Curse or blessing? Radio industry chews over technological changes

Until the other day, a small transistor radio competed for space with penholders and diaries on desks in many offices.

The radio was a must-have item for most Kenyans then. For those keen to keep abreast of what was going on, it was the ultimate link to the outside world through news bulletins aired by the State broadcaster.

This was a time when it was, largely, the main means of delivering news from within the country and beyond.

One only needed to tune in to find out the latest on cabinet reshuffles, what the President had been up to and, of course, events across the borders.

So precious and popular were these broadcasts by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) that many would not miss them.

Of the service's seven bulletins, four were during the day, when most people were at work -- the reason why radios were carried to the office.

Thus, every few hours, Kenyans would engage in the ritual of switching on the gadget.

It would crackle to life at nine o'clock in the morning, one o'clock in the afternoon and at seven o'clock at night.

Fast forward to today: the State broadcaster's bulletins are no longer as prized with the rise of numerous FM stations broadcasting more frequent news bulletin, some every half hour.

According to the Media Council of Kenya, there are about 319 licensed radio stations in Kenya today.

In addition, advances in information and communication technology have spawned many other different avenues of relaying information.

Besides increasing penetration of the internet, mobile phone technology is also changing the way radio does its work.

The Communications Commission of Kenya estimates that there were 10.2 million internet users and about 25 million mobile subscribers at the end of last year. These figures are forecast to rise in coming days.

One no longer needs to keep a small transistor radio at hand to stay abreast.

There are many ways of getting news, even on radio. One can either listen in online, download podcasts onto MP3 players, or mobile phones.

These kinds of advances have players in the radio industry across the world worrying.

Their worry stems from the fear of the unknown because it is unclear whether radio will, in the end, be a casualty or beneficiary of these advances in technology.

At a recent conference in Johannesburg dubbed Joburg Radio Days hosted by the University of Witwatersrand's Wits Radio Academy, scholars, analysts and radio industry practitioners mulled over what the future holds for radio, and how the industry can make the best out of it.

Prof Franz Kruger, who heads the academy, told the forum that pondering if radio is headed for extinction is a legitimate question at the moment.

"Our biggest challenge is technological disruption. We need to compete with the disruption that technology brings to our business," says Clive Dickens, chief operating officer of Absolute Radio, London, adding that the current landscape is a very "digital economy".

Mr Dickens said the rise of this "digital economy" caused a dip in revenue for radio even before recession set in and affected businesses.

This is having far reaching consequences. Already, there has been a change in audience behaviour in recent years as a result of technological changes, says Terry Volkwyn, chief executive of Primedia Broadcasting, a South African media group.

Since they have more access to information, Ms Volkwyn argues, the audiences have become "more demanding and discerning", which is turning radio into a more fast-paced medium.

In addition to pressure from the audience, Tim Davie, who heads audio and radio at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), says radio is facing the challenge of a significant reduction in the hours people now spend listening to it.

This development, brought about by the many choices at the disposal of audiences, has heightened competition.

A report commissioned by the Centre for International Media Assistance (Cima) on the deployment of community radio in the developing world says with ongoing development of technology and the on-demand content, there is concern that conventional broadcasting on the FM wave-band will soon look outdated.

It is not all gloom, though. Apart from these looming threats and concerns over the future, developments in technology also bear good tidings for the future of radio.

Apart from opening up avenues for interaction with audiences by increasing the range of platforms available, industry players say, technology has revolutionised reporting and tremendously increased the value that the medium delivers to advertisers.

The report by the US-based Cima says that new technology presents great opportunities to radio broadcasters and their listeners.

Biggest revolution

"Arguably, mobile telephony represents the biggest revolution in radio since the invention of the transistor, while computers and the internet have transformed, or have the potential to transform, programming," it says.

Ms Volkwyn, whose firm runs four radio stations in South Africa, says that audiences can now contribute to conversations on talk shows through text messages, download programmes online and have news delivered to their cellphones.

On average, her firm handles 6,000 text messages from the stations' listeners in an hour.

According to her, current developments are not a threat to radio, since humans have the capacity to adapt to different technologies.

She considers censorship and absence of media freedom much more of a threat to the viability of radio today.

Mr Dickens agrees that consumers will adapt to whatever is there, adding that viewed the other way, technology is an enabler to the industry.

Despite the optimism though, there is consensus on the need for the industry to adapt to the rise of new media.

"Radio will continue to enjoy popularity if it keeps in touch with the needs of audiences," says Dr Mary Myers, a media consultant at the Radio, Convergence and Development in Africa (RCDA) research project.

Stayed resilient

She says that one of the ways this could do this is by embracing new technology and getting online to tap into the new alternative platforms.

Mr Dickens says so far, radio has stayed resilient to the ongoing changes in the digital space because it has co-opted new platforms.

Studies across the continent by the RCDA project indicate that most radio stations have embraced computers and digital editing, including small rural stations.

"However, the convergence is slow and is still subject to the digital divide," it adds.

The report says urban and commercial radio stations are embracing the internet and other technologies much more than the poorer ones.

Though convergence between traditional radio broadcasting and new technologies is a reality, the report notes, "its benefits, in terms of development gains, are yet to be clearly and conclusively demonstrated".

Nonetheless, experts say radio has to conform if it is to survive.

The report by Cima, suggests that radio stations "look to the future" and embrace new technology creatively.

Among the strategies that have been suggested for adaptation by radio include doing much more than transmitting sound as it has traditionally done, which is already being put into use across the world.

Radio organisations like Absolute Radio in the UK and Jacaranda Afrikaner (Ja.fm) in South Africa are embracing novel strategies online.

05 August, 2011 by COSMAS BUTUNYI (Daily Nation)

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Source: www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/1214242/-/item/0/-/oqj0s8/-/index.html (Accessed: 08.08.2011)