Asia Media Summit 2007

AMS (Asia Media Summit) 2007
29.05.07 - 31.05.07, Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Nikko, Malaysia

Leading broadcasters in Asia-Pacific will meet at the Asia Media Summit 2007 on 29-31 May 2007 in Kuala Lumpur to examine business models and strategies in addressing the industry’s many challenges - the explosion of new channels, new technologies, audience fragmentation, media globalization and changing consumer patterns.

Online Registration was opened on 1st November. A draft of the Agenda is available on our Download Site.

Participation for the Summit, one of the premier communication events in Asia-Pacific, is expected from more than 500 high-ranking government officials, policymakers, media owners and practitioners, academic and senior representatives from development institutions in 60 countries from Asia, Pacific, Africa, America and Europe.

The Summit provides a platform to discuss the role of media in development, particularly in addressing issues such as poverty alleviation, information gaps, and women’s rights. It also provides a view into ways on how media can further the search for open dialogue and a culture of peace.

A total of nine plenary sessions and 30 key speakers are lined up for the three-day conference, which is supported by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) of Malaysia, Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES), Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), various United Nations agencies and some 28 sponsors and AIBD partners worldwide.

Among the topics to be taken up in the Summit are the era of participatory media and its impact on traditional media, the future of public service broadcasting, new forms and formats in programming, reporting the world through a gender lends, mobilizing the airwaves against poverty and media’s role in promoting integrity and honesty in public life.

TOPICS:

Session 1
Era of Participatory Media: Rethinking Mass Media
The advent of blogs, videoblogs, wikis, and podcasting has enabled more citizens to contribute and produce content for old and new media. Citizens’ journalism is taking a foothold in the media environment. All these have wide implications on the gate-keeping function and business model of traditional media. How will this impact broadcasting? How can media reach out to these citizens and exploit content they generate? Will the new media model contribute to public discourse, civility and even democracy?

Session 2
The Future of Public Service Broadcasting
Public service broadcasting provides quality programming and a plurality of subjects and voices. Yet a lot remains to be desired in the development of PSB in many countries, especially in the areas of independence, accountability and funding. Is public service broadcasting that serves public interest a utopia? How can public broadcasters improve public service programming that benefits citizens? Will a combination of public funding, advertising and an independent regulator ensure a brighter future for PSB?

Session 3
Soap Operas & Reality TV Shows: New Forms & Formats
Soap operas and reality TV shows are tried and tested formulae that have captured more viewers and hefty bottom lines. They attract more audiences because they primarily examine the lives of ordinary people, and in the case of reality TV shows, often involving the active participation of the audience. Is reality TV a transient fad? With media convergence and lowered barriers to mass communication, what new forms and formats of programming and delivery will emerge? Will there be diversity in content and form? Are we seeing a variety of the same genres?

Session 4
Reporting the World through a Gender Lens
All the staples of media coverage, such as conflicts and disasters, politics and economics, poverty and health, crime and punishment involve and impact women, often in specific ways. Yet women’s experiences and perspectives are largely missing from media coverage of such events and issues. How can the media ensure that news and current affairs programming reflects the interests and concerns, experiences and perspectives of half of our population? How can the use of a gender lens help media professionals to produce more effective and memorable stories that reflect and respect the diversity of the societies they report and analyse?

Session 5
Mobilizing the Airwaves against Poverty
The daily “tsunami” of poverty, hunger, disease and death calls for quicker interventions globally. Various sectors are planning and implementing anti-poverty programs, among them, the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, a blueprint for galvanizing unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. Media have the potential to contribute and do more. How can we generate in media real interest in development issues such as poverty. How can we secure more airtime in educating and bringing about better ways to fight poverty. How can media put the poorest of the poor at the center of attention?

Session 6
Next Wave of Broadcasting
DRM, DAB, HD radio, ISDB-T, podcasting and internet are changing the way radio programmes are produced and consumed. Besides allowing the broadcasters to deliver crystal clear sound to far away places, in the digital world, the listeners contribute actively to content creation. Digital broadcasting is changing television too. The broadcaster can add interactivity and multi user gaming and at the same time reduce power consumption and transmission costs. In the world of large and flat plasma screens, HDTV captures all the attention. Coming soon – a theatre to your home! How should the industry capitalize on this next wave of broadcasting? What are the implications particularly on cost structures, content and archiving, consumer needs and training?

Session 7
Climate Change: How the media is responding
(produced and presented by ABU)
The release of the 2007 report of the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change in Paris in February generated much coverage and analysis by the media around the world. The report, based on the work of scientists in over 100 countries, concluded for the first time that global warming is “unequivocal”. Climate experts have called for a massive global effort to slow the pace of climatic disruption before intolerable consequences become inevitable and disasters from typhoons, flooding, mudslides, dust-storms and droughts become an everyday event. This session will examine the role of the media in combating climate change and responding to its consequences. Has the media forgotten the issue since the release of the Paris report, or are media organisations gearing up to play a role in a global education campaign? What will be the role of the media in the ever-increasing disaster situations that scientists are predicting, and what more should media organisations be doing to increase public awareness?

Session 8
Broadcasting Peace and Persuasion
Conflicts and wars provide compelling visuals in the media, creating an impression of a world filled with violence, hatred and aggression. Should media such as radio promote emotions, attitudes and behavior through persuasion for or against peace? Can and should media play a role in influencing warring groups to end hostilities and to talk peace? Should they be neutral observers and reporters in the quest for reconciliation and dialogue? Can peace media have objectivity and fairness in reporting?

Session 9
Integrity and Honesty in Public Life: Media’s Role
Good governance remains an ideal in many countries across the globe because of corruption in the administration of government and the management of the financial resources of the state. They pay lip service to accountability, transparency, honesty and integrity in public life, thereby stifling a nation’s development and growth. How can media help ensure proper implementation and enforcement of laws in order to minimize these ‘victimless crimes?’ How can they encourage public scrutiny of public officials’ actions consistent with the principles of integrity?

Contact:
Mr Javad Mottaghi
Director
[email protected]
+60-3-2282-1046, 2282-5517, 2282-4618

http://download.aibd.org.my/papers/AMS_07/AMS_2007_Agenda.doc