Twitter launches a 'live podcasting' service - or, as we know it, radio

Greetings from London, where Next Radio has just completed. I’d tell you what it was like, but as I currently type this, it’s a Sunday morning and I don’t know. But let’s assume it went brilliantly. You’ll get some videos on the website in the next few days - and, who knows, there might even be a few there now.

I’m just about to fly to Romania, then Sweden, Oslo, and then back home. At some point, my bag might even catch up with me!

My article

• Talent and brand = success. On Chris Evans and his jump to Virgin Radio in the UK.

Worldwide

• Periscope Audio - Twitter launches, essentially, live radio, and anyone can have a go. Nice. Amusingly, I’ve seen this being described as “live podcasting” by some tech sites, which rather proves the point about how they view radio.

• Your guests are an opportunity for audience growth - this is written for podcasters, but just as relevant for radio too

• 25 Years of Internet Radio: Part 1 - fun article, with the first streaming of Virgin Radio in there from Gavin Starks. In the very best tradition - it started on a computer on his desk with an FM radio plugged in.

• Canada: When life gives you Parkinson’s - “I shake: but I can’t shake this.” Larry Gifford has a new podcast.

United States

• Survey: U.S. smart speaker ownership could reach 48% after holiday shopping season - I simply cannot believe this statistic - it’s not even saying 48% of households, it’s saying 48% of people; and it’s specifically referencing smart speakers, rather than (say) Google Assistant or Siri on phones. Even so - smart speakers are coming.

• Not all smart speakers are doing well. Early pioneer Sonos is on deathwatch, by the looks of things.

• New Nielsen Report Looks At Millennials’ Radio News Usage

• New radio station launches. Gone are the champagne-filled studios and nervous-sounding presenters doing their first link - here’s an actual official video, shared by the radio station, of the playout system churning through the first few jingles of the station’s life. An empty room, an unattended board. Genuinely, who’d share this soul-crushing stuff?

• Impressive new way of doing hurricane reports - rather more useful than thrill-seeking OBs outside in the rain.

• ‘Already 18% of our listening hours that are streamed are for smart speakers.’ Some interesting statistics from iHeart and NPR.

United Kingdom

• The BBC sound as if they’re closing a lot of bits of their website. Nothing as certain in the BBC as change and uncertainty.

• Live radio, particularly reporting from ongoing court cases, is risky. Eeek.

Australia

• Alan Jones loses an eye-watering defamation case

• Prank calls - the unfunniest, most cruel pieces of radio masquerading as so-called entertainment. And yes, another one gets an Aussie host into trouble. You’d hope radio stations will stop doing these soon.

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