On the final day of the ABU’s 57th General Assembly, a top-level ensemble of broadcasting industry leaders gathered online for an insightful question and answer panel session that ended hopefully.

Examining the theme Not Business as Usual – Broadcasting in Extraordinary Circumstances, discussions were moderated by the ABU Secretary General, Dr Javad Mottaghi.

On the first panel were Mr David Anderson, ABC Australia Managing Director; Mr Iman Brotoseno, TVRI Indonesia President Director; Dr Wilasinee Phiphitkul, Thai PBS Director General; and Mr Satoru Masagaki, NHK Japan Executive Vice-President.

In the second session panellists included: ABU President Mr Ibrahim Eren, TRT Turkey Chairman and Director General; Mr Shashi Shekhar Vempati, ABU Vice-President, CEO of Prasar Bharati India; Mr Marcello Foa, RAI Italy President; and Mr Yang Fuqing, Deputy Controller of CGTN China’s English Channel. Other eminent individuals from the broadcast industry sent their comments and input via video messages.

Mr Satoru Masagaki, NHK Japan Executive Vice-President showed an NHK video clip associated with a COVID 19 tracking app which received 15 million global views. In both sessions, discussions focused on innovations made and challenges encountered such as disinformation and fake news and the lessons learned from the new “broadcast operating normal” in the pandemic.

Many ABU members took the opportunity to pose pressing and highly-relevant questions to the panellists and all ended the final session on a note of hope, solidarity, service to the public and optimism going into 2021.

* A more comprehensive article on this event will appear in the next ABU NEWS magazine in January 2021