian Schalt, Chief Digital Officer at RTL, Germany, will talk about how AI is transforming radio’s value, how broadcasters can leverage AI in all areas of their business, and the risks associated with this rapidly developing technology.CADA’s Emily Copeland will reflect on the challenges and opportunities that come with catering to a young audience overlooked by traditional media.Richard Fidler, talk about why this in-depth conversational format is still so incredibly successful as a programme as well as a podcast.James Cridland brings cool tools for your radio station from the podcast world.Andrea Ho will demonstrate practical strategies for diversity and inclusion in radio environments and how to attract more listeners by bringing more balance to your teams.Guy Perryman, producer and presenter at Inter FM in Tokyo, takes us inside the world of radio in Japan.Deb Hishon, Media Measurement Director, ANZ at GfK, will explain Radio 360, the world-first hybrid measurement system used for Survey 3, 2023.Also covered will be uncovered reporting in closed countries, the balance of talk and music, how to engage with Gen Z and beyond, using podcasts to break news stories and Paul Amos from Xtra Insights will offer ideas that have worked well in Australian markets.Radiodays Asia is on September 5 & 6 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonAfter the RadioDays Prague convention, my friends and I spent a few days exploring Prague. It rained. And rained. Did I say it rained? Nonetheless, we soldiered on, tramping around Prague in search of the multitude of statues created by David Cerny and positioned around Prague in the most unusual places. Day one we walked 7.8 miles! (That’s 12.55 kilometers.) Ditto the following days.On day three, it rained in the morning, then cleared up. We trooped on, determined to find the last of Cerny’s statues. As we located it late in the day, the sky darkened again. And in the words of a Garth Brooks’ song, “the thunder rolled”. The skies opened and it began a deluge. Umbrellas up: not much help. We were soon soaked from the knees down. No Ubers available. Cold, wet, hungry, and miserable were we.We noticed a hotel just around the corner. We made a dash for inside. And we were met by the gentleman in the picture. He immediately registered our plight and took our umbrellas and our coats. We started for the bar, but he suggested we might be more comfortable in the inner lobby and ushered us there: soft sofas, warmth and WINE! Although we weren’t staying for dinner, he brought us towels to dry off, nibbles, and did I mention wine?Here’s his story. He’s from Tajikistan. He’s been in the Czech Republic for 9 years studying. He works as a waiter to pay his way. When it was time to leave, he offered to call a “Post” for us, the local equivalent of Uber, which he said would save us money. Someone at his front desk called a taxi instead. We didn’t mind: time to go to the hotel and crash. However, when we arrived at our hotel, he called one of us to apologize that the wrong car picked us up. He was concerned they overcharged us.Why is this young man in my newsletter? Because of his customer service. I must admit that we didn’t find much service worthy of mentioning while in Prague, but he was the exception. He was a stranger in the land and recognized us as the same. He saw our needs and took care of us. He made us feel special. He went above and beyond in serving us. He went the extra mile.Every time I experience exceptional service, I am reminded how important it is for us to treat our clients with such. We need to surprise and delight them so that they would write about us as I have this young man. Satisfied customers will spend money elsewhere: loyal customers will not. Loyal customers will recommend you to their friends and business associates.Treat each client as though they were the most important thing you have to do today. Find ways to go the extra mile. I guarantee you won’t find traffic jams on that mile!Happy Selling!What people are saying about this new book:“If I was going to write a sales book, this is what I would want to have written. I’ve studied radio sales for 50 years, and this brings all that wisdom into one place-a real resource for new and experienced radio salespeople”Glenn SmithManaging Director, Radio Bay of Plenty – Whakatane, New Zealand […]

The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards celebrated excellence in the broadcasting industry, in the areas of technology, digitalisation, and engineering at its inaugural edition on June 8 in Singapore.According to the organisers: “The broadcasting industry is undergoing a significant transformation as traditional television and radio coexist with digital streaming services, social media, and mobile content consumption. On top of this, broadcasters also have to consider evolving technologies and shifting consumer preferences. Whilst these changes present a myriad of challenges, they also offer numerous opportunities for growth and innovation. The rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way consumers interact with media. Broadcasters have to continue innovating and adapting to leverage new technologies and remain competitive.”The awards programme aims to recognise companies that were able to embrace these challenges as opportunities to deliver compelling experiences across multiple platforms.ABS-CBN Corporation, Philippines, won the Innovation Award for Audio Description for its programme Big Dipper, which provides an inclusive viewing experience for hearing-impaired audiences.Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad won three awards, Innovation Award for Audience-Centric Multi-Platform Solutions, Innovation Award for Audio Streaming & Monitoring System and Innovation Award for Radio Studios.SPH Media powered by Triton Digital won the Excellence Award for Radio Podcast – Singapore, for its audio-streaming app Awedio. It is a free digital audio-streaming app that was launched in 2021, providing uninterrupted live streaming of SPH Radio stations and local podcasts that cover topics such as health, entertainment and crime. The company’s adoption of audio streaming and podcasting technology has enabled it to repurpose daily broadcast content from its five radio stations into podcasts.See the full list of winners here […]

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is inviting registrations for its annual Radio conference, the newly re-branded ABU RadioSonic, which will take place on 6 July 2023 at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur.RadioSonic 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.This year’s special keynote address will be delivered by Tracy Gilliam, Chief Strategy Officer, Futuri – RadioGPT™.  Tracy is deeply involved in product and go-to-market strategy, onboarding, and client success for RadioGPT™ . She will share her invaluable insights into how Radio companies can use this technology to positively transform their organisations.Registration is now open at: CON-FEST 2023 – ABU […]

Riedel Communications today announced that Marion Dimayuga has been appointed to the position of general manager of the company’s Southeast Asia (SEA) region. Reporting to Guillaume Mauffrey, sales director Asia-Pacific, Dimayuga will primarily oversee the sales and profit of the Singapore sales unit, including support of key accounts, contract negotiations, and business generation for current channels and new clients in related segments. Additionally, he will determine and monitor the division’s key performance indicators, implement subgoals based on corporate planning by executing specific and detailed measures, and work closely with other divisions and sales units to put findings from the relevant markets and competitive analysis into practice.“We are excited for Marion Dimayuga to join Riedel and help us expand our market leadership in SEA,” said Mauffrey. “As an accomplished industry veteran, Marion’s regional expertise will be essential in maintaining intensive contacts with clients, suppliers, and partners to identify long-term trends in demand and supply behavior. We are looking forward to his leadership and continuous development in coaching our team, especially when it comes to modern management, sales, and marketing methods.”Dimayuga has worked in the broadcast and pro AV industry for over two decades, making him an expert in the regional market and its players. Before joining Riedel, he headed the Imaging Network Business Division of Panasonic System Solutions’ Asia-Pacific branch. Through that role, together with his previous position as JVC Asia’s regional sales and marketing team leader, he brings a combined 17 years of leadership experience to the company.“I’m excited to join Riedel and embrace the challenge of strategically expanding our channel sales network in the ever-competitive and complex SEA region,” said Dimayuga. “In my work, I’ve always enjoyed coming up with transformative business development initiatives and putting them into practice. I look forward to growing our key channels by helping our clients pursue their goals in broadcast, media, entertainment, and beyond.” […]

Content from BPRHey this is not a call to arms nor is it a suggestion that you should become Doomsday Preppers.Kantar’s Millennium Monitor is a study that’s been running since 1999 and measures the mood of society by examining social values and community sentiment. It found that society moves through four different stages in a cycle: Enjoyment, Conformity, Rebellion and Power.Right now we’re living in the age of Conformity. Soon, however, that’s all going to change. We’re on the cusp of a new revolution which will, according to Kantar, challenge the status quo, changing everything and finding a better way. Businesses that do not recognise this new, rebellious view among consumers and alter their own behaviour accordingly, may not survive.After Conformity follows periods of great change. The last great period of Rebellion was in the 1970s, when, after two wars, society wanted to embrace peace and love. This was also the period when attitudes towards gender equality dramatically changed.Our own period of Conformity is underpinned by Covid lockdowns where we lost our personal freedoms and consented to being controlled for our collective safety. There was the desire for stability, which the current cost of living crisis is currently playing on. The Millennium Monitor says that times of Conformity are marked by feelings of dissatisfaction and vulnerability, fuelling the desire for the next phase of change.According to the Kantar study, we’re very much overdue for this transformative period which can be an exciting time for businesses and brands. There’s the opportunity to break out from old-fashioned modes of thinking and try something new (in the Millennium Monitor, 53% of respondents said they were actively seeking new experiences).Cross-generational rebelsAs the Report highlights, businesses need to avoid the belief that ‘Rebellion’ is only reserved for young Millennials and Gen Z-ers. Across generations we’re seeing a rejection of societal expectations and labels in favour of a path that prioritises individual desires.The study goes further: for retirees (older Gen X-ers and Boomers) this looks like coming out of retirement and going back to work to achieve a sense of purpose and to contribute. Almost 40 percent of new workers coming back to work since the start of the pandemic are aged over 55 years old. And they’re doing it on their own terms, shunning the ‘9 to 5’ and creating career paths that work for them. Meanwhile, Gen Z are saying ‘no thanks’ to any and all labels; any constraints that society may want to impose on them. And in between the two is a demographic who’ve redefined their relationship to work over the past two years – quietly quitting and concluding living to work is not aspirational.So where does radio sit in an age of Rebellion?Well, I’ve leave you with this finding from the Kantar study:72% of respondents said that “it was very important that a brand makes it clear what it stands for and stays true to its values” which will become even more important in an age of Rebellion.In my recent article “What Makes a Brand Great” one of the keys points was:Authenticity. Authenticity builds trust with the audience by being honest and transparent about what the station promises to do and delivering on it. Any brand can make promises via marketing, but the best deliver on those promises and earn the trust of their customers as well as the community. Amazon is a great example of a company that has built a reputation as being “authentic”.Tell them what your station stands for …what your brand promise is….and then DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE 24/7.The Rebellion is coming!!!By David Kidd, BPR […]