PBS’s Paula Kerger, MediaCorp’s Teo Ming Kian Open PBI 2011

SINGAPORE: The Public Broadcasters International (PBI) annual event kicked off yesterday in Singapore, with Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, delivering the keynote speech and Teo Ming Kian, the chairman of MediaCorp, welcoming attendees.

In his welcome speech, Teo Ming Kian expressed MediaCorp’s honor in hosting the 20th annual PBI, wishing attendees "a very productive two-day conference and a pleasant and memorable stay in Singapore." He went on to highlight the paradigm shift going on in today’s broadcasting business, "driven by today’s biggest trends, including mobile web, social media and gamification. The proliferation of digital technology continues to influence consumer behavior. Consumers are empowered, connected and move across personal screens as they fancy and want the content to follow seamlessly as they do so. Content suppliers multiply as barriers for production are demolished."

He added that these developments call for "greater finesse" from the traditional media players, and that the public broadcasters have added challenges. "The public service messages that need to be conveyed cannot be told in a dry, didactic manner, which cuts little ice with today’s sophisticated audience.

"To come up with innovative ways to engage viewers, public broadcasters will have to refine and improve our story telling techniques. Technology can be a great friend in our endeavor to hold on to, and increase audiences."

Kerger, too, touched upon the power of technology in her keynote speech. "As technology continues to shrink the globe, it’s this spirit of collaboration that will guide our steps forward," she said. "I feel strongly that the future will belong to individuals and organizations that can collaborate across traditional boundaries to shine a light into new corners of our world."

The future of public broadcasting was the centerpiece of Kerger’s speech, as she encouraged the crowd to "summon the courage to let go of old conventions and traditions" and embrace new strategies, new methods and new approaches. "We can no longer be comfortable in our silos of television, or radio. We must become public media companies- in every sense of the word. To redefine public media for the digital age we must revitalize our content across platforms, stay on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, and ensure our economic sustainability."

Kerger put out a call for public broadcasters to innovate. "Now when most people hear the words public broadcasting, ‘innovation’ may not be the first subject that springs to mind. But the fact is, public broadcasting has been an engine of innovation from the beginning."

She concluded her keynote by challenging the public broadcasting community to come together in an effort to better serve audiences, "to collaborate across boundaries to keep public broadcasting vibrant, innovative, and sound so it can serve the public and touch as many lives as possible. And I challenge us as a global community to come together to put the people’s airwaves to the service of the people. Touch their hearts and lift up their minds. Nurture their souls and spark their curiosity. Educate and inspire them. Of all the purveyors of media out there, we are the only ones charged with this honorable mission.

"We are the only ones who can truly put the people’s airwaves to the service of the people. This is our time. Let’s step forward together into the future. And let the journey begin today. There’s no time like the present."