Asia-Pacific broadcasters seek strength in united diversity

Standing at a milestone of 50 years’ broadcast unity in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) kicked off its 51st General Assembly yesterday in Macau, to enhance cooperation and analyze the challenges of broadcasting in the next half century.
“It is a huge challenge to unite such an immensely diverse place,” stated the ABU acting president, Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus, in his speech at the opening ceremony.
As “the most diverse region in the world,” the Asia-Pacific is home to more than 4.2 billion people, with numerous ethnic groups that speak a large variety of languages. The ABU has developed a network of more than 265 members in 65 countries.
“The purpose of the ABU is to provide unity through that diversity and in that unity there is strength, the strength of different members cooperating for the common good,” stressed Mr Yunus. He recalled that back in 1964 when the Asia-Pacific was “a much-divided” post World War II region, some visionaries foresaw the future of uniting regional broadcast industry leaders within and consolidated wide support for launching the Union.
Looking back at the past fifty years, the ABU Secretary-General Mr Javad Mottaghi recognized that the industry has progressed and the real power in broadcasting has shifted irrevocably to the audiences.
Consequently, this year’s deliberation focused on how to “future-proof” the industry to ensure that broadcasters remain needed and well-
utilized by audiences, as well as how to transform the challenges of broadcasting in a fragmented media world into opportunities. Also under discussion was the issue of partnerships as a key for successfully adapting to the technological revolution.
In commemoration of the Union’s 50th anniversary, two member broadcasters, ABC-Australia and NHK-Japan, respectively produced a radio and a television documentary charting 50 years of ABU history.
Moreover, “Celebration” was the theme of this year’s ABU Prizes, attracting a record of nearly 300 entries. Accordingly, the prizes in six radio and seven TV categories, in addition to a Special Jury Prize in each medium that recognizes innovation and creativity, were presented to the winners at a gala yesterday evening.
The two-day General Assembly will conclude this evening, following a series of associate meetings that have been held since last Tuesday. Local public broadcaster TDM hosted the event, while Macau’s Chief Executive Chui Sai On officiated the opening ceremony. Staff reporter