DZMC – Young Communicators’ Guild welcomed approximately 500 participants nationwide with the recently concluded PUP Radio Conference 2024, “R-BOT: Decoding Media’s Fate in the Age of A.I.” last Friday, March 8, at the Tanghalang PUP.
The program started with opening remarks by DZMC-YCG’s adviser Dir. Krupskaya T. Valila, followed by the opening message of TV Patrol Express anchor and the conference’s resource speaker, Denice Dinsay.
In her speech, Dinsay asserted that journalists must know the current trends and the discussion about artificial intelligence in radio and media, noting that it is a timely topic that could ‘make or break the industry.’
In his talk, Danilo Arao delved into the current state of A.I. in the newsroom and shared that the technology has been around in the industry for years. Still, he emphasized that A.I.’s role should only complement the work of the journalists and not replace them.
Meanwhile, DJ Renzmark Jairuz Ricafrente popularly known as Papa Dudut, highlighted that despite A.I. ‘s resurgence in the field of radio, it still lacks the human touch as DJs like him connect and empathize with their listeners, “May mga nagsasabing natatalo na ng A.I. ang traditional DJs na napapakinggan sa radio, pero hindi po, sapagkat radio is free.”
Along with this, Karl Vinfred Dela Cruz, a Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) student from Jose Abad Santos High School, expressed his joy and takeaways from the said event, “Napakasaya po [and] sabi nga po ng second speaker kanina, kailangan po nating magkaroon ng collaboration. Huwag po natin isipin na threat po ang A.I.”
Further, Paul Alexander Magalong, an instructor from Pangasinan State University – Bayambang Campus, shared that he has been motivated to take a six-hour trip to attend the event, “One of the learnings today, gaya nga ng sinabi ng speakers natin, hindi malabong mapalitan tayo, but the opportunity for us to work with A.I. is, it would make life better. With the proper use, of course.“
Moreover, James Losaria, president of DZMC-YCG commented that this year’s conference was “extra challenging” as the organization is also gearing up to compete for Campus Hour Season 11. At the end of his speech, he wished for the participants to uphold the learnings they acquired from the symposium and take action for the media’s progression and freedom.
To formally close the event, Gefriene Manabat, the Project Head of PUP RCon 2024 recognized the representation of RCon as DZMC-YCG’s commitment to the radio and media industry, “This radio conference is not just a symposium for us, it is a celebration of the radio industry.”
Participants are encouraged to complete the evaluation forms sent to their registered emails on or before March 14 to receive their post-symposium certificates.
This year’s PUP RCon is co-presented by FranchiseManila.com, Midoko, Hello Quickfx, Red Images Photography, Outside The Box Co-Working and Study Lounge, Motivo, EON Group, and Caronia PH.
Words by: Princes Hazel Maceda