SPT Endorses Draft Program for AMS 2015

AIBD’s Strategic Plan Team (SPT) has met during the 13th General Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to review the Institute’s major projects in 2014 and examine planned activities in 2015, particularly the Asia Media Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May next year.

AIBD’s Strategic Plan Team (SPT) has met during the 13th General Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to review the Institute’s major projects in 2014 and examine planned activities in 2015, particularly the Asia Media Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May next year.

Members attending the 32nd SPT Meeting in Phnom Penh on 13 August 2014 agreed in principle to adopt the draft program of the Summit that showcases ten plenary and parallel session topics dealing with the conference theme “Transforming Broadcasting in the Social Media Era.” Among these topics were broadcasting for social media audience, enhancing content creation, big data and social media, developing an effective social media strategy and social media and elections.

AMS 2015 will also feature moderated debates on two topics; one, on journalism, ethics and social media, and two, on whether or not broadcasters should compete or collaborate with social media.

SPT members recommended that the conference should also discuss regulations in the social media landscape as a distinct agenda topic either in a plenary/parallel session or workshop.

They also endorsed the idea of holding a ministerial roundtable during the AMS to provide ministers in charge of information and broadcasting an opportunity to examine the usage, functionality and impact of social media in broadcasting and development.

This will be a first in the AMS history to gather as many ministers from Asia Pacific in a conference that hopefully will generate some sort of a declaration dealing with the conference theme.

At the SPT meeting, its new chairman Mr. Anothai Udomsilp, Director of Academic Institute of Public Media, Thai Public Broadcasting Service, Thailand, reported on the discussions of the last SPT meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

His brief report covered the review of the AMS 2014, the International Conference on Broadcast Training, the election of the new SPT chairman and the retirement of AIBD Deputy Director Mrs. Manil Cooray.

Also at the meeting, AIBD Director Yang Binyuan officially announced his resignation effective 15 September 2014 to the SPT members and said he plans to go back to China to take care of his father.

The SPT members expressed their sincere gratitude for Binyuan’s contribution and dedication, and encouraged him to continue to work with AIBD in whatever capacity he may have in the future.

Anothai and AIBD Director Yang Binyuan thanked the Kingdom of Cambodia for hosting the GC in Phnom Penh.

The next two SPT meetings will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where the AMS next year will be held in May 2015, and Chiangmai, Thailand where the next GC will be held in August 2015.