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A recently a
radio group-head asked me where I saw radio in the years ahead. His
main question was, “what will it sound like if it exists at all?” I
told him that I believe that it certainly will exist and it may
sound similar, but how it gets to the consumer will most likely
change. Radio stations will probably distribute their programming
through internet connections to your home or car all over the world
through mobile and in home/office receivers. At some point the
actual transmission of radio on AM & FM could fade away.
The future is
approaching rapidly. Soon all cars will be equipped with broadband
WiFi receivers so you can listen to any internet stream you want to,
which would include your local stations that are streaming. Some
will also be able to connect with the internet through cell
connections built right into the receiver, much like the connection
that already exists with your smart-phone. All of this will change
the way people use radio in our mobile society but it doesn’t
necessarily mean that this is a bad thing because everyone will be
on an equal playing field, but your local station, now streaming
only, will have a significant top of mind awareness advantage over
the Johnny Come Lately.
It is clear
that the content of your product will become more
important than ever. Your music quantity image will be less
important because it can be preempted by any number of all music, no
personality, jukebox streaming stations. The bottom line is, it will
be more important than ever to bond with your local audience and
reflect their ideas, aspirations and hopes, because now they can
take you anywhere in the world with them. Look at it this way; if
all broadcast transmitters were turned off tomorrow and most people
had easy access to your high quality stream do you think they would
stop listening to you? I don’t believe they would. They may listen
less because of so many other choices but that’s where the
“improving your content” part comes in. Your local advertisers will
end up liking this huge coverage area as well, if they know that you
are doing your part to maintain or even growing your audience.
The radio
dynamic will certainly change within this new paradigm but many of
the same principles that make radio great will continue to make
radio great if we hold on to them. There will be some operators that
will cut everything to the bone and hope for the best but they will
fade away. Then there will be those who see this as a great
opportunity, build their emotional connections, and grow their
audience.
Brian is a 30 year radio veteran
who has successfully served many companies over the years as Program
Director, Operations Manger and VP of programming. After many years
of success working for individual radio stations and clusters, Brian
Joined one of the most trusted consulting firms in the country,
Audience Development Group. For the last 15 years Wright has enjoyed
building alliances with scores of stations in the US & Canada
helping them grow in ratings and revenue. Contact Brian at
brian@audiencedevelopmentgroup.com
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