Radio starts listening
I
think I have Cassandra syndrome. If you’re not familiar with Greek mythology (or the movie 12 Monkeys), then you wouldn’t know that Cassandra syndrome relates to a person whose valid warnings or concerns are disbelieved by others. That’s how I’ve been feeling of late: like I have Cassandra syndrome. From the start of a tough year for all of us, second wave into a third, with businesses trying to get back to a semblance of normality, it seems like no matter how much we exhort broadcasters to embrace tech to help them know and engage their audiences, it’s just not happening. Well, not fast enough anyway. The broadcasting industry seems to be where print was 15 years ago. But what’s worse is that radio in particular seems to think itself as some kind of ‘immortal’ in the media world. I’ve had countless conversations with station and programming managers all over the world about their futures. There is a recognition that digital merged with FM has scale and data to match. But then they don’t move on that knowledge, or in certain instances are putting their future into podcasts or – worse – an already collapsing programmatic model. Their inability to move forward, or make a small change now that will make a big difference later, has become a weekly excuse.
Radio needs to embrace tech in order to understand its audiences and their needs better, writes JONATHAN LUMLEY.
44 i T H E M E D I A
themediaonline.co.za
… What’s worse is that radio in particular seems to think itself as some kind of ‘immortal’ in the media world
