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 sends us his weekly links as he continues settling into his new Australian homeland.
James Cridland articles
- What David Bowie tells us about our archives – and what we should do about it
- Spotify vs Google Play: I’ve given Spotify a go again, and here’s what I discovered.
United Kingdom
- Media and Journalism Predictions 2016 – highly respected document from Nic Newman, and delighted to see it this year. There’s lots to use in here: fill your boots!
- The Daily Telegraph want to work out when their journalists leave their desks, even for a minute. Classic example of technology being poorly introduced into a workplace.
- David Bowie dies. An astonishing video, filmed by the UK Radioplayer, showing the power of a) a massive artist, and b) a great search system. [client]
- Er – who’s died? Oops. – audio that was widely republished. Highlights the transmitter mindset: news must be live, because we have to feed that transmitter: but a five-minute-before prerecord would have avoided this embarrassment. What I call the “primacy of live” gives our audiences a worse experience. I wonder why we persist?
- Lazy Buggles interview point: Jonathan Agnew and Richard Park. 4’37” into this interview/promotional piece.
- “A glorious local radio moment”, says Steve Bowbrick
- When did you last sit down and listen all the way through an album?, asks Robin Valk. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned: I when I listen to music, I always listen to the album. Currently listening to the new ELO album, which sounds just like their other albums, which makes me happy. Anyway, this piece is really about the change in media consumption.
- Delighted to see UK Radioplayer being featured in the Google Chrome webstore. [client] [my code]
- Radio Copywriting – How to write a (good) radio ad. Great set of tips from Tadah! Media. I worked with these guys nearly thirty years ago, and worryingly, neither of them look as if they’ve aged at all.
United States
- The 100 best, most-interesting podcasts for 2016, via Valerie Geller
- I thought The Washington Post would be better than to stoop to a lazy Buggles headline
- Think radio is a bit full of blokes? Have you seen how podcasts are doing?
- Repeat, Recycle, Repurpose, Repackage – Tracy Johnson understands how to get out of the transmitter mindset
- Verbal and Vocal – Larry Gifford and David Lloyd in conversation. Worth a listen, not just because both of them subscribe to this newsletter.
- Predictions On The Future Of Digital Media from TechCrunch – includes bonus lazy Buggles headline
- Stats: eBooks – 60% of purchases are never read. Nothing to do with radio, this, but thought the parallels between “OMG printed books are dead! Wait! No, they’re not actually!” was relevant.
- NPR CEO buys Powerball tickets for entire staff – as long as they promise to split the winnings with NPR. Nice funding idea. Kind of.
- Good review of some new options in NPR One
- Al Jazeera America Terminates All TV and Digital Operations – ouch. I like Al Jazeera English, and notice that I have an HD quality, rock solid feed via YouTube (and my Chromecast). Sounds like Al Jazeera America was a failed attempt to make a US-feeling news channel from a very international service. (I especially recommend the documentaries.)
- Can Podcasts Finally Turn a Profit? – some interesting business models in here, though putting your podcasts on a paid-for app isn’t really podcasting any more. /via Matt Deegan
Elsewhere
- Europe: Some great new speakers announced for Radiodays Europe 2016. The early bird catches the cheaper tickets. [client]
- Japan: What a wonderfully heart-warming story, promising that even big companies have a soul. (Though, a contact at the BBC delights in pouring scorn onto this story.)
- Spain: 5 trends for digital radio in 2016 – some great thoughts in here. Google Translate at the ready!
- Australia: This Price is right. – great piece from Craig Bruce on a radio presenter every radio presenter can learn from
- Argentina: Radio is made for the internet, says Agostina Di Domenico in this nice piece. Agree. Some great thoughts in here.
- Germany: The latest platform for news? Facebook Messenger.