ASIA-PACIFIC – SARAWAK, MALAYSIA, OCTOBER 2011: More than 100 years since the first radio broadcast, radio is still alive, and connecting to more people than ever before.
“Radio continues to thrive because we’ve successfully adopted the game-change philosophy,” asserts Dato Borhanuddin Osman (pictured), President, Commercial Radio Malaysia, the association that represents the 19 commercial radio stations in Malaysia. “Radio’s accessibility across multiple platforms has enabled it to reach more people while engaging them in meaningful ways.”
This year, Commercial Radio Malaysia (CRM) is hosting Planet Radio, an annual event targeting students interested in pursing a career in the radio industry, in Kuching, Sarawak. The event will be held on October 20 at CTF Hall 1 in University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas). This year’s Planet Radio event is powered by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM).
“There was a time when only voice talents were associated with a career in radio,” recalls Borhan. “Today, radio covers a lot more ground across various disciplines – legal, sales and marketing, copywriting, finance, programming, IT, administration. Radio is a robust industry that has evolved from entertainment to news, talk, information, education, and community service. “
Planet Radio 2011 comprises four sessions starting with “Rocking the airwaves as the radio announcers” moderated by AMP General Manager Kudsia Kahar. Panellists for this session are Fuzz from Cats FM, Faizal bin Ismail from HOT FM, Osha from Era, and Abdul Rahim Rahman from Best 104.
The panel for “Careers in the radio industry” comprises Donnie Nokian from Cats FM, Melisa Melina Idris from BFM, Iza Ibrahim from AMP, Simon Ruen Chung Lee from MPRN, and Muhamad Razwan from Red FM. AMP’s Kudsia and MPRN’s Lee will lead the session on “Future technology of radio”.
The final slot, a Q&A session, will be led by AMP’s Borhan, Best 104’s Tuan Haji Bakhtiar, Red FM’s Azrullah Mohd Nor, and Media Prima’s Zurina Othman.
Apart from the presentations, students from participating universities and colleges will be given an opportunity to produce their own radio public service announcements and hands-on experience in doing radio announcements and production.
“Radio’s continual reinvention promises exciting opportunities, particularly in today’s cyberspace colonization,” believes Borhan. “Who knows from what cloud the future generation will be assessing content? The thrill of new prospects is what drives us to be ahead of the game.”
