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
- An article that I wrote last month for the special English La Lettre Pro at Radiodays Europe about the transmitter mindset.
- I am part of Radio requests – the why factor, which aired on the BBC World Service this week. You can listen or download the entire programme (neat). You might be interested that this was recorded in ABC Brisbane’s contribution studio, which oddly is called Tardis. It wasn’t bigger on the inside.
- Terrestrial Radio is no Tasmanian Tiger – written specifically for the Aussie market on AM/FM’s strengths
- A home for my columns – though a week late – on Medium.
- Radio’s multiplatform, multi-app future: iHeartRadio adds the ABC. Still no one-stop radio app in Australia, though; nor any open ways of getting logos and data to help make better radios.
United States
- It’s all about NPR, again. An Antiquated Business Model. A Horde of Upstart Competitors. Does NPR Have a Future? – this is a good, long, read from Slate – a bit of a clickbaity title, but the article is very well-balanced and has a number of good points, not least this:
“The mythology is that somehow NPR is being left behind. Now, the thing that I find so laughable about the argument is, if you look at the iTunes chart any given week … we’re consistently four of the Top 10 podcasts, and consistently six of the Top 20. No one else has the number of hit podcasts that we have. No one.” – CEO Karl Mohn - A few more pieces – Public Radio Will Outlive Digital, Promise – reasons why we shouldn’t write NPR’s obituary just yet; and Today’s Public Media Fight Misses The Point: some cerebral thinking about public media’s place in US broadcasting. I suspect we haven’t, yet, seen the last of all of this.
- While we’re on the subject of NPR, here’s Linda Holmes – “Here’s The Thing About Audio And News And NPR One” – THIS is why I talk about NPR One constantly. I’m really, really surprised that more people in radio haven’t tried this, because it’s an amazing glimpse into the future of radio. Go download the app and give it a go.
- Data, US: AM/FM share in-car? 72%. Pandora’s share? 1%. Ouch. From Westwood One’s Pierre Bouvard.
- Breaking radio news from The Onion – hits home, rather. (thanks, Larry Gifford)
- Radio’s Coming Renaissance – a view that radio’s investor-fatigue is good news for the medium. I’d agree (and, arguably, we’ve seen this in the UK)
- Mentoring Talent – some nice tips in this piece from Dick Taylor
- Inside the Genius of Radiolab and Why It’s So Addictive – great short video, which radio producers will love.
Australia
- Community radio making short-form audio, using comedy, starring kids. Great for those stations, but also great content for podcasts and Facebook.
- Required listening for radio folks everywhere – Craig Bruce ‘s new Game Changers podcast
- Video: a brand new radio automation system… from 1976.
- Data: figures for streaming, including Spotify, iHeart, TuneIn and Pandora, in Australia.
- “Indie Magonomics” from Kai Brach – very interesting piece about how indie magazines work financially. I always learn a lot from dipping into other industries, and learning their costs and opportunities. I particularly like his approach to advertising.
United Kingdom
- Worthwhile reading the comments to this tweet from LBC, not just the (interesting) tweet itself. Note the reporter’s professional radio recording equipment. (I’m not being catty – I mean it!)
- On my TV licence renewal it said “please do not write below this line”. Someone else wondered why. – and, lest you think this is just a bit of fun, it’s a serious lesson about customer service.