Position Paper II: Radio

 Radio Usage in Southeast Asia

While much of Southeast Asia is really developing technologically, there are still large portions of the area that use radio as a primary means of news gathering and information. Because there are large parts that are not as rapidly developing in infrastructure, they require a different means of communication

than what we are use to. Most Americans and other Western parts of the world would say they gather their news information through their phone, social media, or television. But those commodities are still considered a luxury in many parts of the world.

Because there are still so many rural parts left in Southeast Asia, it is only logical that radio be a vital source of communication. Radios themselves are relatively inexpensive, a household would only need one, many are battery operated (meaning places without electricity could still receive the news), and radio waves can be broadcasted in a wide radius covering immense ground. Though these pros may seem archaic and useless to us, they make this form of communication perfect for more impoverish places worldwide. 

We will be taking a closer look at two countries in this region that have particularly interesting relationships with their radio stations. 

Vietnam

The Voice of Vietnam, also known as the VOV, is a key radio and news station for its own people as well as providing a global perspective. On their website, they provide updated news stories in  13 different languages including English, Russian, Thai, German, Chinese, French and more. Beyond their online presence, Voice of Vietnam is the country's national broadcaster. It was the first radio broadcast aired in Vietnamese on September 2, 1945. The topics covered on this radio station vary from music, science/education, news, and politics with an emphasis on politics and news coverage. "(VOV) strives to offer diverse, high quality programming and in every aspect of media." Source. 

The broadcasting station has a strong influence in Vietnam. For starters, it broadcasts to both North and South parts of Vietnam, so it is covering news in such a way that is unbias enough for both regions to accept despite their views towards one another. It reaches a worldwide audience with a highly positive reception rate. It is estimated that 90% of households in Vietnam listen to this station back in 2004, and those number have only increased since then as radio capabilities have expanded to more rural areas in the countryside. 

"Over the past 7 decades, VOV has served as a bridge linking Vietnam with people all over the world." Source

For their respected areas, North and South Vietnam also have more localized radio stations that broadcast in their area. These are on a smaller scale than VOV, but they are highly valuable to the people in the area to service them with local news. 

Voice of Ho Chi Minh City, officially called the Voice of Ho Chi Minh City's People, is a Southern Vietnam radio station. Its range covers from Central Vietnam to the Southern Coastal border. Its headquarters are located in Nyguyen Dinh Chieu street in District 1. It is own by the city's communist party commission, so this limits what news is broadcasted. Heavy censorships are expected. The content on this station is mainly music. All kinds of genres are played, and the broadcast plays 24/7. The genres include country, rock, folk, and others. Their music is not just limited to popular picks for Vietnam, but they also play international music as well. 

Thailand

Thailand's radio and broadcasting situation is complicated. Due to their current financial state and past government system, this has led to radio stations and how they are listen to by viewers to be unique. Many of the stations are run by government agencies with a few stations being leased out to private organizations. However, the desire to listen to news not filtered through by the hands of the government led to a rise in community radio stations. They operated on low-power transmitters so their range was very limited, but there were several which aided in covering more ground spreading their reach. They would often broadcast the news as well as play music and lifestyle programs. The music would often consist of a blend of Thai songs as well as international love songs finding peculiar popularity among the people. 

In 2014, the military took down many of these community radio stations. They have since in recent years returned to some air, but they are monitored and more restricted now. They are forbidden to report specific topics for fear of being shut down again by the military under the Article 44 military rule. Since the shut down, 48 stations were allowed to come back on air. 

Thailand is also unique in its variety of English speaking radio stations. Due to its large expatriate community, English speaking stations are very popular. The oldest operating English speaking station is PhuketFM. It has been operating for 11 years now, and it prides itself in having a global audience. Their focus is entertainment so of course audiences can expect a variety of music to be played. They also are big on supporting local positive or "good" news, local schools, events, and what they call the Phuket community. 

There is also the Fabulous103FM which is another English speaking station. They are known for having popular English DJ's hosting talks and music. While their focus is music, they also report news ranging from international, national, to local keeping their audiences informed beyond the regional matters.  They pride themselves in personifying a "hip vibe" with trendy music and exclusive hosts/presenters. 

It is important that information be made available to all people, and many Southeast Asian countries still provide that service to its people, and in turn that makes radio usage still widely popular in this part of the world. While here in the U.S., there appears to be a decline in local radio, that is not the case in Vietnam, Thailand, or other parts of Southeast Asia. Their radio stations are only growing and expanding.