Line-up grows of speakers for ABU General Assembly in Korea

Organisers of the ABU General Assembly in Korea, say they are excited by a growing list of top flight panellists who will be taking part.

With just five weeks till the conference starts on 11 October in Seoul and one week till special rate registrations close on 14 September, the ABU & KBS Conference Secretariats are urging would-be delegates to book a place in the special forums.

The two-day Women With the Wave forum on empowering women through media and ICTs is lining up to be thought-provoking and controversial, with speakers from around the globe.

Already lined up are: Geena Davis, Oscar winning actor and ITU Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT; Deborah Taylor Tate, ITU Special Envoy and Laureate for Child Online Protection, Natalia Orozco, a Colombian filmmaker, news correspondent and two-times winner of the Simon Bolivar National Journalism Award; Judy Tam, Executive Vice-President of the Independent Television Service, the single largest program source of independent programming for US television; and Professor Hyechung Eun of Seoul National University of Technology and Science where she teaches digital content and broadcasting industry policy.

The ABU/FES Seminar, organised with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung is a particular highlight in the ABU GA calendar.  This year’s seminar is focusing on the impact of New Media on Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) and is moderated by Associate Professor Martin Hadlow with a keynote address delivered by the Director General of Germany’s Deutsche Welle Erik Betterman. The seminar will be a sharing experience through which practical examples of ‘new media’ impact can be elaborated and successful models can be discussed and assessed. In particular, the seminar will give voice to leaders of emerging country PSBs to enable them to have an opportunity to express their views and to hear how others have met and addressed ‘new media’ challenges.

The session on News beyond Smart Media will explore the transformation of news and journalism in the face of new technologies, services and interactions.  It features a panel of the region’s key media leaders such as Kim Woo-Sang, President of Korea Foundation; Lynley Marshall, CEO of ABC International Australia;  Cao Ri, Director of International News, CCTV; Jawhar Sircar, President & CEO of India’s Prasar Bharati and Ezatollah Sarghami, President & CEO of IRIB Iran who will discuss current challenges and posit future solutions at a regional and international level.

And the Super Panel session, focussing on what lies Beyond the Digital will serve as a the space for leaders of different media industries to interpret the sea change in media, consumer expectations and demands, and the impact on society.  Global leaders such as Rachel Payne, currently the Principal, Global Strategic Alliances at Google and one of the first employees to be hired at Google; John Tate, BBC Director of Policy and Strategy Naojo Ono, Vice president of NHK Japan will brings their collective industry knowledge and experience to the Super Panel session.  Each panellist will be challenged to explore the new order created by the digital wave, its affect on audience experience and engagement, and to offer some fresh perspectives on the elusive question of what comes next.

Information about the 49^th General Assembly and special sessions is available through the conference website and registration information is available here .

Delegates have until 14 September to register for accommodation at the special ABU rates and to lodge their visa requirements. 

 

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)