WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.440 This is 612 ABC Brisbane. 00:00:01.440 --> 00:00:04.780 We're broadcasting live from the Queen Street Mall 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:08.440 where we've very kindly asked a range of people to come down 00:00:08.440 --> 00:00:11.340 and they very kindly agreed to come down in the mall, 00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:12.620 which is a really good wind tunnel. 00:00:12.620 --> 00:00:16.960 And so if the Defence Department is looking to test it in new jets, 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:18.120 we recommend you try one here 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:22.080 because the wind flows very nicely down the Queen Street Mall. 00:00:22.080 --> 00:00:25.860 We're at the top end of the mall, surrounded by our sponsors, 00:00:25.860 --> 00:00:29.560 which is not the companies but you, the people of Brisbane, 00:00:29.780 --> 00:00:32.480 who very kindly fund the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 00:00:32.480 --> 00:00:36.800 My next guest is someone that I've spoken to quite a bit about radio. 00:00:36.800 --> 00:00:40.240 He's known as a radio futurologist, 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.540 but he's someone for his sins, 00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:46.660 spends a lot of time listening to radio here and around the world 00:00:46.660 --> 00:00:50.240 and he's flown around the world explaining this, 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.920 what used to be a very simple medium, 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:57.060 but in some ways has become very technologically advanced, 00:00:57.780 --> 00:00:59.900 but still seems to be a simple human medium. 00:00:59.900 --> 00:01:01.380 His name is James Cridland. 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:02.480 James, thanks for joining us. 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:03.160 It's a great pleasure. 00:01:03.160 --> 00:01:05.120 It's very exciting to be here. 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:07.180 Who was it that started the first... 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:09.340 The Italian guy by the name of Marconi 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:13.480 started radio technically in the 1800s. 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.480 Yes. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:14.860 Somewhere. 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:23.100 So what is radio today in 2025 where it's no longer a big box in the corner of the lounge room 00:01:23.100 --> 00:01:25.720 with valves that takes an hour to warm up? 00:01:25.720 --> 00:01:26.580 It isn't. 00:01:26.580 --> 00:01:32.420 And if you come down here, then you'll see some of those big old radios in front of us as well. 00:01:32.420 --> 00:01:35.520 No, I think radio is actually the same thing. 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:38.520 It is a human connection and a shared experience. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.240 It's human beings who you listen to on the air. 00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:43.700 It's that shared experience that they have with you. 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:45.200 It's that community of common interest. 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:49.320 And, of course, we've got our community of common interest being this great city where we live. 00:01:49.320 --> 00:01:56.460 But I don't think that radio itself has changed in terms of what it is over the last 100 years. 00:01:56.460 --> 00:02:00.760 Clearly it's changed in terms of how we listen and what's available on the air. 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:03.540 But I think it's the same as it always has been. 00:02:03.540 --> 00:02:05.080 It's all about the people. 00:02:05.080 --> 00:02:11.640 It's been in people's lives for a very long time. 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:14.780 And I've had a number of people come up and say, 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:18.300 I feel like I've known you for years. 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:18.860 Yeah. 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:26.360 It seems to create a deep personal connection in their heart almost. 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:33.600 How do you explain that, given that often, usually, you never meet face-to-face normally in radio? 00:02:33.600 --> 00:02:34.120 Indeed. 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:38.900 There's a whole set of conversations going on at the moment about parasocial relationships. 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:40.860 But that's exactly what this is. 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:47.560 And I think it's just because people will spend hours a day with you, Steve, hours a week. 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:53.720 And they begin to know and understand you just the same as they would anybody else who they spend hours a day with. 00:02:54.160 --> 00:03:01.080 So I think from that point of view, you know, yeah, it's a great way to meet and learn more about people. 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:05.980 And people come up to you and they say, oh, do you remember saying that four and a half months ago? 00:03:05.980 --> 00:03:07.520 And you go, no, I don't at all. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:13.020 But, yeah, it is something that really connects with people, I think. 00:03:13.260 --> 00:03:19.620 You're flying around the world to talk at radio conferences and you're asked to explain radio people and observe trends. 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:22.020 So bring us into a little bit of that. 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:24.000 What trends do you see? 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.280 What different radio forms do you see around the world? 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:29.420 Give me a little education. 00:03:29.420 --> 00:03:29.980 Yeah. 00:03:29.980 --> 00:03:36.760 I mean, I think, you know, what's interesting and exciting about radio is that it is still a very popular medium. 00:03:36.760 --> 00:03:41.460 So nine out of ten people in this city listen to the radio every single week. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:46.040 That's over two million people, over a quarter of a million people listening to this radio station. 00:03:46.040 --> 00:03:49.380 So radio is still tremendously popular in terms of that. 00:03:49.380 --> 00:03:51.260 There are still lots of people who tune in. 00:03:51.260 --> 00:03:54.440 There's more demands on our time these days. 00:03:54.440 --> 00:03:59.200 So we have to be a little bit more careful in terms of looking at the time that people spend. 00:03:59.200 --> 00:04:04.940 But certainly in terms of how people are consuming radio, that stayed very similar. 00:04:04.940 --> 00:04:17.460 I think what is changing, and actually this event being a great case in point, is that it is easier than it has ever been to do radio from anywhere that isn't in a radio studio. 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:23.020 So we can actually go out and talk to people rather than be cooped up in a radio studio. 00:04:23.020 --> 00:04:30.860 There was an Italian broadcaster who I spoke to who has a fantastic Italian name of Filippo Solibello. 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:40.300 And he did a show on RAI where he was every single day out somewhere else doing his show from somewhere else. 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:43.980 And all he needed was a laptop and a microphone, and that was it. 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:46.060 And I think that's one of the beauties of radio. 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:51.740 It's such a simple medium, so easy to go on air from anywhere in the world. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:54.180 And I think that that's, you know, one of the things that keeps it going. 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:59.300 So while the technology has dramatically changed, the essence of radio has not changed? 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:03.660 Yeah, I think the essence of radio is still human connection and shared experience. 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:07.920 I think what will change is how we listen to the radio. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:12.980 You know, AM, unfortunately, doesn't have as long a future as we would like it to have. 00:05:13.700 --> 00:05:18.100 And fewer people own AM radios at home. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.180 We know that broadcast radio is really resilient. 00:05:20.180 --> 00:05:22.660 Broadcast radio works fantastically. 00:05:22.660 --> 00:05:28.180 I would hope that on our 100th birthday for your radio station, 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:33.380 I would hope that the ABC senior management give you a present of an FM license as well. 00:05:33.380 --> 00:05:35.080 That would be a fantastic thing. 00:05:35.080 --> 00:05:39.080 But in all seriousness, it's really important to make sure that this station, 00:05:39.080 --> 00:05:44.240 which is the emergency broadcaster, is available to as many people in this place as possible. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:49.260 And that means making sure that it's available in as many places as possible. 00:05:49.260 --> 00:05:49.500 Yeah. 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:53.240 One of the reasons why I wanted to speak with you is you used to get frustrated, I recall, 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:58.940 because whenever a radio was talked about, there would be a photo or an image of my Nana's radio, 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:08.820 a very old-style radio, and you were at pains to point out that that's not radio. 00:06:08.820 --> 00:06:14.100 You know, radio is a far more cutting-edge, you know, very different medium. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:17.600 Have you ever resolved that dilemma in your own mind, James? 00:06:17.840 --> 00:06:24.060 I mean, I have had lots of people taking nice, up-to-date photographs of people listening to the radio, 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:31.220 which doesn't look like your Nana's valve set, with all of those station names on there. 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:31.640 Do you remember? 00:06:31.640 --> 00:06:32.340 On the dial. 00:06:32.340 --> 00:06:32.920 Yes. 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:34.980 You used to tune in. 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:36.100 So, yes. 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:39.600 But I think, yeah, you know, as you say, I think radio, 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.860 lots of people are consuming this radio station through the TV on Channel 25. 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:45.780 They're consuming it through DAB radio. 00:06:45.780 --> 00:06:49.060 There's the app, of course, and many other ways. 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:54.100 And I think, you know, radio is now much different to just a box in the corner of a room. 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:58.700 ABC Radio Brisbane has been going for 100 years. 00:06:58.700 --> 00:07:01.460 Radio in Australia has been going longer. 00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:04.160 I can't recall when radio first started in Australia. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:05.420 Do you happen to know off the top of your head? 00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:08.140 Not off the top of my head, but I think it's 102 years old. 00:07:08.140 --> 00:07:12.200 Do you happen to know who around the world has been broadcasting, 00:07:12.740 --> 00:07:14.500 like is a formal radio station longer? 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:16.120 Would it be the BBC or someone else? 00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:18.060 Yeah, the BBC is longer. 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:21.980 There's some commercial radio stations in the U.S. as well. 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:25.480 KDKA is apparently supposed to be the first one. 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:31.660 I know that radio in Japan celebrated its 100th birthday this year 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:35.180 because I was on a Japanese station talking about it, which was interesting. 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:42.960 So, yeah, it's definitely a time where lots of different radio stations celebrating their 100th anniversary, 00:07:42.960 --> 00:07:45.680 and I think that that's, you know, really exciting. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:47.420 So this sort of thing is happening around the world, really? 00:07:47.420 --> 00:07:49.200 Yeah, this sort of thing is happening around the world. 00:07:49.200 --> 00:07:55.240 I mean, not obviously in a place as beautiful as we are, but, yes, so it's, you know, 00:07:55.320 --> 00:07:59.080 I think people are looking at radio and going, it is still here. 00:07:59.080 --> 00:08:06.980 It is, some people call it the cockroach of the media, which I think is a little bit rude, to be fair. 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:10.180 But it is still going and going very, very well. 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:13.540 Have you found your perfect travel radio yet? 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:17.720 Because you travel around the world and you want to listen to every radio station where you are 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:19.180 or get a feel of where you are. 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:19.600 Yes. 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:21.740 Because it gives you a sense of where you are. 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:22.320 It does. 00:08:22.320 --> 00:08:23.240 Because of its localism. 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:27.000 And you're on the hunt for the perfect travel radio as a side issue. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:27.780 Have you found that yet? 00:08:27.780 --> 00:08:29.140 I still haven't, no. 00:08:29.140 --> 00:08:30.820 I'm still looking for one. 00:08:30.820 --> 00:08:31.340 All right. 00:08:31.340 --> 00:08:38.780 So as you travel around the world, have you formed a feeling as to whether radio, in a sense, 00:08:38.780 --> 00:08:41.260 will survive another 100 years? 00:08:41.260 --> 00:08:48.360 Because now it's podcasting, it's streaming, and I can listen to a Japanese radio broadcaster here now in Brisbane. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:54.020 I can listen to an Italian one, I can listen to one from Ghanaia in Africa, it's no problem. 00:08:54.020 --> 00:09:01.220 Have you formed a view on its adaptability to constant change? 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:07.700 I think clearly technology changes things, and clearly technology changes how you can consume radio. 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:14.100 But the fundamentals are that people tune into a radio station because it's good for them, 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:16.960 because it covers the community that they are interested in. 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:27.720 And if you're interested in Brisbane, when I was moving here from the UK, I would listen to Spencer at the time doing his breakfast show, 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:34.000 but while I was cooking dinner, you know, because I wanted to learn more about this particular area. 00:09:34.540 --> 00:09:36.740 And so that's what keeps radio going. 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:39.740 It's that bringing together, it's that connection that we all have. 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:45.960 So it's lovely that we can listen to, you know, your colleagues in Sydney, your colleagues in Melbourne, 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:52.480 but actually the reality, the relevance that we have is to our own local area, 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.500 and that's why radio stations such as this will continue going. 00:09:55.660 --> 00:09:57.580 I'm very grateful to you, James Cridland, 00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:01.520 A, because you keep educating me with your email about what's happening around the world, 00:10:01.520 --> 00:10:06.580 but you keep coming on ABC Radio Brisbane to keep talking about this medium, which we just love. 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:08.620 So thank you very much for joining us on the 100th. 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:10.540 Well, it's a great pleasure to be here. Thanks for asking. 00:10:10.540 --> 00:10:17.160 James Cridland, radio futurologist, man who travels the world talking, looking, analysing, studying, 00:10:17.160 --> 00:10:21.400 critiquing and complementing radio here and all places around the world.