KUALA LUMPUR — As the name suggests, the future of digital radio was the main focus of the Digital Broadcasting Symposium, which ran from Feb. 29–Mar. 3 in Kuala Lumpur on 3 March.
Organized by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the annual four-day conference featured a series of workshops and an exhibition.
According to the organizers, this year’s edition attracted more than 1,000 participants from 56 countries and featured more than 70 speakers and 47 exhibitors.
On the final day of the conference, the “Industry Debate” session served as the platform for a panel of speakers to discuss the future of digital radio.
During the session, speakers encouraged the industry to use and promote digital radio as a way of enriching the culture of a country, through niche programs, for example. They also emphasized that all stakeholders have to work together to make digital radio happen, and that setting a date for the migration from analog “makes a statement of intent and helps everything fall into place more quickly.”
In addition, panelists highlighted the fact that while the cost of digital receivers have been prohibitive, particularly in developing countries, they are steadily coming down, and that radio industry professionals need to continue to work closely with car manufacturers to guarantee the sustained integration of digital radios as standard in new cars.
The symposium also covered a wide range of other digital issues, including cloud technology, archiving, radio content, business strategies, and challenges in media delivery.
WorldDAB was the principal sponsor.
— Marguerite Clark
