ASIA

Vishwajeet Chauhan has been named Nautel’s Business Development Manager for the entire Indian Subcontinent. His territory now covers the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives.Nautel is the world’s largest manufacturer of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. More than 20,000 Nautel transmitters have been deployed in over 177 countries since 1970.Vishwajeet, who has 14 years of experience in Radio, has been engaged with Nautel since 2014 when he was project leader for the large Medium Wave transmitter project for All India Radio. He joined Nautel as Business Development Manager for India in 2019.“Vish’s experience covers a wide range of solutions for radio, with both Engineering and Sales/Marketing background,” said Wendell Lonergan, Nautel Head of Broadcast Sales. “With his deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience with end to end radio solutions, he will be a true asset to broadcasters throughout the Indian Subcontinent. We look forward to our association with Vish for many years to come.” […]

For broadcasters searching for a reliable, versatile audio monitor for UHD, live sports, and 12G-SDI workflows, the award-winning PAM2-12G is now shipping.PAM2-12G provides high-quality audio monitoring for customers needing to handle a wide variety of signal types, including AES and analogue audio, UHD and HD-SDI, or AES67/Dante, SMPTE 2110, and SMPTE 2022-6 IP sources. PAM2-12G is available in a 2RU form factor, with an intuitive front panel interface including two high-resolution LCD screens showing 16 audio bargraphs with selectable scales, scroll-to-hear audio channel navigation, 8 user presets for fast configuration changes, and a high-quality loudspeaker system.In addition, PAM2-12G range includes advanced monitoring features such as comprehensive loudness monitoring with histogram display, Dolby-encoded audio monitoring (including metadata and downmixing), and a video confidence display of both SDI and IP sources.Besides handling baseband video and audio signals, PAM2-12G is equipped with 2 x 10Gig/E interfaces for direct connection into COTS IP fabrics. Supporting IP control protocols such as NMOS and Ember+ allows for ‘In-Band’ control, offering tight integration with a variety of control systems. Audio over IP is also covered, with Primary and Redundant 1Gig/E Dante/AES67 ports, allowing up to 64 AoIP audio channels to be monitored. […]

Palestinian radio presenter Abdullah al-Maghari hosts a programme titled “Hadith al-Nas” (Talk of the People) from his tent in Gaza’s Bureij camp as a way to amplify Gazans’ voices, share their concerns, deliver critical news amid war and be “closer to the people and their concerns”.As Israel has systematically destroyed media infrastructure in Gaza, Abdullah’s goal is to provide a substitute platform for people to express their struggles and stay informed about events around them.Amid power shortages, noisy surroundings, and the ongoing devastation of war, Abdullah’s show is constantly facing a challenge to survive. But he perseveres, taking calls from people and offering a vital platform for the voices of Gaza, delivering critical news, and addressing the struggles of life in the besieged enclave.“The show provides us with all the news after months of war and Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. And with the internet and electricity not available all day long, it provides us with political and entertainment news for us and our children,” said one listener.Journalists like Abdullah who continue to work against all odds are frequently victims of propaganda campaigns that question their integrity, accusing them of working with combatants or having participated in October 7 attacks.Since October 2023 Israel has killed at least 222 Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza. Rights groups have confirmed dozens of the slain journalists were directly targeted by Israel.Last week, Palestinian journalists held a press briefing to share their experiences of covering Israel’s war on Gaza over the past year and a half. Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed said: “We’ve been immolated, incinerated, dismembered, and disembowelled, and recently, we have been freezing to death. What more ways should you be seeing us killed in so that you can move and act and stop the hell inflicted upon us? Even the press vest we’re wearing right now marks us as a target. They do not protect us at all. Maybe if we were Ukrainians or of any other citizenship with blonde hair and blue eyes, the world would rage and rant for us. But because we are Palestinians, we have only one right, which is to die and be maimed.”Abed emphasised their determination to continue reporting on Israel’s onslaught on Palestinians despite losing loved ones and colleagues and being targeted by Israeli forces, adding: “There are no words to describe what we have been going through. You have seen our bodies, how they have become fragile, skinny and fatigued. But we never stopped. We never stopped to tell you the truth, to narrate our stories and to tell you that we are being genocided, to move your dead consciences, to help a population that has seen every sort of torture and tasted every type of death.”

In spite of their fellow journalists’ plight being livestreamed daily for months, Western mainstream media has largely remained silent on their continued targeting by Israel. […]

India media house TV Today Network has announced that it will shut down its radio business under the brand name Ishq 104.8 FM in the next six months, citing current market dynamics.On Thursday, the board of the company approved the proposal for the closure of the FM radio business, according to a regulatory filing.TV Today Network currently operates three FM radio stations in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata under the frequency 104.8 FM, which contributed 1.7 per cent of its revenue in FY24.“The Board of Directors of TV Today Network Limited at their meeting held today, i.e., January 09, 2025, has inter alia approved the closure of FM Radio Broadcasting operations of the Company subject to regulatory approvals, if any, and fulfilment of other compliances as may be required,” it said.While citing the reason for closure, the private news channel broadcaster said: “Given the state of the industry, its dynamics and evolution of FM Radio Broadcasting business, the Board of Directors considered it in the better interest of the Company to close this business instead of continuing the same.”The radio business turnover was at Rs 16.18 crore and registered a loss of Rs 19.53 crore in the financial year ended March 2024. […]

Malaysia’s Chinese-language radio station 988 FM has released a Chinese New Year song titled “YouYouYou” (Have a good year).Chinese New Year is a holiday that is celebrated for several days and is based on the lunar calendar. It is associated with one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and 2025 is the Year of the Snake.The music video for the track showcases 20 of 988’s deejays dressed in retro clothing as they take on the challenge of coming together for a Chinese New Year reunion dinner.[embedded content]It is a part of the station’s annual festive album which features three songs and music videos.The album was launched by Star Media Group CEO Chan Seng Fatt.The station also plans to have special radio programmes featuring interactive games and festive hits, zodiac forecasting with insights for the year and a heartwarming drama series with family tales. […]

Radio Taiwan International (Rti) launched a new book Shortwave Era: From the Cold War to Democracy, From Intelligence Broadcasting to the Voice of Peace, Let the World Hear Taiwan’s Voice last month.Shortwave Era chronicles Rti’s nearly century-long journey broadcasting Taiwan’s voice to the world in multilingual languages.It provides a detailed account of how Rti has used multilingual broadcasting to build international communication bridges, witnessing Taiwan’s significant interactions with the global community.  From World War II to the end of Cold War, Rti was not only an international radio station but also played a unique role on the special battleground, including executing intelligence missions through the “Teresa Teng Time” program and compiling “Communist Bandit Broadcasts” as part of classified intelligence operations.Rti Chairperson Cheryl Lai remarked that today’s Rti is like a “mini United Nations,” with colleagues from around the world sharing “Taiwan’s story,” which is also “the world’s story,” fully reflecting Rti’s international character and cultural mission.At the book launch, four Rti hosts shared moving stories. Japanese-language host Wang Shu-qing, with 45 years of experience, spoke of listeners as family, including one veteran listener who has been tuning in for over 60 years and still records the details of every broadcast. Mandarin host Tan Zhi-yi shared her experience of Chinese listeners visiting Taiwan and Rti hosting family reunion events for foreign migrant workers.Thai-language host Tao Yun-sheng mentioned how his programs provide essential information to newly arrived migrant workers in Taiwan, helping them overcome difficulties. Vietnamese host Vy Fann shared the story of a Vietnamese Chinese listener who had been tuning in to Rti for 40 or 50 years. Although this listener, who was like family, has since passed away, the deep bond remains.The book also includes many touching stories, such as one of a Malaysian listener who was isolated due to a rare illness, and how Rti opened a window for her to the wider world. […]