Is Radio Dead?

Like most of my friends at the end of the 20th century, we obsessed over hockey, MSN Messenger and Napster. I remember our parents would drop us off at Boston Pizza on a Friday night, and we’d sit there and talk shit. But sometimes, we’d talk philosophy or the future of business.

Some friends really started diving into stocks, and they encouraged me to do so. There was only one problem — I didn’t have any money. Regardless, I would sit there and listen to these 17-year old kids prognosticate like they were Warren Buffett. But, I remember the one stock that everyone obsessed over was Sirius Satellite Radio.

It made sense.

Satellite radio was supposed to be revolutionary and destroy terrestrial radio. It would be the default way that we would listen to radio in the future. You would be able to choose any content that you wanted at any time.
Sirius was officially launched in 2002. Thirteen years later — it’s only made a minor dent into the world of media. I’m pretty sure my friends lost money on that one.

In the mid-2000s, podcasting was also framed as being disruptive. It never really took off either, but never really died. However, in 2015, podcasting officially hit the mainstream — partly due to Serial. An internet phenomenon, Serial was podcasting’s first breakout show, and it finally put the medium on the map. People started downloading the podcast app on their phones, and it became a gateway to other great content.

To be honest, I don’t know how a radio station survives. It doesn’t compete against other radio stations, it competes against all forms of media:
• Podcasts
• Music streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, Songza, etc.
• NetFlix
• YouTube
• Apps
• Games

Recently, I sat down with Katrina Ingram, Chief Operating Officer of CKUA Radio. CKUA Radio is an 87 year old organization founded at the University of Alberta on the principal of using radio to serve the community. Of course, I asked her about the disruption in radio and her responses were pretty fascinating. As the COO of a reputable radio station, her answer on where radio will be in 25 years will shock you.

Fittingly, our conversation was part of a new podcast that my colleague, Wang Yip, and I started called The Dip. The Dip explores industries & companies that are on the brink of disruption, and what they’re doing to compete.

You can hear our interview and find us on iTunes here.