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
James Cridland’s articles:
- The fancy Shure MV51 – I take it outside to the deck to test. I’ve been using a Rode USB microphone, with no need for a mixing desk, for a while now. A recurring theme of my keynotes: that the technology we need to make great radio continues to change.
- Omny Studio Cracks Apple Podcast Stats – my article for Radio magazine
United States
- NPR One’s personalised radio service makes it to Amazon Alexa – it’s been on Google’s Assistant for a while incidentally. More evidence of a voice-focused future.
- Spotify making their own podcasts. This sounds new and exciting, but a twitter response tells me that they’ve been making their own podcasts in Germany for a while as a test.
- YouTube launches a live TV service in the US, with lots of recogniseable channels. $35/month, which is apparently half the cost of cable.
- Newstalk increasing in audiences. This article claims a Trump Bump; but music is available everywhere these days – no surprise to me that newstalk is increasing while music is stable.
- Radio’s Happy, 5-second Future – this is a very, very, very good idea. Fascinated to see how this works.
- Headphones: An Enormous Issue For Radio – electronic measurement doesn’t really measure them well, and this research appears to show that people use headphones rather more than first thought. Incidentally, if you make streaming apps, I’d love to get some stats about headphone vs speaker use.
- SiriusXM Sued Over Radio Patents – should be interesting to watch. The company involved is Fraunhofer, the folks behind the MP3 and AAC formats.
- RadioPublic joins world of apps aiming to make podcasts navigable
- FCC Approves For the First Time 100% Foreign Ownership of US Broadcast Stations
- 1951: Uncle Sam produces military training film on independent radio
- An online stream reaches #1 in Tampa, US for the first time. Looks kind of suspicious. More PPM nonsense? Or has an online stream really out-performed broadcast radio?
- Some nice stats from Sean Ross about smartphone usage in the US for radio
- Overview of the Country Radio Seminar (the #1 music format in the US)
- Here are 42 ideas for your (radio station’s?) next newsletter
- Scott Adams (‘Dilbert’, though he’s much more these days) is working on a podcast.
- Liberty Media Reports Strong Year For SiriusXM – revenue up 10%
- There isn’t enough good news in the world. So read this lovely bit of Apple customer care.
United Kingdom
- The BBC Licence Fee, in comparison with other monthly entertainment options – a useful reminder of value. Though you don’t get a criminal record if you don’t pay your Netflix bill.
- 7 things you only know if you’re a professional voiceover /by Emma Clarke
- From the world of TV – another niche channel: All aboard the worlds first 24/7 cruise TV channel – radio’s no stranger to ‘niche’, though: FIX Radio is coming soon. “The station says it will provide music, banter and information targeted at bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, roofers, painters and decorators whether they work on building sites or in people’s homes.”
- Editing audio and video – using pen and paper. Genuinely awesome stuff. From the BBC R&D team.
- Loudness Normalization for Radio: Guidelines and Practice in this column from Radio World. Here’s Rupert Brun talking about it in bit less detail (but rather more accessible) on the Radio Today Programme.
- The Fake British Radio Show That Helped Defeat the Nazis – actual fake news, this.
- A slightly random interview but very good with Geoff Marshall and Jon Holmes from talkRADIO.
- An open-source ROT logger, if anyone fancies one. Might need a bit more work, but worth checking out.
- David Lloyd: “If we believe that presenters become friends to listeners, then it seems rude not to allow them to say farewell“. My last words, after being on swing on Hallam FM for five years or so, were – I’m proud to say – “I’ll be back next week. Hopefully.”
- Building brands with emotion: wake up to mood music
Australia
- Joint statement from the ABC and Radio Adelaide (mysteriously absent of any information)
- What is the future of Radio? I talk to Steve Austin from ABC Radio Brisbane and discover about LED traffic lights that interfere with AM!
- Omny Studio Cracks Apple Podcast Stats – my article for Radio magazine
Canada
- 7 Podcasts Helping to Make Great Radio – my little podcast is here, but some good ones too! /ht Larry Gifford
- Radioplayer Canada launched. How excellent. It’s good good reception from the Canadians (sorry, that was an unintended pun) – radio vet Alan Cross likes it. Here’s some nice coverage from the Canadian TV network Global News, and coverage on breakfast television.
Elsewhere
- Germany: SoundCloud revamps its subscription service with cheaper $4.99 option – essentially halving the price. I still don’t see what I get for the $4.99 though.
- Norway: The NRK tries making sure people have read an article before allowing them to comment on it.