With listening trends and the radio landscape changing, there seem to be some people who believe that the future of radio will be commercial-free, jock-free, promo-free music, delivered via a playlist programmed by the listener. In other words, an iPod on shuffle.
While I think most self-respecting radio professionals want to believe that we are offering something more than that, it seems that there are at least some people in the radio industry who think that it's only a matter of time before the only thing we'll have on the FM dial is talk, because music will be better delivered via user-generated playlists.
I don't think this is the future of radio at all.
While there is no question that traditional music format terrestial radio has and will continue to lose large chunks of listeners to iPods and internet music services like Pandora, I think radio has an additional appeal that many people in the radio industry are forgetting.
This point might be better understood if we look at TV. Why do people watch TV? Well, if someone is watching a sitcom, you could say it's because they are looking for humor. If someone is watching a reality show or drama it's because they are looking for drama. If someone is watching a show on the history channel, they turned on their TV looking for enlightenment or to be educated, right? Wrong. People watch TV because they're bored or they're lonely. Yes, there is plenty of "appointment watching" in TV, that we don't get so much in radio, but in general if someone just turns on the TV at a random time, not knowing what's on, it's because they are bored or lonely. It's the same when people turn on their radios. People tune into your station not because it's the only place they can get _____________ music. They tune into your station because they are comfortable with it. They like the lifestyle your station represents. They feel better/ younger / cooler / more sophisticated / better informed or any of the above when they listen. Yes, they like the music you play. Yes, the music is probably the initial draw, but radio is about so much more than that. It's about making people feel like they are part of something important and exciting and it's happening right now... local and live! You just don't get that feeling when listening to a playlist on your iPod or an internet channel programmed solely with software.
Thats why radio branding is so important. Your station has to stand for something. You have to make listeners feel and believe that when they are listening to you, they are part of something important. Make your unique selling proposition the entertainment value that you offer, not that you have a few less seconds of commercials than the other guys.
While I think most self-respecting radio professionals want to believe that we are offering something more than that, it seems that there are at least some people in the radio industry who think that it's only a matter of time before the only thing we'll have on the FM dial is talk, because music will be better delivered via user-generated playlists.
I don't think this is the future of radio at all.
While there is no question that traditional music format terrestial radio has and will continue to lose large chunks of listeners to iPods and internet music services like Pandora, I think radio has an additional appeal that many people in the radio industry are forgetting.
This point might be better understood if we look at TV. Why do people watch TV? Well, if someone is watching a sitcom, you could say it's because they are looking for humor. If someone is watching a reality show or drama it's because they are looking for drama. If someone is watching a show on the history channel, they turned on their TV looking for enlightenment or to be educated, right? Wrong. People watch TV because they're bored or they're lonely. Yes, there is plenty of "appointment watching" in TV, that we don't get so much in radio, but in general if someone just turns on the TV at a random time, not knowing what's on, it's because they are bored or lonely. It's the same when people turn on their radios. People tune into your station not because it's the only place they can get _____________ music. They tune into your station because they are comfortable with it. They like the lifestyle your station represents. They feel better/ younger / cooler / more sophisticated / better informed or any of the above when they listen. Yes, they like the music you play. Yes, the music is probably the initial draw, but radio is about so much more than that. It's about making people feel like they are part of something important and exciting and it's happening right now... local and live! You just don't get that feeling when listening to a playlist on your iPod or an internet channel programmed solely with software.
Thats why radio branding is so important. Your station has to stand for something. You have to make listeners feel and believe that when they are listening to you, they are part of something important. Make your unique selling proposition the entertainment value that you offer, not that you have a few less seconds of commercials than the other guys.
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