Radio programs for children to cross language barriers

The ABU is exploring ways of overcoming language differences to share children’s radio programs between broadcasters across the Asia-Pacific.

The challenge was confronted by 20 broadcasters from 11 countries at an ABU workshop on children’s radio content held in Kuala Lumpur from 22-24 June.

The aim was to expose members’ children’s radio programming to a wider audience and devise methods of sharing content.

Participants shared new ideas and innovative programming concepts to take back to their organisations to improve the quality of their children’s programming.

ABU’s Senior Executive for Radio Vijay Sadhu said radio was extremely important and influential in the development of children, but it was difficult for radio programs to share resources across countries because of language differences.

“The workshop examined the structure, content and storytelling style of children’s radio programs from around the world, with the objective of extracting models that will be shared and adapted for each broadcaster in their own language,” she said.

Workshop Leader Steve Ahern said the forum found ways to solve language barriers:  “The workshop participants came up with innovative ideas to solve the language difficulties by agreeing to form an e-mail discussion group which will share ideas and programming formats. The group devised new ideas to allow broadcasters to share their content directly with the audience through new media methods.”

ABU’s Director of Programming Mr Takeshi Doki agreed, adding that recommendations were useful and forward thinking: “Recognising how audiences now access content directly through podcasts, the group of programmers has recommended that the ABU set up a podcast channel to showcase children’s programming from all member stations without significant cost or effort from the ABU or from broadcasters.”