I came across this article about the future of radio from the New York Times last week.
“It wasn’t just video that killed the radio star, add satellite radio and the growing popularity of the iPod to the list. And the medium’s challenges are only increasing over time. While 9 out of 10 Americans listen to traditional radio each week, they’re not tuning in for long periods of time. Not surprisingly, broadcast radio advertising has taken a hit, growing a tiny 0.3 percent in 2005. This leaves radio conglomerates with no other choice than to come up with new ways of marketing. Clear Channel, for instance, is considering selling 1,200 of its smaller radio stations, and recently forged a partnership with BMW this month to provide real-time traffic updates to the navigation systems in new car models.”
The future of radio has been in question since television was introduced. Many thought it would go away, but it survived. When FM came into the picture, many thougght AM radio would go away. But, it didn’t.
As Christian broadcasters we need to be on the cutting edge both technically and in our programming. Interaction with listeners is key. Since broadband for both internet and cell phone use is growing around the country, it may be wise to begin working ways for ‘instant’ interaction between you and the end use. More than just a contest, though. The end user WANTS IT ALL.
In the information age in which we live, information is at our finger tips. As Christian broadcasters we need to make the information easy to find and easy to understand. I’m not just talking about news, either. I’m talking about making all facets of our programming interactive. It’s something I’m seriously considering with Mission Network News.
Think of what this could mean for your ‘evangelistic breaks’ on the air. It could be very easy to show poeple an evangelistic website, or html email, or podcast and let them interact with that for a while.
I wish I could tell you what this looks like, but I’m only playing with the idea myself. Whatever it looks like, in order to keep listeners listening we’ve got to be different. We cann’t be like everybody else.
I think that’s why Christian radio has taken a hit recently. We’ve tried to be like the rest of the radio industry, and we’ve forgotten what makes us uniquely different — Christ alone.
September 21, 2006 at 8:11 pm |
Greg-
I only recently discovered your blog, but I find your posts to always be extremely thought-provoking and helpful as we think through programming issues. As a reaction to your posts generally, my thought is that content development seems to be the buzzword today, but there’s very little innovative thinking. We are all so busy filling the pipeline that there’s too little creative time and energy spent on tracking down all the great stories and people out there who REALLY have something to say.