James Cridland’s Future of Radio: New Next Radio conf speakers, plus the RAB’s podcast and Denmark to switch off FM?
James Cridland
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
Next Radio
Matt and I announced a bunch of new speakers for the Next Radio conference this week. Hey: sponsorship is available for some bits, and you can join Broadcast Bionics and the BBC Academy in supporting this great event. Do get in touch.
Sad to note that even in NYC, overnight radio is turning into automated back-to-back music. (In fact, while WCBS-FM have removed Dave Stewart from the overnight schedule – not that Dave Stewart – it is apparently still staffed because the unions won’t let it be automated, so a tweet informs me.)
Dick Taylor doesn’t like HD Radio – mainly because HD failed, in his view, to market itself correctly: nobody knows what it’s for, he says. I’d agree with that, and back in 2012, I wrote a piece on the flaws in promoting digital radio. By and large, as I wrote at the time, people don’t think they want it.
Who Needs Dumb Ol’ Research Anyway? – Sean Ross writes about music research. (Again: this isn’t a binary conversation, though many frame it as such. Music research is a tool to use along with your skill and talent.)
Interesting podcast from ex-ABC staffers: Moonshot
Top 20 percent of ABC staff paid $124 million – a hangover from last week’s hand-wringing about the BBC’s salaries. The ABC isn’t, it seems, well-paid: in comparison with the BBC, anyway. It also has a lower market share. Wonder if the two are connected in some way?
