The Korea OTT Forum and the Broadcasting and New Media Research Group under the Korean Association for Journalism and Communication Studies will hold a special seminar on Sept. 11 at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju titled "The Future of Local Broadcasting in the AI and OTT Era: Innovation Strategies and Policy Directions for the Local Media System," they said on Saturday.

The seminar will be held during the 2026 ACE Fair and hosted by Gwangju MBC. It was arranged to discuss response strategies and policy support measures for local broadcasters struggling as population decline and regional extinction continue, and as OTT, global platforms and generative AI spread.

The seminar will address ways to redefine local broadcasting's existing operating methods and roles, improve its funding structure and use AI and OTT to strengthen the competitiveness of local content.

The first presenter, Professor Seon Han (한선) of Honam University, will speak on "Strategies for Transforming Local Broadcasting into News Media in the OTT Environment." He is set to propose ways to shift broadcasting-centered organizations and production systems into news media organizations and to boost the competitiveness of local news in the digital environment.

Hee-kyung Kim (김희경), a senior researcher at the Public Media Research Institute, will present on "Policy Measures to Strengthen Local Identity in the AI Media Era." She will examine the role of local broadcasters in producing and preserving local content and data as AI-based content recommendation and production expand, and propose content innovation using AI along with financial and institutional support measures.

Professor Jeong-min Joo (주정민) of Chonnam National University will chair the session. Participants in the panel discussion include Dong-sik Shin (신동식), head of the Regional MBC Strategy Support Unit, Dae-gyu Kim (김대규), a researcher with a doctorate at Seoul National University's Institute of Communication Research, Heon Kim (김헌), a professor at Hanyang University, and Young-min Ahn (안영민), head of a division at the Korea Communications Agency.