The traditional Great Debate at this year’s RadioAsia Conference has yet again confirmed that radio is very much alive.

Despite spirited arguments from the proposers of the resolution that “Radio is dead; long live audio!”, the opposition won by a sea of hands.

True or not, most of the attendees at this year’s RAC were not yet ready to write-off radio in preference to audio online or as just a part of multimedia in general.

All the contributions were delivered with humour at the end of a long day’s discussions over more weighty issues, and some of the speakers for the affirmative had their tongues firmly in their cheeks in front of an audience that had spent the past two days demonstrating how very much alive radio was and sharing with each other advice on how to make it even livelier.

Akim Mogaji of New Media Networks was the outrageously biased moderator – his own words – and the teams were made up of: David Hua (SBS-Australia); Sanjiv Dosajh (AIR-India); Sopit Wangvivatana (Thai PBS); Kartini Ariffin (Dbilique Media Malaysia); Barry Keohane (ARN-Australia); and Niswani Ahwang (TRAXX FM, RTM Malaysia)

Honour was satisfied…at least for another year.