The Radio Festival 2006
Just got back from the , the annual conference of the UK's radio industry. This year's festival was held in Cambridge, with delegates staying at two colleges: King's and Queens'. Each session was introduced (superbly) by Jeremy Vine, with presentations and contributions from some of the biggest players in commerical and public service broadcasting. JV is a very funny guy, and I was surprised at how much he knows about music. (He's something of a Talking Heads anorak.)
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Director-General, Mark Thompson started the ball moving on Monday evening with the Guardian Media Group Lecture, and was questioned by Matt Wells, the Guardian's media editor. We had sessions on the future of radio, new technologies, finance and funding (I skipped that one), changing trends in society and in our audiences, the relationship between performers and radio (with Neil Tenant from ), the long and creative parntership between radio and comedy (with the Cambridge Footlights taking a bow) -- and, of course, the inevitable session on podcasting.
The radio industry is obsessed with podcasting at the minute, mostly because industry players aren't sure how to respond to this development or how it's likely to develop further. Clearly, the industry needs to move beyond merely organising seminars to reflect on whether podcasting is an opportunity or a threat (summary: it's both, for all kinds of reasons). The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is engaged in a network-wide podcasting trial at the moment, and will be turning next to public value (and other kinds of) tests; but I have no doubt that podcasting is here to stay, that it will transform listening tastes and styles significantly, and that it will have a massive impact on the radio landscape. Like many people, I receive In Our Time, from Radio 4, by podcast each week -- one of the world's most popular podcasts -- and Radio Ulster's Nolan Show podcasts -- a daily highlights compilation -- are proving increasingly popular. Ricky Gervais is now the global King of the Pod, with a a show, made in co-operation with the Guardian, that attracts an audience of millions.
My personal highlights from this year's Festival:
Matthew Bannister gave a presentation on creativity in radio broadcasting. Brilliant. Hilarious. Informed. Incisive. If it was on a podcast, I'd download it now and listen to it again.
Sir , the chairman and founder of MORI, was captivating in his analysis of the future of radio in the UK -- and I say that as someone who hated statistics at school. He's one of those rare people who can join cultural dots together to form a big picture.
were our live entertainment on the final evening of the Fesival. Just perfect. I see they'll be guesting with at his Croke Park concert on the 9th.
The funniest session was funny-peculiar, rather than funny-ha-ha. It featured a conversation about comedy on radio, with the comedian Rory McGrath, a former Cambridge Footlighter, taking part. To end the session, they invited two current Footlighters to perform three sketches, which they read from notebooks while standing ten feet apart behind mic-stands, and which failed to ellicit a single laugh from the audience. It was like Waiting for Godot (without the laughs).
In our final session, the old and the new of Radio 1 were on the stage: Colin Murry (whose on-air partnerships with Edith Bowman is now ) interviewed Tony Blackburn about his long career in radio. Tony B (makes him sound like a Spice Girl, doesn't it?) was the first voice heard on Radio 1 when it was launched in 1967 -- we got to hear the opening of the first show again and Tony walked us through his life, from Radio Caroline to his current daily gig on . Yes, he's as nice as he appears. And, yes, you can't help wondering when you see his up close.
Comments
Hey William, is it possible to aquire a podcast of Sunday sequence? Recently I have been unable to listen to the show. It's great to see you doing so well, I would much rather have you on talk-back.
Interesting to hear you mention radio technology. Here in the States, the radio industry is obsessed with two things at the moment:
1) Their fear of satellite radio as competition. Satellite radio is offered now by two major corporations, Sirius (where Howard Stern is the star attraction) and XM (not to be confused with its terrestrial namesake in Britain). They're doing well for a new technology, but they aren't a major threat to terrestrial radio and I think some of the terrestrial players have been a little paranoid about it. Its principal influence will probably be on the commercial advertising model - satellite is subscription-based.
2) HD Radio. This technology would allow radio stations to broadcast multiple different feeds simultaneously at CD quality. Within the next 5 years, HD Radio will change the face of the US radio industry and it may pose a challenge in some respects. Getting car manufacturers involved will be key to its success (life isn't as easy when you can't force it upon people, as the British government are doing with digital television in the UK).
With the advent of television and the advent of FM, the radio industry proved that traditional technologies like AM (MW) radio were still viable. I think the same will continue to be the case for both AM and FM with the advent of satellite and the iPod. Like you say, radio is adapting somewhat and learning how to embrace this stuff rather than pretending that it will go away.