The Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) is pleased to announce its 19th Annual Conference, to be held in Singapore on 21-23 June 2010, at Suntec City. AMIC is especially happy to hold this conference back to back with the International Communication Association (ICA) Conference which will take place at the same venue from 23 to 26 June. This is a rare opportunity for you to spend a whole week listening to and interacting with many of the best brains in the media world on an extraordinary range of topics and issues.

The theme of the 19th Annual Conference is “Technology and Culture: Communication Connectors and Dividers”. Communication technology is often seen as a connector of people. Certainly, millions are now able to connect and communicate with each other in ways never before imagined. And the world has shrunk in distance and time, thanks to this technology. However, people have not been homogenised by using common technology. Nor have their responses been alike to the same technology. One country uses the technology to liberate its people while another uses the same technology to shackle its people. One group of people embrace new technology for its ease and convenience while another group abjures it as an invasion of privacy and a violation of security. In one society, the technology narrows the gap between the haves and the have-nots and in another it widens the gap. A common factor that is often seen in all these variations is the role of culture in technology absorption and diffusion. Though culture is not the only factor to affect the use of technology, it is a salient one. The theme of this conference is designed to explore the interplay of technological determinism and cultural determinism and the spectrum of intersections between these polarities. In Asia, the range of experiences in various countries with new communication technologies provide a wealth of insights and indicators that would be of much value to those who study the media world or practice in it.

The AMIC conference is open to academics, media industry professionals, government agencies, policymakers, regulators, UN agencies, donors, research groups, civil society organizations, independent consultants and students.

This flagship conference is hosted in rotation by countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Recent conferences were held in New Delhi, India (2009), Manila, the Philippines (2008), Singapore (2007), Penang, Malaysia (2006) and Beijing, China (2005). The AMIC Annual Conference is a premier event on the Asian media calendar and attracts eminent international speakers and participants from the media world. Delegates to the conference come not only from the Asia-Pacific region, but also from Africa, Europe and the Americas as well. It features high-profile keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and many parallel sessions. Networking events, cultural programmes, media visits and even tourism events are also held in conjunction with the annual conference.

For the 19th AMIC annual conference, in addition to the theme of the conference as set out above, papers are invited to address the following topics:

• Media in a Globalising world

• New Media and Old Media

• Media and Cultural Identity

• Media and Development

• Media and Democracy

• Media and Ethics

• Media and Good Governance

• Media and Gender

• Media and Youth

• Media Law and Regulation

• Alternative and Community Media

• Media Industry Trends and Dynamics

• Asian Perspectives on Communication

• International Communication

Papers will be selected on a competitive basis and an expert panel will be appointed for screening all the submissions.

Kindly email the full papers (approximately 20 pages in length and double spaced) or an abstract (maximum 2 pages and double spaced) along with contact information and a 200-word bio to conf2010@amic.org.sg by 1 February 2010. Results of the call for papers will be sent out starting from 1 March 2010. The deadline for the completed papers will be 15 April 2010.

Please note that by submitting your paper, you agree that you (or at least one of the co-authors, if more than one) plan to register and present the paper in person at the conference. Please also note that for the first time in this conference series, we are considering poster presentations of papers that may not fit into themed sessions, thus opening up more opportunities for participation.

For more information or any queries, please contact Ms. Sandhya Srinivasan at sandhya@amic.org.sg

RADIOASIA 2010 CONFERENCE
Journey to the Digital Land: Addressing Diverse Radio Audiences and Markets

Date: 22-24 February 2010 in New Dehli, India.

As radio broadcasting continues to develop, one business approach has been the creation of ever greater options for listeners. Experience from around the world has shown that audiences are indifferent to the platform they access content from. With so much consumer choice available, broadcasters really need to grab their audiences, or they will just hit a button and jump somewhere else. How can radio broadcasters be where the action is? And how can they get the attention of the audiences?

Across Asia public radio has played a central role in nation building in the postcolonial era. With the rapid pace of change in radio in India, there are many pressing issues that the resurgent industry needs to face. Among the challenges facing commercial radio are: content diversity, establishing brands, access to frequencies, high licensing fees, generating stable revenues, sharing the advertising pie, and the acute need to offer current affairs programming. Industry needs to provide value to consumers. This conference will bring value to all radio broadcasters and the wider radio industry.

Content has always been the key driver for broadcasting services, and in the digital era this is even more the case. It is imperative to stand out from the crowd and offer content that grabs listeners and keeps their attention. Digital radio provides many possibilities for new content applications and a host of data-based services, including images – visual radio. Content for digital radio can be quite different from that broadcast on analogue.

Radio’s strength has, and continues to be, the fact that it does not see new developments as threats; rather it has adopted, integrated and made these features part of the ‘seamlessness’ of radio, making radio available on the move.

With a focus on India, RadioAsia 2010 will explore the diversity of the radio scene in Asia, where new technologies and broadcast regulation regimes are providing greater choices for the industry to become both entertainers and educators of the community. RadioAsia 2010 brings together leading radio practitioners, communication specialists, policy makers, and academics from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond. Eminent speakers, who specialise in various aspects of radio and communications, will share their perspectives.

For more details, please click here!

AMIC New book: ICT4D: Learnings, Best Practices and Roadmaps from the PAN Asia ICT RnD Grants Programme
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