ASIA

StreamGuys announced that Dick Broadcasting, which owns and operates 19 radio stations across three southeastern US states, has quintupled its monthly advertising revenue since transitioning to StreamGuys ad insertion services. Dick Broadcasting has amplified its revenue generation through StreamGuys’ programmatic ad services, which automatically fills unsold inventory in ad breaks for live streams and podcasts.StreamGuys has also diversified Dick Broadcasting’s advertising strategy by adding midroll placements to the mix, which required a structural change to how ads were distributed.“Nielsen had long required Dick Broadcasting to faithfully simulcast their over-the-air streams due to how they reported FM ratings in their markets,” said Tyler Huggins, director of advertising, StreamGuys. “That limited the customer to preroll ads, which while effective also limits revenue opportunities for stream monetization. We effectively split their streams into in-market and out-of-market streams, which allowed us to insert midrolls within the latter.”Huggins says that StreamGuys offers a “waterfall system” that prioritizes direct sold campaigns first, then programmatic fulfillment from its network of advertisers. If neither has an impression to serve, StreamGuys returns the opportunity to Dick Broadcasting to place an unsold promo. StreamGuys manages the entire process, from server-side ad insertions to revenue payouts. “Dick Broadcasting communicates open inventory, and we manage all campaigns, advertisers and invoices,” he said. “We also work with their app developer and web team to pinpoint geographic data, which helps us precisely pinpoint where listeners are located. That finite data helps us make decisions on whether a listener is inside or outside the market, and which ads to serve.”Dick Broadcasting also uses StreamGuys’ SGrecast service to create podcasts and side streams from live radio shows, which StreamGuys also automatically inserts ads within. StreamGuys also hosts and delivers all of Dick Broadcasting’s streaming content, using StreamGuys’ enterprise CDN to deliver live and on-demand content to websites, apps and smart speakers among other consumer receive points. The result is a turnkey streaming service that has reduced costs, streamlined internal labor, and increased revenue.“We are lucky to have very dedicated audiences for our streams, many of which live outside our geographic FM footprints,” said Taylor Dick, Vice President of Finance and Strategic Analysis, Dick Broadcasting Company. “We found that we were carrying substantial costs to operate our streaming infrastructure and serving ads that were meaningless to many of our listeners. StreamGuys reduced the costs of our streaming infrastructure while effectively creating zones that allow us to serve ads of interest to out-of-market listeners. We can now offer a better listening experience for our entire streaming audience while substantially increasing our revenue through a programmatic service that requires no heavy lifting from within. StreamGuys has helped us to a much better job of managing, monetizing and growing our streaming business.” […]

GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary dedicated to wireless content delivery, announced the launch of GatesAir Care, an enhanced managed services program that addresses the urgent need for skilled RF resources and services in the global broadcast industry. Available immediately, the GatesAir Care program offers defined service level agreements across three-tiered support plans (Elite, Signature, Standard) that collectively aim to fill widening gaps in engineering skillsets as long time RF engineers approach retirement.The number of services included escalates with each tier, beginning with simple extended warranties, discounted spare parts, and preventative maintenance visits to keep transmitters and associated RF systems in excellent operating condition. Additional services are available with each tier, which can include installation and commissioning, 24/7 remote maintenance and monitoring, and live, onsite technical support for major broadcast events.“Most young engineers coming into the business today possess a strong IT skillset but have limited to no RF expertise,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “We developed GatesAir Care to alleviate concerns about finding skilled engineers to take care of RF systems and plants as veteran TV and radio engineers reduce hours and ultimately retire.”All three program tiers can also scale to the size of the broadcaster, including dedicated services in smaller markets that are especially light on engineering resources. GatesAir Care will also offer options for crisis team deployment and disaster recovery services in the event of severe weather or other unanticipated events that require immediate attention.Mark Goins, Vice President, Global Sales for GatesAir, adds that the GatesAir Care program ultimately aligns with the broadcast model’s increasing emphasis on operational efficiency. “Changes in the global RF engineering fleet are unfolding at a very swift pace over the past 12-18 months,” said Goins. “The GatesAir Care program will help broadcasters maintain their focus on operational efficiency with the peace of mind that our experienced, dedicated support staff will provide consistent, proactive and responsive service tailored to each customer’s needs.”GatesAir will also offer beginning and advanced RF training courses in alignment with the GatesAir Care program to help younger broadcast engineers strengthen their RF skillsets. More information on all three GatesAir Care tiers, service options and pricing are available at https://www.gatesair.com/services/gatesair-care. […]

The French audio specialist and equipment manufacturer Digigram has announced the release of a new sound card, ALP-AES67, as part of its acclaimed ALP-X range, which was launched in 2022.While the ALP-X range already covers a large range of audio protocols, ALP-AES67 takes Digigram a step further into the Broadcast, Live Sound and Events applications, where critical audio is at stake.Featuring the signature characteristics of the ALP-X range, ALP-AES67 was developed using Digigram’s sturdy hardware platform for unmatched reliability. ALP-AES67 also brings versatility to professional audio users thanks to its low-profile form factor coupled with a fanless design, accommodating most PCs and servers, especially when space is scarce.The ALP-AES67 PCIe card supports 64 playback channels and 64 recording channels, enabling the deployment of large-scale audio structures. Its compatibility with both Windows and Linux environments provides an unparalleled asset for countless applications, giving large freedom to users who are no longer bound by OS support. Additionally, the card is equipped with two Ethernet ports, ensuring seamless network redundancy, and two Ethernet switch ports for straightforward connectivity to other Dante, AES67, and Ravenna devices.Leveraging decades of expertise in audio over IP, Digigram’s ALP-AES67 stands out as a powerful addition to the ALP-X range, offering enhanced capabilities for critical audio applications. Pristine audio quality, low latency and extreme reliability remain at the core of the whole range, benefiting the ALP-AES67 and other cards alike.“This new addition to the ALP range opens new possibilities for our clients. While ALP-AES67 ensures full compliance with Ravenna and SMPTE ST-2110 audio standards, it delivers the usual Digigram high performance and reliability they trust us with,” states Stéphane Bert, Digigram’s Presales Manager. […]

The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) dominated the radio category at the Malaysia Press Institute (MPI) – Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards (HKM) 2023 at the Malaysian Journalists Night earlier this month.It won awards in four radio categories: Best Radio Report, Best Radio Documentary, Best Radio Interview and Best Live Radio Broadcast.Bernama Radio’s Nurliyana Farhah Ruslan won the gold for the Best Radio Report category for the report titled “Palestin: Panji Perjjuangan Belum Selesai.”Ahmad Fawzan Azmie Abdul Halil won the bronze in the same category for his report titled “Mek Mulung: Puwitera Wangsa Bangsa.”In the Best Radio Documentary Category Muhamad Azim took bronze with the documentary titled “Menyingkap Kisah Pejuang Kanser.” Raifanabillah Zulkilfi and Natasha Aimee Hasim were awarded the silver award in the Best Radio Interview category for “Membina Pengangkutan Awam Bersana.”In the Best Live Radio category, Wan Nadia Khairani Wan Chik won the gold for live broadcast on “Perkembangan Bedah Siasat Mansa Nahas Elmina” from HTAR, Klang. Ahmad Fawzan Azmie took the silver for “Lintas Langsung Nahas Elmina.”Nurliyana Farah described her win as a recognition of the power to speak out.“I use my trust, duty and responsibility as a journalist to disseminate and expose humanitarian issues and the suffering of the Palestinian people to the public…this is a worthwhile endeavour,” she said. […]

In a session titled AI Literacy: Our Audiences and Staff at the ABU-Rai Days, a project by the Capital Maharaja Group’s radio network MBC, showcased an example of the positive social impact made when media and society join forces to create change. The United Nations recognised, Gammada Project took journalists back to grass roots in an innovative approach “to solve problems for struggling villagers,” said MBC Networks Sri Lanka, CEO, Chevaan Daniel. “The project was born from our network listening to villagers and reporting on their struggles.”The driving desire was to then use this knowledge gained form visiting villages to influence the priorities of stories reported in news and to make a true difference to improving the villagers’ quality of life and in so doing, build the network’s credibility with rural communities. By partnering with universities and sending their combined teams of News 1st volunteers and undergraduates on listening tours to gather data on village struggles, they identified rural Sri Lanka’s desperate need for infrastructure projects. Daniel said, “In this way action was based on truth and through truth action… Now that the facts were apparent through data analysis we could work with the village to address the problem/s identified.” MBC collected donations for projects so that village citizens could then help work towards implementing the infrastructure project. This was through the Gammadda Saviya Society which worked with villagers to form a community lead committee to implement Gammadda identified projects.In the same session, the panel Moderator, Simona Martorelli, Rai’s Director, International Relations and European Affairs also highlighted other varied approaches used to educate audiences and staff across European and Asian regions.

“Our aim is to help up skill our colleagues to make better journalism through our new AI literacy course at the EBU Academy,” said Justin Kings, one of the speakers in a session titled AI Literacy: Our Audiences and Staff at the ABU-Rai Days.“Collaboration is at the heart of our courses,” said Kings. “We identify best practise use of AI and work in partnership to develop our in house modules.”  His preference is that in some courses, staff with different roles, developers and content leaders attend together for maximum benefit.”Though they are only four months in, staff from EBU broadcasters have attended courses in critical thinking around the ethics of using AI and how to maximise the value of archives by using AI. They are currently working on developing courses around the importance of data and using AI to harness this.Rai’s head of Digital and Transmedia Content Caterina Stagno talked about Rai’s Pills project against disinformation. The project aims to educate the audience to increase critical thinking and awareness of disinformation and impart knowledge of the mechanisms that are used to generate disinformation. The project also informs the public about countermeasures.The whole organisation approach has been effective for training the audience to recognise AI generated disinformation. The graphic below shows the PILLS virtual anchorwoman presenting one of the 30 short videos released over 18 months, which had 848 million views across all Rai’s outlets. […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonWe’ve all heard the saying, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Wise words for anyone in sales….or for anyone wanting to make a difference in their lives. How we spend our “billable hours” determines our paychecks. It also determines much of what we accomplish in life.One of the attributes of great salespeople is a trait we call “urgency”. We test for it in our hiring process. They want it done yesterday….or now at the latest. They never put things off. They make their plan, prioritize their activities and execute the plan.As salespeople, we keep many plates spinning wildly at all times. We need to be able to multi-task, and we need to get things done. Today is better than tomorrow.Sometimes, however, getting things done is interrupted by another activity that we call “procrastination”. I’m sure none of my readers have EVER been guilty of indulging in this activity. But, on the off chance that some of you DO engage in it from time to time, let’s look at some of the major causes of procrastination and how we may avoid them.
I don’t have time now.
The task is difficult.
The task is unpleasant.
I don’t see why the task is so important.
It isn’t due for a while.
I don’t have clear or written goals.
I’m not organized.
I have too many interruptions.
I’m overwhelmed.
I have too many tasks to choose from.
Sound familiar? If so, the following activities may help you to replace procrastination with positive action:
Set deadlines.
Let others know your deadlines.
Start each day with the most important task on your list.
Do it once.
Break down the job into smaller parts.
Reduce interruptions.
Eliminate reasons why you can’t get started on the task.
Create a reward for finishing the task.
It is important to recognize when we procrastinate and why. Spend a week looking at your activities and how quickly you get them done. What do you do instead of doing what you should? Once you’ve identified the problem, you can take steps to get things done NOW rather than later. Life gets a lot easier when we do the important rather than the urgent!Happy Selling! […]