Radio Ink’s “Radio Tech Summit” runs through today at Microsoft’s Executive Conference Center in Mountain View, California. Media UK’s James Cridland was the kick-off keynoter and asserted that “radio is not dead…but it must compete on content not platform.” Cridland, speaking of the U.K. radio industry’s decision to develop a country-wide single radio player for all stations across platforms, spoke to a rising tide strategy of a “single voice not a single choice” for U.K. radio listeners.
Unlike the U.S., there is significant cross-platform distribution of radio in the U.K. For example, BBC Radio 1Xtra gets a quarter of its measured listenership via digital television transmissions and almost a fifth via the Internet. For stations in the U.K. the goal is to have one branded voice and let consumers get to that radio service on whatever platform they like.
BBC Radio 1Xtra
- 19.1% – Internet
- 24.6% – TV
- 23.2% – DAB
- Rest – unknown
Fred Jacobs led a panel on “CX: The Mobile Consumer Experience,” which explored the idea of cross-platform radio based on ethnographic research video clips to which he asked panel members to respond. One of the comments there was how clearly smartphone users have reorganized their lives around the “apps” metaphor. Radio could be an app, but BIA/Kelsey suggested on the panel that radio stations may be better off with multiple lifestyle driven apps rather than envisioning their station as a single app.
Another session dealt with developments in HD Radio Technology by iBiquity. BIA/Kelsey is project manager for a NAB FASTROAD funded project with iBiquity, Emmis Interactive and SiPort to design and build Android smartphones that have fully function HD Radio technology including middleware and user apps.
The Tech Summit concludes today and seamlessly rolls into the “Convergence” summit that runs through tomorrow.
Rick Ducey is the managing director for BIA/Kelsey. He is an expert in digital media innovations, competitive strategies, new product development and new business models, including digital ecosystem collaboration strategies.
Ducey oversees the firm's consulting, research and advisory services areas. He is also the program director for BIA/Kelsey's Video Local Media advisory service. This program provides coverage and analysis of how online, mobile and broadcast video technologies, competition, shifting consumer demographics and media usage trends are driving changes in the media ecosystem and SMBs and other advertisers can be successful in the new environment. Ducey assists clients with their business planning and revenue models, strategic research, market assessment, and designing and implementing digital strategies. He is also a cofounder of SpectraRep, one of BIA�s companies, which sells a patent-pending IP-based alerting system that he co-invented.
Prior to joining BIA in 2000, Ducey was senior vice president of NAB's Research and Information Group. In this position, he was in charge of the association�s new technology assessment, audience and policy research, strategic planning and information systems, including all Internet operations, and he also developed publications and seminars.
Before joining NAB in 1983, Ducey was a faculty member in the Department of Telecommunication at Michigan State University where he taught and did research in the areas of emerging telecommunication technologies and strategic market research. He also served on the graduate management faculties of George Mason University and George Washington University in telecommunications management and the University of Maryland, where he taught strategic market management and research methodologies. Ducey was selected as the Spring 2011 Shapiro Fellow at George Washington University where he teaches entrepreneurship in new media. He has published a number of research articles and papers in these areas and serves on editorial boards of leading scholarly journals in the communications field. He has also worked at radio stations WSOQ-AM/WEZG-FM and Upstate Cablevision in North Syracuse, New York.
Ducey received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University, M.S. from Syracuse University and B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
according to the this the internet is the second highest source. i totally agree with it. i have been using uk-radio toolbar for my musc needs.
Thanks for reading our “Local Media Watch” blog and for your comment. Good to hear you’re enjoying listening to your local radio stations and find the Internet a convenient platform to do so.
While Internet listening certainly is growing both in the UK and elsewhere, most listening is still to over-the-air at the moment.
For example, RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) is the UK’s measurement service. Its most recent report (see http://www.rajar.co.uk/docs/2011_03/2011_Q1_Digital.pdf) shows that “all radio” had a 91.6% reach in May 2011 versus 43.1% for “all digital” radio which comprises distribution by DAB, DTV, Internet and other digital platforms. Internet has 10.1% weekly reach and 3.6% audience share of listening. This is up about 25% year over year.