All forms of broadcast.
If Q2 was the Covid Quarter, NPR was infected. The U.S. public radio network lost about a quarter of its audience during that period. The main influence? Loss of morning and evening car commuting. But this trend is balanced by shifts to in-home device listening, increasing reach overall. Podcast revenue will surpass broadcast ad revenue for the first time. Click through for details. Continue Reading
Thought Apple wasn’t very keen on online radio? Yeah, James Cridland did too. In this guest column, the famed radio futurologist reviews the newly rebranded Apple Music 1 Radio. Continue Reading
Crowdsource listening platform Soundcloud and Australian media company SCA are announcing a new venture: SoundCloud Radio, to be launched via DAB+ and streaming. The station will launch August 24. It’s more distribution for indie musicians, and more ad inventory for SCA and SoundCloud to sell. Continue Reading
In Entercom’s Q2 earnings call on August 7, CEO David Field held forth with a considerable portion of his opening remarks focused on digital audio and cross-category business in the U.S.’s second-largest commercial radio group. In fact, “radio” is subsumed in Field’s broad definition of Entercom: “Entercom is now a scaled media and entertainment company.” Continue Reading
In an example of SiriusXM’s cross-platform strategies, the satellite company will broadcast one of Pandora’s new weekly “Thumb” playlists. Alongside that announcement Pandora is also pushing a top-100 playlist to be refreshed each week. A “Thumb” playlist is informed by Pandora users’ thumb-up actions on individual tracks. The company takes the entire thumb-up database across all listeners during the week, and makes a top-100 list out of it. Using the same method, a top-20 list is also manufactured and is broadcast on the Pandora Now channel on siriusXM. Continue Reading
In a webinar yesterday, Megan Vartan (Edison Research) and Jayne Charneski, Front Row Insights & Strategy), presented Radio’s Roadmap to Gen Z Listenership, a consumer survey of the so-called Zoom Generation. Zoomers, of Gen Z, are true digital natives aged… Continue Reading
A weekly column from the preeminent Radio Futurologist. THIS WEEK: Lots of change in the UK! Bauer has enacted many of its strastegic plans. James invoked his positivity mode. Continue Reading
by Michael Robertson
This guest contribution by iconic digital audio entrepreneur Michael Robertson digs into the U.S. copyright code and finds a statute which might relate to, and potentially invalidate, Spotify’s exclusive distribution deal with Joe Rogan. Continue Reading
Times Radio, a new 24-hour news station created by Rupert Murdoch’s Wireless Group in collaboration with The Times news organization. We see a 24-hour schedule in this all-out BBC competitor, and archived shows (“catch-up”) for time-shifted listening. The website also promotes a slate of traditional, stand-alone podcasts. Continue Reading
The British public broadcaster has rebranded its production division, formerly BBC Radio & Music Production, which relaunched today as BBC Audio. This is part of a widespread de-platforming of radio and broader reconceptualization as audio. Four people staff the new unit, headed by Clare McGinn, previously Head of Production for BBC Radio 4 in Bristol. McGinn is a career BBC’er. Continue Reading
A weekly column from the preeminent Radio Futurologist. THIS WEEK: How the BBC produced during coronavirus. How is Beats 1 doing? Ten best music radio stations. Radio recovery. Podcast promoter chat. And much more! Continue Reading
Edison Research sent out a note from its Share of Ear subscription study, to mark a milestone for broadcast radio. In a May update, Edison found that 105 of radio listening in the U.S. was streamed, against 90% from an over-the-air receiver. The finding implies shifted listening from in-car (where radios are ubiquitous) to in-home (where radio receivers are disappearing). Continue Reading