Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) has come a long way since its inception in 1983. How do you manage to keep APB going from decade to decade?
The mantra I drum into all my staff, young and old, is to always put yourself in the shoes of the reader and to provide them with nuggets of useful information in the article that they have written, even if it is just a three-paragraph news-in-brief. Thus, the publication’s tagline “News You Can Use” is deeply embedded in the psyche of all my editorial staff. And since 1999, with digital technology starting to disrupt traditional media and the start of “instant news” in the pervasive WWW, we took stock of what’s happening and decided that APB should always strive to be “a trusted source of information”.

As a B2B media, what are some of the challenges in making sure the news and articles produced by the team could reach your intended audiences?
In the late 1970s, when I was a Sub-Editor at The Business Times, it was drilled into us by the Editor that we needed to be accurate and fast as “what is news today is history tomorrow”. Despite the pressure, I will always remember BT Editor’s advice: “Do not sacrifice accuracy for speed. If you do, you are on a dangerous slippery slope."

I believe that as B2B journalists, we need to be accurate in our reporting, protect the reputation of our publications as trusted sources of information. We should also know who are our main readers, what kind of news they want, and, in the case of APB, we monitor closely emerging trends and technologies affecting the broadcast business - and in the 4IR, the multimedia sector as well.

Once a year, APB organises a Roundtable or ConneXxion Forum whereby we focus our attention on developments and issues that will impact the industry. For example, in 2015 we discussed how to “Dispel the Haze, Embrace the Cloud”. This is one way my whole editorial team becomes involved in issues that matter to broadcast professionals working in the region. Be engaged, be part of the change that we perceived as inevitable.
 
How has the market in the broadcast and multimedia industry expanded or changed since APB first established in 1983?
From the era of black and white TV to today’s HD (high definition) transmissions, and come next summer, the Tokyo Summer Olympics Games will be broadcast live in vivid 4K / 8K Ultra HD. We can watch the Games on any devices of our choice, including on our mobile phones. Indeed, the next big game-changer to watch is the deployment of 5G technology. 5G is the enabler of IoT, self-drive cars and smart cities.

With the coming together of IT, IP, AI, ML, Cloud and Blockchain technologies, 5G will soon enable us to create our own virtual office at home while staying connected with our colleagues wherever they may be. As you know, the convergence of technologies has profoundly disrupted many businesses, including the media industry. Going digital is no more an option, it is a matter of survival. For journalists to survive and thrive, we need to unlearn, learn and relearn how to write short, sharp articles to engage our readers, and to really make the grade, we may have to become an interviewer, script-writer, videographer and graphics artist all roll into one.

Can’t be done? Start learning to be a Blogger, as publishers today want their editors to become CCBs - Chief Community Builders. Indeed, for any publication to survive in the new decade, it must build up a following - a loyal band of readers!