James Cridland is Managing Director of media.info, and an Australia-based radio futurologist. He is a consultant, writer and public speaker who concentrates on the effect that new platforms and technology are having on the radio business. Find out more or subscribe at http://james.cridland.net

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James Cridland’s articles

• The platform behind Upload Radio is available for your HD, DAB or FM station.
• Belgian Radio tunes out of TuneIn – as one boss accuses the company of ‘blackmail’, and the station illegally puts ads in front of childrens’ radio. And there’s more trouble at t’mill for TuneIn, as they remove recording capability for UK Pro users following a complaint from UK record companies. Should you come out of TuneIn? No; but your job is to make a better experience than TuneIn offers. Most radio companies don’t do that. Exceptions as an aggregator include Radioplayer, while single-company apps like the BBC’s iPlayer Radio (available globally) are best of breed.
• What would a newspaper website look like if radio were doing it for them? My weekly opinion column.

United States

• I Am What I Play – A documentary about rock radio DJs (in both the US and Canada). Very much worth watching, and now available online. Four great story-tellers. Here’s a review from Sean Ross.
• Interesting: Google markup for podcasts to help them play directly in search results. You’ve little to lose by implementing these.
• Some nice stats about the NextRadio App, and they’ve now added a free tier for stations.
• Good coverage of #WWRS2017 including… me!
• At WWRS, a lot of data from Fred Jacobs’ TechSurvey. A good overview of how core US and Canadian radio listeners see the medium (though, caution, not the population as a whole). Here’s where to download the slides
• In case you missed it (and since I lost count of the amount of people talking about the iTunes Chart as if it’s a chart) – how the iTunes Podcast Chart works
• The Dominoes Theory Of Promotions – consistency is key, it turns out, when you’re doing radio promotions, says Paige Nienaber.
• A few weeks ago he was one of the biggest names in cable news television. Now, Bill O’Reilly is snarling into a podcast instead. Here’s a review
• Interesting piece on what Facebook can probably target on, even if they tell people they can’t
• Bloomberg is launching a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week news channel that streams exclusively on Twitter.

United Kingdom

• New TV commercial for UK Hot AC Heart. Lots to like in this ad: clever use of “Heart red” throughout, ad highlights the multi-platform nature of radio these days, good reinforcement of family. New for this one – a small, black/white Global logo at the end, as the company tries to build a corporate brand.
• ‘Why would you not share it?’ Another part of Global – LBC’s approach to getting people to listen and engage with audio on social media. I found myself listening the other day after a well-timed tweet about the UK’s dispiriting local government elections.
• And talking about LBC and sharing audio, listen to this brilliant interview with Nick Ferrari and Diane Abbott. A politician who doesn’t know the answers, squirming live on the radio.
• A bit of law-making before Parliament ends puts into place the regulatory framework for lots of small-scale DAB multiplexes. This is the bit of the digital puzzle that many other countries haven’t yet sorted out: national and regional services are well-served by existing DAB regulation, but smaller multiplex areas are needed for locals.
• Dodgy data around local newspapers. I wonder what a map of local radio might look like? And whether it matters?
• The platform behind Upload Radio is available for your HD, DAB or FM station. My article.
• We’ve all heard the fabulous Tony Blackburn launching BBC Radio 1 (first word on the network? “And”) – but the launch of BBC Radio 2 at the same time in 1967 was not one of the most memorable sounding launches of all time.
• Unbound, a crowdfunding platform, launches a podcast arm. Interesting biz model for podcasters.
• The UK’s best podcasts – all the award winners
• TuneIn remove recording capability for UK Pro users following a complaint from UK record companies.
• Nice coverage of Fix Radio, the new radio station for tradesmen in London

Australia

• Think you’ve heard the biggest radio giveaway? Think again – this sounds as if it’ll be awesome.
• 28 new content jobs at the Australian ABC (working in regional centres). Part of the organisation’s focus on regional, which it does extremely well.
• A tight and fun-sounding podcast series, as Leon Sjogren learns how to do standup.

Elsewhere

• Oman: A program director job in the sun, working for a “very big name” in Oman.
• Czech Republic: nice use of DAB slideshow
• India: The man who created a radio station for fishermen – more niche stations, showing the versatility of radio and the benefits of new technology to help create it /via Andrea Borgnino
• Belgian Radio tunes out of TuneIn – as one boss accuses the company of ‘blackmail’, and the station illegally puts ads in front of childrens’ radio.
• Switzerland: EBU Releases Digital Radio Report 2017 (as ever, stressing collaboration, which is make-or-break). If you’re interested in digital radio’s future (the European definition, which is broadcast radio), then you should probably take a peek at this.
• New Zealand: Unsurprisingly, the big two newspaper companies haven’t been allowed to merge. Large job cuts and closures now beckon.