Radio Asia: Mobile phones are today’s transistor radios

Delegates at the ABU’s 2013 RadioAsia conference in Vietnam were told the industry had to ensure that mobile phones were the new transistor radios.

They heard that as young people turned away from radio in some Western countries, it was imperative for Asia-Pacific broadcasters keep them engaged. However, while mobile apps helped radio stations complement their current services, these will not replace free-to-air radio broadcasts.

The three-day conference in Hanoi has been organised by the ABU and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, and hosted by the Voice of Vietnam, attracting more than 400 radio industry leaders from the Asia-Pacific and around the world to discuss the theme “Radio and Social Media: Where to Next?”

The first session of Day Two addressed the storytelling and imagination aspects of radio for listeners of all ages, illustrated with numerous clips of actual programming.

The session on radio’s role in connecting through information and communication technologies (ICTs) drew panellists from national regulators and content producers from countries including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Following the afternoon panel discussion on the theme “Focus on Key Areas for Radio in the New Era”, the day’s final session was on Community Radio, during which several initiatives in Asia and Africa were discussed.