ASIA

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) recently welcomed the founders of the International Student Broadcasting Championship (ISBC) – Phillip Vinciullo, Annwen Burrows, and Marcel Marais – as part of their Asia tour. The visit highlight was the Forward Together: Metro Manila Campus Broadcasting Networking Summit, which was a testament to the growing influence of student media on a global scale.
Hosted by UST, the Forward Together summit, organized by the MICE and Events students of the UST College of Commerce and Business Administration and TMN, brought together universities from across Manila. The event featured engaging panel discussions, led by Assistant Director of the communications bureau Faye Martel, delving into “Global Trends in Campus Broadcasting,” and exploring the vibrant landscape of campus media.
 ISBC Founder Phillip Vinciullo remarked: “The student summit provided the perfect platform to discuss global trends and explore the current media landscape and industry opportunities post campus media. Additionally, it was an honour to hand over the inaugural 2023 ISBC Station of the Year trophy in person to the UST Tiger Radio team.”

Co-Founder Annwen Burrows emphasized the impact of the recognition, stating: “The award ceremony was a proud moment handing over the inaugural trophy and highlighting the hard work and dedication of the Tiger Radio team. The ISBC team had a fantastic time engaging with the UST Tiger Radio team, even participating in their Tiger Rush program and exchanging social media content with a fun Aussie snacks vs. Filipino snacks challenge.”
During their tour across the region, ISBC embarked on a journey of collaboration and development, visiting esteemed colleges and universities such as Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore and Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, among others. Their engagements extended beyond academic institutions, as they also met with major media groups, identifying trends, needs, and laying the groundwork and opportunities for an exciting ISBC 2024.

The Philippines leg served as the conclusion of the ISBC Asia tour, which encompassed exciting visits to Singapore and Malaysia. Co-Founder Marcel Marais shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming ISBC 2024, extending an invitation to students from colleges and universities worldwide to stay informed through ISBC’s social media channels and website.
 “For all the details for ISBC 2024, visit ISBChampionship on all social handles or visit ISBC.CO,” Marais said, emphasising the importance of staying connected and engaged as preparations for #ISBC24 unfold.
The visit of ISBC to UST epitomised the company’s commitment to fostering excellence in student media on an international scale and its passion for bridging the gap between graduates and industry and developing the landscape of media education and innovation. […]

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait said on Monday that the first-ever Hindi radio broadcast had started in the country.The program will air every Sunday on Kuwait Radio on FM 93.3 and FM 96.3 from 8.30 pm to  9 pm starting April 21.With around one million population, Indians are the largest expat community in Kuwait and both the countries enjoy friendly relations.India has been a trading partner of Kuwait and until 1961 the Indian rupee was legal tender in the gulf country. The year 2021-22 marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.Photo: Twitter […]

Pat Bryson reports from the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas for radioinfo.I attended the National Association of Broadcasters’ convention last week. The 5 days were filled with sessions on a multitude of topics: engineering, programming, sales, podcasting, the future of radio and, of course, AI.Artificial Intelligence has been a leading topic for the last couple of years. Daniel Anstandig of Futuri Media did the opening keynote with Ameca, an AI-powered humanoid robot as his co-host.They “talked” about a new study that examined AI’s role in media. Guess what? It seems the public is ready to accept AI used to give them better content. They also think that AI is currently being used in more stations than it actually is. Maybe that’s because they can’t readily distinguish between AI and human content.I spoke at the Broadcast Educator’s Association session for students who are looking to join our industry. I was pleased to see the room filled with eager young people. These students are the future of radio and television.The Broadcast Leadership Training alumni held their reception Sunday evening. I was honored to be a graduate of that program in 2005. The program will celebrate its 25th year in 2025. It boasts over 400 graduates, many of whom have gone on to start their own companies, to manages groups. The program was the brainchild of Diane Sutter and was created to help minorities progress in their dreams. It certainly helped me with mine. I started BBI the next year.Mentoring and Inspiring Women held their annual dinner on Monday evening. It was a sold-out crowd of 120 high-powered women in our industry. The “buzz” was deafening. These women mentor other women in broadcasting, helping them to progress in their careers.Vendor rooms were full of innovative technology. For engineers, it was like kids in a candy store. Old ways are being replaced with better and better options for delivering and creating our programming.But this article isn’t about a listing of sessions or offerings. It’s about the spirit that filled the hallways of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the restaurants and bars of hotels where broadcasters gathered to share ideas, do deals, and meet colleagues.EXCITEMENT is a good word for the spirit I felt.There was a current of electricity surrounding the group (no pun intended). Over 61,000 broadcasters assembled from 163 countries. Over half were first-time attendees. They came to learn, to look at new technology, to meet people, to do deals. In our business, it’s as important whom you know as what you know. The NAB provided a good space to increase your network.Not since 2019 have I felt this level of optimism. Weaving through the halls (there were so many people that “weaving” is what you had to do), I noticed smiles on faces. And I could see the smiles because there were very few masks. Old friends were greeted with handshakes and hugs. Forget the elbow bump! Fear was replaced with confidence.I remember my first NAB years ago when I was a newly promoted sales manager. My GM took me to Vegas. Wow! My first look at the tens of thousands of broadcasters assembled there sparked this thought: “If this many broadcasters are here, the rest of their staffs are back home manning the stations. How BIG IS this industry?” I realized for the first time how powerful broadcasting is. How vital we are to business. How important we are to our listeners. And I felt proud to be a part of it.I felt that same pride at the NAB this year.Someone described radio as the cockroach of media. I’m not sure how pleased I am to be compared to the big black bugs I regularly try to squash, but I must admit they are persistent, fast and you can’t get rid of them! They’ve been around 320 million years. So, maybe the comparison is solid. Radio continues to survive, to evolve and to grow.NAB 2025 will be April 5-9. Do yourselves a favor and add it to your calendar.See you there!About: Pat BrysonPat Bryson has worked in the radio industry for over 30 years. During that time, she was one of the highest billing sales people in the radio industry in her market. Her career advanced to General Manager, where Pat created a culture of over-achievement for her stations. Since founding BBI, Pat has worked with broadcasters around the world and has been a featured speaker at many conferences.Pat is a regular contributor to radioinfo (see here at the Brisbane ACRAs with Peter Saxon and Wendy Whalley)
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According to a report by the Afghanistan Journalist Center (AFJC), Habib-ur-Rahman Taseer, a local journalist associated with Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe in southeastern Ghazni province in has been detained by the Taliban intelligence since April 6 and has now been transferred to the regime’s prison.Taseer was reportedly detained for preparing local reports for Radio Azadi. His smartphone was seized by the authorities and its contents were checked without his consent.Another source in Ghazni provincne told AFJC that Taseer had faced pressure before his arrest, including being removed from a joint WhatsApp group of journalists and local officials.Radio Azadi/Radio Free Europe and the Taliban have not issued any comments regarding this incident so far.Radio Azadi is based in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, and produces and broadcasts programs for Afghanistan.In December 2022, the FM frequency of Radio Azadi and Voice of America, both US government-supported outlets, were suspended by the Taliban.Two months later, the regime shut down the websites of these two media outlets, saying that they had repeatedly “failed to adhere” to the regime’s press laws and “violated journalistic principles.”The AFJC expressed serious concern about Taseer’s continued detention and demanded his immediate and unconditional release.AFJC data shows that at least 59 journalists and media workers were arrested in the last solar year alone. The majority of these cases involved violations of Taliban media directives, which contradict the country’s media laws.Photo: AFJC […]

Radio station Wave 89.1 FM, Philippines, announced that it was signing off in a statement on its Facebook page on Monday night.The station first started broadcasting in 1975 as DMZ 89.1, or the Dance Music Zone station playing R&B, hip-hop and rhythmic contemporary music. Wave 89.1 began airing in 2001 with a selection of easy listening and R&B tracks, but has since concentrated on airing urban contemporary playlists.The radio station thanked its fans and listeners over the past years on the air.“While our hearts are pinched, we want to announce that Wave 89.1 has made its final broadcast. So many memories. Good times and bad. Laughter and tears. We changed the game. No one can say otherwise,” it said.It had also thanked former DJ’s, managers, directors, technical staff, guests, and everyone else who had visited their studios.“We did a lot of great things together! It’s a sad day for all of us, but we’re gonna remember all the amazing people and music that came through our airwaves,” it wrote.Wave has since deleted the photo of its statement on Facebook, replacing it with a photo of a map, and has locked its X account.The Adventist World Radio (AWR) has started broadcasting on the frequency and has branded itself as AWR 89.1 FM.“AWR 89.1 FM is a Christian radio station that aims to inspire, uplift, and educate listeners through its diverse range of content,” the website of the new station described.“We recognize the importance of holistic well-being, including physical, mental, and spiritual health. The station features programs on healthy living, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and other topics related to overall wellness,” it added. […]

Masti Media Network, which runs Radio Masti 24×7, the only live Bollywood radio broadcasting across SEA region, have launched a new venture supported by the National Integration Council.Montage Of Singapore Season 2, an initiative aimed at fostering national integration and unity, unveiled its 6 episodes providing a vital platform for open, respectful dialogue on topics central to Singapore’s diverse cultural landscape.Present for the event were Renuka Bhagat Arora, Masti Media Network, Desmond Tan CCMC Chair, QueenTown, Biren Desai, Singapore Gujarati Society; David Soh, Chair Harmony Circle, Prantik Mazumdar, President TiE Singapore, Dr Alicia Altorfer-Ong, Deputy General Manager, Ray of Hope, to name a few.Montage of Singapore Season 1 was celebrated by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in their newsletter as one of the top three shows showcasing Singapore’s diverse tapestry. The series’ primary objective is to unite residents and build a cohesive nation.The episodes of Montage of Singapore Season 2 are set to debut on digital platforms – Masti Media Network’s LinkedIn, Facebook and Youtube handle from April 15th-20th, 2024, daily 6pm.Conceived in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Montage of Singapore Season 2 has solidified its position as a beacon of harmony and inclusivity within the nation. The series embodies a collective effort to celebrate Singapore’s rich multicultural fabric and promote social cohesion.Renuka Bhagat Arora, Founder, Masti Media Network said: “Montage of Singapore Season 2 reaffirms our unwavering commitment to fostering inclusivity, empathy, and unity within our diverse community. Through ongoing engagement and meaningful dialogue, we aspire to cultivate a future where the richness of diversity is embraced, and a harmonious spirit of unity thrives.” […]