ASIA

More speakers have joined this year’s Radiodays Asia, the leading radio and podcasting conference in the Asia-Pacific, to be held 5-6 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Kenny Ong, CEO Astro RadioKenny Ong is CEO of Astro Radio and Rocketfuel Entertainment overseeing strategic direction and artist management. He is Director of Astro Media Solutions (AMS) spearheading integrated media solutions, drive advertising revenue and increase adex share.Richard Fidler, Radio HostRichard Fidler is an Australian radio presenter and writer, best known for his hour-long interview program, Conversations with Richard Fidler on ABC’s Radio National, and as a former member of the Australian comedy group the Doug Anthony All Stars.Emily Copeland, Director, Audience Innovation and Music Partnerships, ARNEmily is a strategic brand builder, who has led creative and content-driven organisations in reimagining traditional business and commercial models.Currently Director, Audience Innovation and Music Partnerships at ARN, she is responsible for uncovering and championing strategic projects which provide opportunities for audience and brand innovation and growth, while also leading partnerships across the Australian music industry.Valerie Geller, President, Geller Media InternationalValerie Geller’s company, Geller Media International, is a broadcast consulting firm which trains broadcasters & podcasters throughout the world to help each become more a powerful communicator.  Geller is also a former program director of WABC in New York, was executive producer of KFI in Los Angeles and news director of K-101 in San Francisco. She served as an elected board member of the Associated Press and the Radio & TV News Directors Assn. and was honoured with a Rockwell lifetime achievement award for broadcasting. She has long held a place on Radio Ink’s “Most Influential Women in Radio” list and serves on the board of MIW, to help mentor women in Radio.Norma Jean Belenky, Head of Events, PodbeanNorma Jean empowers and educates both podcasters and companies to tell their story to succeed with their podcasting initiatives. Serving as Podbean’s Head of Events, Norma Jean produces Podbean’s virtual events and hosts, produces Podbean’s official podcast, Podcasting Smarter and supports Podbean’s enterprise and internal podcast customers in APAC. Podbean has been providing innovative podcasting services as an industry leader since 2006. Along with their popular podcast app and hosting services, Podbean offers monetization, and private podcasting services for businesses and organizations.Abe Thomas, CEO, Reliance Broadcast NetworkAbraham Thomas is an experienced leader and digital entrepreneur, a brand strategist and an audio entertainment specialist with a proven track record of building and running large media businesses in a competitive environment. A media evangelist, he has over two decades of experience in building and scaling youth media platforms (across TV, Radio, Digital, Print) in India, China and South Asia. During his long-standing career, he has held various leadership positions across brands in the media and broadcast space.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 two days in two tracks with 50 sessions. Top international speakers and industry leaders as well as successful producers and market experts will share their insights.Register for Radiodays Asia at Super Early Bird prices before June 1. […]

Content from BPRIt’s a common theme, contemporary music is in a difficult phase. US Music consultant Guy Zapoleon calls this period the ‘doldrums’ a phrase that assumes that the wind will eventually pick up and contemporary music will gather momentum and once again reflect the tastes of the mass / mainstream audience.The causes of this can be put down to a few fairly logical influences for example fresh or individual music styles emerge and then are almost immediately saturated with similar sounding imitators – the loss of unique freshness or lack of variety leads to boredom and lack of music passion – more or less where we are now.Media Fragmentation is another significant influence on mainstream music consumption.Radio listening has been fragmenting for some time now with mass market stations competing with music streaming, personal music playlists, YouTube etc. attracting listening time that was once the exclusive preserve of radio.Television is also going through its own fragmentation process; broadcast TV still attracts large audiences but they are smaller than the ‘hit’ shows of the past generated and ‘water-cooler’ TV is usually based on reality TV shows as streaming also impacts on TV and video viewing time.Hit streaming shows attract new ‘mass’ audiences – but there are some surprising side benefits starting to emerge. Recently, Luminate – a US based company linking music and music data published an article highlighting two ‘Hits’ that have come from HBO’s series ‘The Last of Us.’ Both Depeche Mode’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ (1987) and Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Long Long Time’ (1970) have both enjoyed a new life – and a new audience – as a result of this exposure both songs have seen massive increases in streaming and radio airplay.The graph below shows that Depeche Mode’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ peaked around 30 days after featuring on the show.While the radio airplay has been relatively brief, streaming for the band’s catalogue continues to grow.So, the lesson for Radio Programmers?‘New’ music can also come from TV and streamers – although the life of these tracks may not be as long as a new ‘market’ hit, the songs exposed in this way may also boost interest in the artists generally.New music sources may surprise you.By Peter Don, BPRSource:Luminate Entertainment 365Luminate Music ConnectAll streaming figures represent total on-demand streaming activity (audio & video)Change in song-level streaming: Never Let Me Down Again (01/01/23 – 1/22/23), Long Long Time (01/15/23 – 02/05/23)Change in catalog streaming: Depeche Mode (01/01/23 – 2/14/23), Linda Ronstadt (01/15/23 – 02/28/23)Main Pic: Depeche Mode, Kiev, Ukraine, July 19, 2017: Concert Depeche Mode at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev during Global Spirit Tour. The vocalist Dave Gahan performs a song on stage. Shutterstock. […]

Radiodays Asia will address some of the most pressing challenges to broadcasters and podcasters looking to grow their audiences with James Cridland, Kym Treasure and Paul Amos part of the 2023 speaker line-up.With Andrea Ho, Deb Hishon and Guang Jin YEO, being announced as speakers last week, Managing Director of Xtra Insights Australia Paul Amos, Kym Treasure  the CEO and Founder of Audacia Audio, Radio Futurologist and Editor of Podnews Australia, James Cridland as well as June Pang, Head of Malaysia Media Measurement, GfK, and Germany’s Christian Schalt, Chief Digital Officer of RTL, Manager of Audio Alliance and General Manager of Digital Media Hub have been added to proceedings.Questions that will be addressed at the conference:
Is AI (artificial intelligence) a threat or an opportunity?
How can you make your station more successful with clever marketing, using events, social media and building communities?
How do you find out what listeners want? What does it take to attract a younger audience?
What are the current trends in podcasting – in Asia and in the world?
How do you create innovative and appealing content every day?
How do we fight misinformation and keep high journalism standards in a world of social media, bots and deliberate manipulation?
Radiodays Asia will be held on September 5 & 6, 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. […]

RØDE has launched the new Streamer X and PodMic USB products, providing audio and streaming solutions for content creators. The Streamer X combines a professional audio interface, video capture card and control surface in a compact console. The unit has a fully customisable control surface, used for triggering sounds, voice effects and keyboard shortcuts.Some Steamer X features include: 
Up to 4K30 video capture and 4K60 pass-through via HDMI 
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support
Integrated wireless receiver for connecting RØDE Series IV wireless microphones, including the Wireless GO II and Wireless ME
Dual USB-C interfaces for connecting to two computers or mobile devices
Easy configuration and control via RØDE Central desktop companion app
Compatible with free UNIFY streaming software for advanced audio routing, mixing and configuration
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Based on the original PodMic, RØDE’s PodMic USB offers both XLR and USB connectivity, plus loads of features for easily capturing professional sound.Some PodMic USB features include: 
Broadcast-grade dynamic microphone optimised for podcasting, streaming and other speech applications
High-power neodymium capsule for warm, highly detailed audio capture
Tight cardioid polar pattern, flat frequency response and low self-noise
Analog XLR and digital USB-C connectivity
Internal pop filter for minimising plosives and internal shock mount for reducing vibrations 
Custom professional pop filter included 
Fully compatible with RØDE’s suite of apps, including RØDE Connect, RØDE Capture and UNIFY
Robust all-metal construction and premium components – incredibly rugged and highly durable […]

The official launch of MBC Loud, Saudi Arabia’s first English-language radio station whose reach covers the entire breadth of the Kingdom, was celebrated at an event in Riyadh on Monday evening.Launched on air by the MBC Group earlier this month, it targets the youth and caters to a growing English-speaking audience.Broadcasting in Jeddah, Dammam and the capital city of Riyadh, the station follows a Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) format.Jay R and Danah host the four-hour breakfast show, titled ‘The Daily Wake Up,’ from 6 am to 10 am weekdays.The channel also features a syndicated feed featuring Ryan Seacrest and Sisanie from 4 pm to 7 pm.On Thursday and Friday, international DJs with pre-recorded dance music sets are featured between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.“It’s young, it’s vibrant, it’s exciting, it’s active, and I think it’s a chance for people to hear that fresh look on life in Saudi,” MBC CEO Sam Barnett told Al Arabiya English at the event.“MBC LOUD FM represents a distinctive radio brand; one that forms part of our commitment towards the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in the field of entertainment and broadcast,” Waleed Al Ibrahim, Chairman of MBC Group said in a press release statement.“With MBC LOUD FM, our goal is to reach a diverse audience throughout the country. By doing so, we aim to contribute to the Kingdom’s objectives in the upcoming phase, contributing to the nation’s ambitions in developments and growth in the entertainment and media industry,” he added.Ziad Hamza, MBC Group Director of Audio, Radio & Music said LOUD FM is a new audio experience aiming to change the way listeners experience FM radio.“MBC LOUD FM aims to enrich audiences’ listening experiences and elevate their enjoyment of radio and music content. Our mission is to connect listeners with their counterparts worldwide by offering distinctive radio content that e […]

Triton Digital has announced the promotion of Richard Palmer to VP of market development and strategy in APAC.Prior to his promotion, Palmer was director of market development APAC.In his new role, he will be responsible for driving Triton’s growth and market strategy throughout the Asia-Pacific region, while continuing to provide guidance and advice to publishers and broadcasters on the ever-evolving landscape of streaming, podcasting, measurement, and advertising technology.Palmer noted that during his time with the company, the podcast industry has gone through an evolution that requires publishers and advertisers alike to be agile and strategic now more than ever before.“In my focus on expanding Triton’s global footprint, we’ve pushed for new audio and measurement standards that propel the industry forward,” said Palmer.“Guiding our clients to reach new audiences and milestones has been a highlight of my career, and I look forward to continuing that work at Triton Digital in this new capacity.”Palmer took to LinkedIn to share the news, he wrote: “Looking forward to tackling the challenges ahead and the success that comes with overcoming them alongside the incredible team that makes Triton Digital the number one company in digital audio.” […]