Experts meet on future of radio in the Asia-Pacific

Radio broadcasting experts from the Asia-Pacific and beyond will be meeting at RadioAsia 2014 in Sri Lanka this year to share new opportunities for the radio industry in the region and to plan for its future.

Given the tough competition in the media market place, and as the only international radio programming conference of its kind in the Asia-Pacific, a lot is riding on the RadioAsia Conference in Colombo from 22-24 May 2014.

Mr Tatsuhiro Beniko, the ABU’s Director of Programming, says RadioAsia 2014 comes at a critical time for radio in both Sri Lanka and the region.

“The Sri Lankan radio industry is quite dynamic but faces a lot of competition in the market,” he says. “So the Radioasia2014 Conference: It’s All About Content: Positioning New Radio In The Knowledge Society will play a pivotal role, setting up networking platforms with broadcasters in the region and beyond and helping in capacity-building.”

The event, organised by the ABU in partnership with MBC Radio, will bring together leading radio media practitioners, communication specialists, policy makers and academics from public service, community and commercial radio across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Mrs Vijay Sadhu, the ABU’s Senior Executive for Radio and the conference organiser, expects the Colombo conference to emulate the success of RadioAsia 2013 in Hanoi, which attracted more than 400 participants, with 40-plus international speakers and 20 sponsors and media partners, international organisations and industry partners.

The 2nd ABU Radio Song Festival will also take place in Colombo on 23 May, the second day of the conference.

“This is a highly-rated event which brings together radio talent from many countries,” Ms Sadhu says. “The selected singers will come to Colombo and perform at a gala performance event. This is a unique cultural event that exposes hidden singing talent in the region, providing opportunities for their advancement.”

More on the RadioAsia 2014 Conference program can be found at the conference website.