The future of radio – the threat to come
Posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 3:00pm. #
So, we’re at the end of a four-part series, aka “a desperate attempt to string out one big blog posting into four smaller ones”, about the future of radio. Earlier, I’ve discussed the best and the worst thing that might happen to radio in the next two years, and yesterday, it was the turn of what technical innovation will transform the fortune of radio.
Time for the final question (they asked more, but my answers to the others weren’t interesting):
Which will pose the greatest threat to stations? How can this be overcome?
The recession, coupled with consolidation. Because of urgent requirements to cut costs, the industry is losing its most experienced (and expensive) people, who are leaving to work outside the industry. They’re unlikely to return. In addition, consolidation has meant a massive reduction in specialism, as departments from engineering to programming and sales are merged, and cost-savings are undertaken. A talent-drain from the industry, at a time when we need to raise our game significantly, is hugely damaging.
But isolationism is the bigger threat. The UK radio industry is spending less time talking amongst ourselves – becoming introverted and short-sighted. Conference attendance is down; and with less people doing less jobs, cross-industry discussion is more stunted than ever.
But the world of radio has changed, making it even more important to avoid isolationism. We now need to play on a global stage; working together on technology, ensuring that our output is on as many consumer devices as possible, and making a radio work wherever you are in the world. Our competition is now not each other: but everything else.
A London radio station’s next big competitor might just as well be from Sweden than London. Indeed: if you believe Spotify is competition for music radio, then that’s already happened – since Spotify… is Swedish.
The cosy “sticks on hills” world of radio has just collided with the world of the internet, where geography and signal strength is irrelevant. This is why the future of radio is more important to rethink than ever.
(Do you agree? Or do you think there are more important threats to radio? Let me know in the comments.)
Photo: Andy Buckingham, radio’s AndyBee.
Ben
Agree with all you say – but what are the causes of Isolationism?
Is it possible that one of the causes are the growing disparity between Commercial and Non-Commercial broadcasting organisations?
I’m absolutely just playing devil’s advocate here, but when one side is very much affected by economic toil, and the other not very affected at all, then the impression in the minds of some is to treat the other as more an more of a competitor.
It also focusses the mind on desperately grabbing the diminishing shreds of public engagement and advertising revenue.