I originally wrote about this subject over four years ago. Since that time, I have noticed that when I publish a new article about radio, people seem to fall into one of two different camps. There are those who say radio’s days are numbered — or over, and those who think going back to the way it was will solve everything.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them.”
-Albert Einstein
Lots of Change
When I think back to the days when AM radio rocked my world, to today, where Alexa serves up whatever my mood desires, much has changed.
“The key to failure is to hang on to the belief that things have to be
‘the way they ought to be.’
The key to success is to be able to deal with things
as they really are.”
-Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads
Which brings me back to taking another look at the question:
“Are we the solution, or the problem?”
…when it comes to the future of radio?
Radio’s Big 3 Areas of Dysfunction?
I’m sure that you have your own thoughts on this, but the sense I have from reading articles about today’s radio industry from all over the world, along with reader comments, are that these three things are very important to the future of radio:
- Commercials. Radio’s commercial spot loads are too big. The 60 and 30-second ad lengths are over. Radio needs to re-think the way it monetizes itself OTA (over the air) and the creation of radio ads needs to be a specialty in every radio station.
- Companionship. Alexa is convenient and we even chat with one another, but I don’t consider “her” a companion. Radio needs to fulfill that social need for the listener.
- Quality vs. Quantity. The radio industry is focused on consolidation, where a few large media companies control more frequencies. When the game today is all about providing a better experience – quality over quantity.
The original benchmarks of radio like weather, breaking news, and school cancellations, for example, are often much more efficiently handled by other platforms. Radio needs to re-think what it can do that others can’t, and then do it. Radio needs to compliment today’s other forms media, as it no longer is the sole source of information.
What Are Your Most Prized Possessions?
Recently, a British online magazine asked men and women about their 20 most prized possessions. What you will see when you look at these lists are, that men gravitate to expensive tangible things and women covet items that hold emotional value. As you view the lists for both genders, take note of the one thing that is missing on both.
Women Men
Family Photos Home
Home Family Photos
Wedding Ring Car
Engagement Ring Wedding Ring
Family Pet Photographs of deceased relatives
Photographs of deceased relatives Family Pet
Jewelry Laptop
Car Photographs of significant other
Childhood Pictures Smartphone
Laptop Books
Photographs of significant other Vinyl Records
Children’s artwork CD Collection
Photographs of deceased friends Tablet
Clothes Television
Books Photographs of deceased friends
Tablet Golf/Fishing Equipmnt/Bicycle
Baby Clothes Childhood Pictures
A favorite book Internet
Parent’s wedding rings Jewelry
Missing from both lists is RADIO.
Radio Reaches a Mass Audience
The Council on Foreign Relations tells the story of radio’s impact on the world this way:
“Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received a U.S. patent for radio technology in 1904, three years after he claimed to have sent the first transatlantic radio signal. Radio was the first technology that could instantaneously communicate to a mass audience. Because it allowed continuous, up-to-date news and entertainment for people regardless of their income or literacy levels, it became immensely popular. In many parts of the world today, radio remains a dominant source of news and entertainment; it is considered to be the most important means of mass communication in Africa, where literacy rates are relatively low and electricity access is inconsistent. In 2010, an estimated 44,000 radio stations operated around the globe.”
How did we squander such a dominating position in people’s lives, so that we are no longer considered a “prized possession?”
Out Damn Spot
It was seven years ago I wrote a blog titled “Out, damn’d spot!” Yet, here we are in 2023 and radio station commercial loads have increased.
I’m sure you have noticed that YouTube offers viewers a chance to “Skip Ads” when you are looking to play a video; that should be a hint that massive commercial breaks are over!
Likewise, ads that are out-of-place on targeted radio formats should be banned. Creativity in radio spot creation is virtually non-existent. Remember when program directors had the final say about EVERYTHING that went on-the-air? We need those kinds of gatekeepers back.
And if all of this is important for our AM/FM radio signals, it becomes even more critical for our radio streams over the internet.
Community & Companionship
Radio has the power to own the communities that it operates in, and provide real companionship for the listener. Pureplay streamers can’t, and won’t be able to do this, as they also lack personality. Alexa and Siri will never enter the Radio Hall of Fame, with the likes of:
I rest my case.
DickTaylorBlog 