Radio must change
13-07-2006 (Apia)
Francis Herman, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
Radio content must be made more relevant to its audience to preserve the medium’s market share, told a Pacific media executive an international broadcasting conference in Singapore recently.
This relevance becomes more critical with the advancing popularity of television, pod casting, internet and mobile phones which are stealing audience away from the traditional radio broadcasts.
The comments from Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Francis Herman, came during his address to Radio Asia – an international conference that is reviewing the past 100 years of radio.
While refusing to accept that radio is a dying breed, Herman argued that the traditional “block programming” format of radio stations is no longer attractive to listeners and must be replaced by shorter bursts of “relevant” information.
“None listens to radio out of a sense of loyalty and with the rapid advances in technology, other mediums threaten the popularity of radio which in turn affects its viability”, he said
Herman adds that raditional radio operators are forced to embrace this technology and utilise it to enhance its content. Among the changes are live audio streaming, radio on demand, television simulcasts, and interactive radio with greater audience participation.
Radio stations, Herman argues, can no longer work in isolation and must secure new alliances with telecommunication companies, including mobile phone operators and internet providers.
The Radio Asia conference is being run alongside Asia’s largest broadcast and telecommunications exhibitions and among sponsors of the event are UNESCO and the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).
The comments from Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Francis Herman, came during his address to Radio Asia – an international conference that is reviewing the past 100 years of radio.
While refusing to accept that radio is a dying breed, Herman argued that the traditional “block programming” format of radio stations is no longer attractive to listeners and must be replaced by shorter bursts of “relevant” information.
“None listens to radio out of a sense of loyalty and with the rapid advances in technology, other mediums threaten the popularity of radio which in turn affects its viability”, he said
Herman adds that raditional radio operators are forced to embrace this technology and utilise it to enhance its content. Among the changes are live audio streaming, radio on demand, television simulcasts, and interactive radio with greater audience participation.
Radio stations, Herman argues, can no longer work in isolation and must secure new alliances with telecommunication companies, including mobile phone operators and internet providers.
The Radio Asia conference is being run alongside Asia’s largest broadcast and telecommunications exhibitions and among sponsors of the event are UNESCO and the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).
Related themes/countries
· Fiji
· Capacity Building: News Archives 2006
· Public Service Broadcasting: News Archives 2006
· Media Development: News Archives 2006
· Asia and the Pacific: News Archive 2006
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