The question ‘what is the future of radio?’ is often asked… Truth be told, none of us really truly know the future state of any media platform.
What we do know is that each is constantly changing and adapting to need, circumstance and demand. The evolution of media delivery will be one of the most exciting and innovative spaces over the next few years and every person involved is relishing the challenge of providing access to their brand of entertainment and content that enriches its audience’s lives.
While this change remains constant, the one universal truth of radio as a medium, is that it will consistently be a convergence point and remain a channel of connectedness.
With streams and mp3 players able to provide hours of choice music, there are several things they won’t be able to do. Good and larger radio content platforms whether they be music or talk-driven will always create conversation, drive personal engagement and remain a very poignant centre of daily life.
No stream or mp3 player will ever explain to you the background of a song’s writer, nor will they create that water cooler moment at work, or generate a debate based on a comment from a morning jock. Radio will always do this, and as the first and biggest form of social media, will always play a significant role in the lives of commuters, and in the galvanising of communities.
Long and healthy lives to all the radio stars out there.
Kevin Fine is general manager of Jacaranda FM.
