ASIA

RØDE’s says the new NT1 5th Generation, is a revolutionary studio condenser microphone that fuses the classic sound of the original with new, cutting-edge technology.With over six million units sold, the NT1 is the one of the world’s most popular studio microphone and since its release more than 30 years ago, the microphone has gone through multiple transformations, including the legendary NT1-A and innovative fourth generation NT1, both of which are used by countless creators today.The NT1 5th Generation is the most significant evolution yet, harnessing the iconic sound quality and world-class performance that made the previous generations so successful while introducing state-of-the-art technology, including RØDE’s groundbreaking, patent-pending Dual Connect output offering both XLR and USB connectivity, a world-first “unclippable” 32-bit float digital output, advanced digital signal processing, and so much more.

RØDE says the key features of the NT1 5TH Generation are:
HF6 large-diaphragm (1-inch) gold-sputtered capsule, precision engineered to sub- micron tolerances
Smooth frequency response, high sensitivity and high SPL handling for incredible performance in a wide range of studio applications
Exceptionally low noise (4dBA) – the world’s quietest studio condenser microphone
Patent-pending Dual Connect output with both XLR and USB-C connectivity for use with audio interfaces, mixers and consoles, or direct plug-and-play recording with a computer
World-first 32-bit float digital output
Ultra-high-resolution (up to 192kHz) analog-to-digital conversion
On-board DSP for advanced APHEX® audio processing, including a compressor, noise gate, two-step high-pass filter, and legendary Aural Exciter™ and Big Bottom™ effects
Studio-grade shock mount and pop filter, XLR and USB cables included
Available in black or silver with a rugged aluminium body and high-grade finishes – highly resistant to scuffs and scratches
Designed and made in RØDE’s precision manufacturing facilities in Sydney, Australia
RØDE CEO Damien Wilson says, “The NT1 is not only our flagship microphone, it’s an icon for today’s creative generation.“Countless musicians, podcasters, streamers, broadcasters and content creators consider it their go-to microphone, and for good reason – it sounds incredible, is extremely flexible, and is built like a tank – a true studio workhorse.“With this new generation, we wanted to preserve all of these qualities while incorporating innovations that have never been seen before in a microphone like this. The NT1 5th Generation is unlike any studio mic out there, but it hasn’t lost its charm and is sure to continue inspiring creators for decades to come.” […]

Since the return to power of Taliban, 117 Afghan radio stations have closed due to economic hardships, displacing 1,900 people including 1075 women from their jobs, according to a report released by Afghan Independent Journalist Union (AIJU) on World Radio Day on February 13.345 radio channels operated in Afghanistan, employing nearly 5,000 people including over 1,200 women before the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021.The media watchdog said only 223 radio channels, employing 1,881 workers, remained 19 months after the Taliban takeover.

Abdulhaq Hemad, director of Publications of the Ministry of Information and Culture, told TOLO news: “There are now more than 200 operating radio stations in Afghanistan. After the Islamic Emirate came to power, 44 radio stations ceased operations.”The economic crisis in the country due to international sanctions and the blockade of funds has multiplied the media challenges in the largely aid-dependent country.Increasing censorship and alleged abuses of journalists by the regime has led to the deterioration of press freedom.In November last year, the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said more than 200 journalists have suffered abuses like arbitrary arrests and threats in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power. […]

Registrations are open for Radiodays Asia, the leading radio and podcasting conference in the Asia-Pacific, to be held on September 5 and 6 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.You can register at the Super Early Bird rate here before June 1, 2023.“It has never been more important to have a global perspective on media trends, consumer behaviour, competition, new technology and business opportunities. Though your radio or podcast might be local or national, the challenges and competiiton facing your business is global. That opportunity to get ahead of your competition and future-proof your service and business is what Radiodays Asia offers,” says Anders Held, Project Director of Radiodays Asia and Founder of Radiodays Europe.

Radiodays Asia is a collaboration between Radiodays Europe, the world´s largest and leading conference for radio, audio and podcast, and broadcasting and podcast partners in Asia and Australia. The 2023 edition will run over 2 days in 2 tracks with 50 sessions. Top international speakers and industry leaders as well as succesful producers and market experts will share their insights.It will be held at the Royale Chulan Hotel in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Additional workshop and specialst meetings will be organised on Monday 4 September, while the main conference is held 5-6 September.Top ratings from attendeesSince 2019 Radiodays Asia is the meeting point for everyone in radio-audio-podcasting who wants to understand more about the challenges of today and tomorrow. The event will bring 400 attendees from 40 countries together with a top-quality programme and many networking opportunities to meet and learn from colleagues in the audio industry.Participants at Radiodays Asia have been overwhelmingly positive. The participant rating is 4,2 on a 1-5 scale with 90% rating the event a 4 or a 5.Podcast SummitAsia Podcast Summit will be part of this year´s Radiodays Asia. A full day dedicated to bring podcasters together and discuss how to develop your podcast business – how to format, market and monetize your podcast. A chance to learn from the most successful in podcasting and to network with other creative podcasters.PartnersRadiodays Asia is supported by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Public Media Alliance, Commercial Radio Malaysia, Indonesia Private Radio Association, Commercial Radio Australia, Radio Operators for India, Radio Festival India, Radio Broadcasters Association NZ, Podnews, radioinfo.asia and others.You will find more information about the event on radiodaysasia.com.If you have suggestions for speakers or topics for Radiodays Asia 2023 please send these to Anders Held, Project Director, Radiodays Asia at [email protected] […]

DRM had a bigger presence at the 27th annual Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) Expo held at New Delhi, India, from February 16 to 18.The Broadcast Engineering Society (India) was established in 1987 to promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge & practices of broadcasting in the field of Radio, Television and other media; and to enhance the knowledge of broadcast engineering professionals.The theme for the conference this year was Next-Gen Broadcasting: Create, Connect & Capitalise. With more than 1,000 delegates, speakers and panelists from India and abroad, the conference, rated as the biggest in Asia, is an ideal forum to know the direction broadcasting in India is going to take in years to come.

Following the inaugural session, the Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Apurva Chandra, visited the DRM display and was particularly interested in the various DRM receivers being presented.Visitors to the DRM booth were especially attracted by the new in-car receiver for both DRM in the AM and FM bands, the after-market car receiver on display in the DRM booth, as well as by a new DRM chipset module costing approximately $10 when ordered in bulk.Multi-channel transmissions were made from a local transmitter, which demonstrated the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) in the receivers displayed on the stand. This attracted the attention of many visitors and VIPs alike.DRM also featured in the BES 2023 conference programme on the first and third days. Many discussions revolved around the topic of relative transmitter energy efficiency when switching between analogue and DRM modes. […]

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a consultation paper seeking views on issues related to FM radio broadcasting.As of December 2018, there are more than 369 operational private radio stations in more than 101 cities and towns across India. The Government of India-owned All India Radio has about 450 FM stations covering 39% of the area and 52% of the population of India.The issues in the consultation paper include whether FM radio stations should be permitted to broadcast independent news bulletins.

FM radio operators are currently allowed to carry All India Radio (AIR) news bulletins in exactly the same format without any alterations. No other news and current affairs programmes are permitted.In its statement, TRAI said that industry bodies and players have made representations that FM radio stations must be allowed to broadcast news and current affairs just as it is allowed on private TV channels and digital platforms.It has also sought views on issues related to the annual license fee and license period for FM radio players. FM radio license holders are required to pay an annual license fee to the government at the rate of 4 per cent of the gross revenue of its FM radio channel for the financial year or 2.5 per cent of the NOTEF (Non-Refundable One Time Entry Fee) for the concerned city, whichever is higher.TRAI said that last May it received a reference from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in May last year seeking recommendations on two issues – the removal of the linkage to the non-refundable one-time entry fee (NOTEF) in the formula for the annual fee as prescribed in the FM Phase III policy guidelines and recommendations on whether there is a need to extend the existing FM license period of 15 years by three years.It has also sought comments on whether it should be made mandatory for all mobile handsets sold in the country to have in-built FM radio transmitters, as industry players have said that with the introduction of 4G handsets, device manufacturers and operating systems are turning the FM tuners off.Written comments on the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by 9 March 2023. Counter comments, if any, may be submitted by 23 March 2023. […]

A few weeks after the BBC released a documentary titles India: The Modi Question, which probed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in communal violence in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s Chief Minister, its offices in India have been raided by the Income Tax authorities.On February 14, a team of Income Tax Officials landed at the broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and seized all the employees’ computers and personal phones. While the tax department has not put out any official press release, several media organisations quoted “sources” to say that this was a “survey” which formed a part of a tax investigation.In a short statement, the BBC said it was “fully cooperating” with authorities, adding that it hoped to have the situation “resolved as soon as possible.”

While a senior advisor to the government told a local news channel that there was no connection between the documentary and the investigation, media watchdogs and rights groups have expressed fear that the raids are politically motivated.The documentary, which was not officially released in India, made its way to YouTube and other video streaming platforms. The government called it “a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative” and days later, invoked special emergency powers to get social media platforms to block it completely.The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party’s spokesperson called the BBC “corrupt” and “rubbish” and that it should “respect Indian law.”In recent years, similar raids have targeted journalists and civil society organizations critical of the Indian government with criminal cases under India’s opaque terrorism and sedition laws, and allegations of financial misconduct and improper foreign funding that have been used to freeze bank accounts.The Press Club of India, in a statement, condemned the survey and said that it was, “part of a series of attacks on the media by the government agencies in recent times, especially against those sections of the media that the government perceives is hostile to it and critical of the ruling establishment.” It added that, “this latest instance appears to be a clear-cut case of vendetta, coming within weeks of a documentary aired by the BBC on the Gujarat riots.”The Editors Guild of India, in a statement, said: “This comes soon after the release of two documentaries by the BBC, on 2002 violence in Gujarat and the current status of the minorities in India … This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy.” The Committee to Protect Journalists said: “Raiding the BBC’s India offices in the wake of a documentary criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi smacks of intimidation. Indian authorities have used tax investigations as a pretext to target critical news outlets before, and must cease harassing BBC employees immediately, in line with the values of freedom that should be espoused in the world’s largest democracy.”Reporters Without Borders tweeted: “The searches by the tax authorities of the offices of BBC World in India, 3 weeks after the censorship of his documentary on Narendra Modi, constitutes an outrageous reprisal. RSF denounces these attempts to silence any criticism of the Indian government.” In the 2022 edition of the annual press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders, India fell to 150th place out of 180 countries.Western governments, however, have been silent on the “surveys”. The UK government has not put anything on record, while the US made a generic comment on the “importance of a free press around the world”.Speaking to scroll.in, many foreign journalists said it was increasingly becoming clear to them that they had little backing from their governments back home. […]