ASIA

Afghanistan’s only women-run radio station – Sadai Banowan, has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, according to a Taliban official.Sadai Banowan, which means ‘women’s voice’ in Dari, started 10 years ago. It has eight staff, six of them female.Moezuddin Ahmadi, the director for Information and Culture in Badakhshan province, said the station violated the “laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate” several times by broadcasting songs and music during Ramadan and was shuttered because of the breach.“If this radio station accepts the policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and gives a guarantee that it will not repeat such a thing again, we will allow it to operate again,” said Ahmadi.However, station head Najia Sorosh denied there was any violation and called it a conspiracy. The Taliban “told us that you have broadcast music. We have not broadcast any kind of music,” she said.According to a report by AP, Sorosh said at 11:40 a.m. on Thursday representatives from the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vice and Virtue Directorate arrived at the station and shut it down. She said station staff have contacted Vice and Virtue but officials there said they do not have any additional information about the closing.Speaking to The Independent, a staff member said her crew was tired of seeking the Taliban’s permission to speak about the basic rights of women in Afghanistan.She said she was ready to “fight” to save the radio station’s existence, even if it meant being punished.She said her team are pinning their last remaining hope on a conversation with the Taliban, expected to be held this week.“I have now decided to speak with the Taliban’s cultural chief and apologise, if needed. If he does not agree, I will break up the equipment and all my materials and shut down operations for ever,” she said.“But right now, I am not scared, and I will fight for my radio station’s existence. Even if the Taliban wants to jail or kill me in their prison custody,” she added.The Taliban have barred women from most forms of employment and education beyond the sixth grade, including university. […]

RØDE has announced an addition to its range of wireless microphones, the Wireless ME.The Wireless ME combines the same sound quality and innovative features that RØDE wireless microphones are revered for and the company hopes that with unprecedented ease of use, it is the ultimate grab-and-go microphone for content creators.To coincide with the release of the Wireless ME, RØDE has also launched a free iOS video app, RØDE Capture.The video app is designed specifically for today’s creators, it is aimed at becoming the perfect platform for making content on an iPhone and the perfect companion for the Wireless ME.Key features of the Wireless Me™
Ultra-compact and easy-to-use wireless microphone system
RØDE’s state-of-the-art Series IV 2.4 GHz digital transmission for crystal-clear recording with over 100m range
Intelligent GainAssist technology automatically controls audio levels for perfectly clear sound in any application
Broadcast-grade microphones built into both the transmitter and receiver for versatile dual-channel recording
Ability to connect an additional transmitter for capturing three microphones simultaneously
Connects seamlessly to cameras, smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android), and computers (Mac and Windows) with all required cables included
Easy control over settings via RØDE Central; compatible with RØDE Connect, RØDE Reporter and the new RØDE Capture app
Designed and made in RØDE’s precision facilities in Sydney, Australia […]

For the first time, users of the Adthos Platform can generate complete audio ads from start to finish using AI technology.  
Advertisers simply submit a short briefing via a self-service portal, and using AI technology, Adthos will generate the script, adding AI voices, sound effects and music, resulting in a fully AI-produced ad that’s available to be played out instantly. The platform utilizes a dozen AI technologies including GPT- 4, the latest language model to be released by OpenAI. The platform’s own library offers 100’s of hand-picked and trained top quality AI voices that collectively hold 1000 IMDB credits. This includes Emmy Award winning voice actors and talents who are part of the Top 10 Morning Shows in the US.   
 This breakthrough technology provides advertisers with efficient self-service and instant production of high-quality audio ads that offer the best voice talent available. For publishers it enables the kind of micro-transactions that will help to support long-tail revenue streams. Publishers are also able to add their own branding to the self-service portal to provide a more personalized service for customers. Adthos offers out of the box integrations with radio automation systems and ad-servers meaning that creative audio can be immediately played out, enabling publishers to create a true self-service ad-buying platform.  
Raoul Wedel, CEO of Adthos: “Adthos has delivered several firsts to the industry, but I am more excited about this than any other so far. We have been working with OpenAI for the last two years as part of their programs and have already pioneered its use for creative script writing. The addition of AI to select voices, music, and sound effects takes it to a new and exciting level.”   
Two dozen of the world’s largest publishers have already been selected to test out the product. To apply to participate in the trial, please contact [email protected].   
 A video demo of the platform is available at https://vimeo.com/813493380/85219b4303 
 Those interested in experiencing what Adthos Creative Studio can do can access a demo of audio commercials created using synthetic voices at: https://adthos.com/adthos-creative-studio-preview/   […]

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations on issues related to community radio stations (CRS).In India, community radio stations have been flagging a number of issues that restrict their market growth and expansion. In November 2022, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had requested the authority to provide its recommendations on:
Inclusion of not-for-profit companies, registered under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013, in the list of eligible organizations
Increasing of permission period from existing period of 5 years to 10 years
Maximum duration of advertisement per hour of broadcast on CRS
Number of CR Stations operated in each district of operation by Not-for-profit organizations, operating in multiple districts
After considering all comments/counter-comments received from stakeholders during consultation process and further analysis of the issues, the authority has finalised its recommendations.It said that Non-for-profit companies established under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013 are already covered in the extant eligibility criteria for CRS. It also reiterated its recommendations regarding disqualification of religious bodies from owning broadcasting channels.It said that the initial period of permission should be increased from five years to ten years, at a time.Present policy guidelines for extension or renewal of CRS license are adequate and should continue to be the same.It recommended that the duration of advertisement on a CRS should be increased from seven minutes per hour to twelve minutes per hour.Not-for-profit organizations, operating in multiple districts, should be allowed to set up multiple CRS in their area of operation. An organisation should be allowed to set up a maximum of six CRS throughout the country. An organisation seeking to set up multiple stations should submit an undertaking confirming that the programs will be prepared locally and not sent from other CRS.MIB may actively pursue with Central and State Governments to sponsor more programmes on CRS for helping CRS in their sustainability. All the universities of Central or State Governments may be provided budgetary support to establish and operate Community Radio Stations.All the processes for granting CRS should be made online through a single window system. SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocation) clearance should be granted within one month of application and the grant of WOL (wireless operating license) license should also have a prescribed period preferably within one month of application. […]

The All India Radio (AIR) centre in the hill town of Kurseong, West Bengal, has been made the hub of content generation and transmission centre for Nepali languge radio broadcasting in India, starting April 1, 2023.The decision was made following a meeting of the External Service Division (ESD) of All India Radio under the chairpersonship of DG (News).The ESD of the AIR broadcasts programmes in 27 languages, including 15 foreign languages, and until now, the Nepali services of the ESD were being broadcast by Delhi AIR.AIR’s Kurseong station, which had been established in 1962 earlier used to broadcast only local news in Nepali once a day at 6.50 pm. From Decmber last year, it started broadcasting news with national content in Nepali four times a day.There has been a long standing demand in the Hills that AIR Kurseong be made the centre for content creation for the Nepali language as it would promote local artistes.In a press release, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said: “With this, our local talents, artistes, musicians, singers, lyricists, writers, dramatists, news readers, news producers, radio content creators will greatly benefit. Kurseong will become the heart of Nepali Language Radio broadcasting in India.” […]

After 82 years of operation, the final program of BBC Persian (Farsi) Radio was broadcast on Sunday, March 26.The Farsi radio service was launched as part of the BBC’s Empire Service on December 29, 1940, with support from the Foreign Office during World War II.It provided the latest political, social, economic and sports news relevant to Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan.The closure follows the BBC’s strategy to create a modern, digital-led and streamlined organisation that drives the most value from the licence fee and delivers more for audiences.The World Service had stated that it aims to save £28.5m million by closing Persian and Arabic radio stations as part of a more considerable effort to save £500 million yearly.The corporation will also stop producing radio content in ten other languages, including Chinese and Hindi.The broadcaster has said that the cuts result from years of UK government-imposed limits on license fees below inflation, in addition to the rising cost of producing programs. […]