James Cridland is Managing Director of media.info, and a U.K.-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.nets
My articles
- The UK: positive moves for radio’s future – lots going on in the UK, so I thought it worthwhile explaining them for AllAccess.
- It’s time for a better radio – my piece in radioinfo.com.au last week. I love the image they chose!
United States
- “Small podcasters have trouble finding new listeners and monetizing, survey finds” (you needed a survey?!)
- Buried in here: the Amazon Echo (voice activated speaker) now has integration with TuneIn.
- Like an artist on Pandora? They might spam you in future.
- The Radio Broadcaster Who Fought the Cold War Abroad but Remained Unheard at Home – nice piece of VoA history, and it’s strange that VoA cannot be heard in the US (by law, I understand)
- ‘Millions’ using Beats 1 and Apple Music, says Tim Cook (which, given Apple’s potential penetration and that it’s currently free, sounds quite low. Why not ‘tens of millions’?)
- “Banner “Fraud” Doesn’t Matter” – great article which could equally be about radio advertising too
United Kingdom
- “And what a golden shower of talent Whittingdale has stitched together” – Stewart Lee on the government’s BBC panel
- Matt Deegan on BBC Radio defending DAB – a really nice interview, carefully prepared. Strange how the BBC is so anti-DAB. For example, here’s another story from BBC News – DAB CAN CRASH YOUR CAR. sigh
- Unpacking London’s pirate radio problem – good analysis from Radio Survivor, as ever
- John Myers on the BBC and commercial radio, which “is blander now than ever“
- BBC Trust releases their own response to the Government Green Paper on the BBC’s future.
- Judge the BBC on the facts: nobody else does what we do – Simon Mayo with some facts about BBC Radio 2
- A BBC Trust consultation to help them with the government consultation. Consultation-tastic.
- Let’s (Not) Talk About It – newsmutt points out that (ex) commercial radio people slag off the BBC, but talk doesn’t really work commercially here
- Radioplayer to help power hybrid radio – good news for radio’s future, this.
- Why do people buy vinyl, when it’s so expensive and inconvenient? Even great marketers don’t know
- PPL goes it alone in charging broadcasters for DAB small-scale tests
- Well, this is top quality tweeting from Global’s Capital Manchester. Desperate, purile nonsense.
The rest of the world
- France: Fip changes streaming URL, and as Giles Booth notes, they really want you to listen… check out the detail in their “listen now” page.
- Netherlands: Hybrid radio: why we need it today – Tommy Ferraz speaks sense, as ever
- Bloated public service broadcaster under threat from unpaid licence-fees and government sell-off. No, not the BBC: Italy’s RAI.