“I will teach you six Chinese words that will help you make better radio news content.”

China National Radio’s Deputy Director of News Radio Hou Donghe gave Radio Asia conference delegates a lesson in how to speak Chinese in his presentation.

Several important Chinese words reflect how he has driven his network to success.

CNR News Radio is 76 years ago and has the largest coverage of any radio network in China, with 700 million loyal listeners.

“We have the most influential platform on radio in China,” he said.

Coverage, Orientation, Convergence are key priorities for Donghe’s network. According to Donghe, the massive coverage is not enough to make the network successful, it has to be combined with an audience focused orientation and has to reach audiences through as many new platforms as possible in this converged media environment.

CNR News broadcast channels also have a strong presence on the Webo and WeChat social media platforms.

“We are able to bring together the best experience in the world to reflect the needs of Chinese audiences…

“Radio compared with other media has suffered the least negative impact from the advent of new technology, probably because there is a good fit between radio and the internet,” he said.

Hou Donghe (pictured) uses these principles in his news network:

Be fast (Kuai) “Report quickly and be credible.”

Be Present (Zai) “We have journos stationed everywhere to bring the news to our audience. You have to be there and stay to cover the full story…”

Be Connected (Wang) “Connect closely with your audience via new media, merge old and new. We can tame this new media beast if we behave wisely

Be Friendly (Qin). “Build closer relationships, know what your audience is interested in.”

Be Spirited (Shen). “Believe in what you do, do it with spirit.”

Be Professional (Xing). “Develop specialised products.”