Telum Talks to...Catya Martin, Director / Editor-in-Chief, La French Radio Hong Kong and Macao, Founder / Editor-in-Chief, Trait d'Union
Interview

Telum Talks to...Catya Martin, Director / Editor-in-Chief, La French Radio Hong Kong and Macao, Founder / Editor-in-Chief, Trait d'Union

Could you share with us your journalistic journey in Asia?
I started in Asia in Japan where I worked for the public television station, NHK World, in Tokyo. I was on the “Cool Japan” show. When I arrived in Hong Kong in 2008, I worked as a freelance writer for several French media outlets from France and Canada. Very quickly, I created my own media. Trait d'Union's first issue came out in December 2008.

You run both Trait d'Union and La French Radio Hong Kong and Macao. What does your day look like?
I meet a lot of people as I am always on the look out for news stories that are appealing to the French-speaking communities in Asia. They can range from feature articles to individual interviews. Quite often I also take part in events organised by the French-speaking consulates here in Hong Kong and relevant business associations and organisations.

I also interact a lot with my freelancers and editors in Hong Kong and across Asia. On average, I produce at least one article a day for the magazine, which is published both in the print version and on the website. Since September, however, we've been only digital due to COVID-19 reasons. For the radio, I produce a daily-news podcast with interviews done throughout the day. The show also includes a review of the big news covered in local newspapers and the important topics affecting the French-speaking communities here in Hong Kong and Macau.

Could you describe your target readership and audience of the magazine and radio respectively?
Our target audience can be any French speaker or people who love our culture. For our magazine, we are quite targeted towards families with a large female readership. The radio programmes attract a mix of listeners from young people to business executives. Of course, anyone who is learning French in Hong Kong and Macau - be they from local universities or the Alliance Francaise - can always benefit by tuning in to our shows.

What type of stories are you most interested in?
All kinds of stories really, if it makes a good story. The main thing is whether the topic can relate to the French-speaking communities and our culture-lovers - our target audience that is.

Any tips for public relations professionals on how to land a story on Trait d'Union and La French Radio? Are you looking for different materials for the magazine and the radio?
I am not able to meet everyone so if someone could offer me an unusual touch it would catch my eye. I would like to speak to anyone, from business founders to singers and managers of a non-profit organisation. For the magazine, of course, I would need beautiful visuals to go alongside with the content. Naturally, someone who can speak a bit of French would have an edge in terms of landing a story on our radio programmes. I am also involved with the content production side of things, welcoming placements of advertorials.

More stories


Telum Media

Database

Journalists
Catya Martin

Founder / Editor-in-Chief

Media
La French Radio Hong Kong et Macao

1 contact

Trait d'Union

1 contact

Get in touch to hear more

Request demo

Telum Media

Alerts

Regular email alerts featuring the latest news and moves from the media industry across Asia Pacific Enjoy exclusive daily interviews with senior journalists and PRs as well as in-house editorial and features from the Telum team

Subscribe for alerts