My comment on “ The truth about online live, linear radio”

This is a copy of a comment I made to a post by Jame Cridland over on radioinfo.com.au, which was about a heated Facebook argument with a yet unnamed internet radio chap.

Our unnamed Mr X made the claim that “radio listening has now almost entirely moved online”, whereas James took a more traditional radio stance, arguing about how the data doesn’t support Mr X’s claims that online apps have “taken over”. But I believe that is as much of a hard sell as Mr X’s argument, as the data isn’t recorded and reported in the first place, in the same way as traditional radio is.

But here’s my comment on the post, as I attempt to take a more mutual stand point on the matter. Especially as I work in both traditional radio, and internet.

I kick off by quoting a section of the post.

and his livelihood probably rests on trying to convince enough people that online-only radio (of the live, linear variety) is a viable business with a sensible amount of audience.

I would like to add, the same is true of traditional radio bods.

I often read online in industry press how every mobile phone should have an FM chip (I’m looking at you NEXTRADIO), or how DAB, and now DAB+ is the future of FM. Cold hard truth is, it’s too little, too late.

FM works, or should I say worked well for traditional media because the choice to the consumer was so little.

But in the era of mobile data, and the likes of Spotify (and Spotify should never ever be classed as internet radio) and TuneIn the traditional position of FM is eroded, as consumers have more choice forcing FM to up its game in-order to win listeners back.

I’m not saying that’s the death of radio, it’ll adapt, it always has, visual radio is a great example as is podcasting talk shows and interviews. But at the same time internet radio shouldn’t be knocked, as the internet is just another platform for the radio industry.

In regards to figures, internet radio stations, like their FM cousins tend to be a little cagey with their figures.

And let’s face it, RAJAR’s figures are compiled from around 100,000 people per year, and then with a combination of math and black magic, they create a report. But you know that.

However, with internet radio these figures can accurately be recorded. I know this, because I do. I created a web analytics platform to record this data in real-time for a few internet, and FM stations I work with. I’ve got
to say, its become addictive looking at the figures each week.

It is a shame though that RAJAR doesn’t cover internet radio, or at least I don’t believe they do. Nielsen has certified Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics, formerly Ando Media (acquired by Triton 2009), but I haven’t seen
much in the way of publicly available reports.

Long an short, I think it is about time both traditional radio and internet bury the hatchet, and preferably not in each other, as it is ultimately the listener who we serve, that makes the final choice in the consumption of
content, not us.