Convergence & Visual Culture
With the rapid advance of digital technology, radio is transforming itself into a newer form of media by incorporating convergence applications and visual materials – adding sight to a once sightless medium. This does not necessarily mean that listeners are no longer able to have a pure aural experience, it simply means that there is another layer of contents that allows the users to enhance that experience in the online space and through different devices that are available in the market. In many ways, youth radio stations are leading the phenomena of media convergence. Due to young radio users’ tendency to search for what they want to consume, radio stations are compelled to produce more audiovisual contents in the web. These users are also more likely to browse visually rather than in text, which encourages stations to create well-designed websites with large icons and graphics.
Broadcasters now have to think outside the box and invest in new ways of storytelling. Radio programs that flourish do not just flourish on their own; they make the best out of relevant platforms that are out there. Television, radio, social media, mobile phones, and the web can no longer be treated as separate entities. They are all interconnected through different pathways that ultimately lead to a larger pool of information (Marks, Transmediale, 2011). Metadata storage is one of the key achievements in recent digital radio developments, a technology that links one content to another just like any library catalogue collection. Users can easily find relevant information about the things that they hear on the radio and go on to indulge into data surfing - just like web surfing. This idea of metadata will be explored in depth later in the report.
Station Websites
Digital radio enables stations to put up exclusive web-only promotions, bio of artists and show guests, links to external sources, billboards displaying upcoming topics, and interview transcripts – things that could not be shared in traditional radio platform. The website of such a vital part of a radio station that it carries as much weight as actual on-air programs.
Radio has the power to drive traffic to the web like no other media - radio programs often direct the listeners to their website, and the website directs the users back to the station’s different programs. This smooth cycle keeps people engaged in the ever-expending contents of the station and keeps things interesting for P1s (dedicated listeners). Streaming, podcasting, and mobile-casting also plays an importance role in radio convergence, allowing users to access contents from every corner of the world.
Growth of DAB + in Australia
Since August 2009, high-powered DAB+ service has been tested and distributed across Australia in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (and later Canberra and Darwin). This began as a collaborative industry effort between the ABC, SBS, and other commercial radio stations. According to the 2012 Digital Radio Report by Digital Radio Plus, around 60% of Australians now have access to digital radio services in their local area (p.6). The report also states that there are about 50 different stations that provide DAB+, which include commercial, public, and popular community AM / FM stations. Moreover, there are 31 stations that solely run on DAB+ service. This has led to a substantial growth of digital radio device market, with more than 120 models being produced and sold online and in offline stores across the country. These device models include ‘MP3 & MP4 players, radios with touchscreens, iPod docks with integrated DAB+ radio, HiFis, clock radios, WiFi attached models, in car adaptors, and aftermarket car radios’ (p.26). The price range varies depending on different features and capabilities, but the cost is slowly getting reduced in order to target younger audiences. When asked why they chose digital radio, most users replied that the reason was for better sound quality. However, many are also converting in order to access the new DAB+ digital only radio stations (p.29).
It is apparent that the number of digital radio consumers are increasing. The main findings in the Digital Radio Report indicate that in 2012, 1.2 million people (about 9.5% of radio users nationwide) are listening to DAB+ each week, which is 400,000 more people than the previous year. This also means 1 out of 10 Australian households have digital radio, and the numbers are predicted to nearly double by 2014. It is undoubtedly “one of the fastest expansion of any new technology in Australia” (p.7). Compared to 2009, the amount of time young listeners between the age of 10 and 17 spend listening to DAB+ has increased from 2.3% to 8.1%. In the demographic of 18 – 24 year olds, it has increased from 1.1% to 6.5% (p.11). The average time Australian listeners spend with digital radio is over 12 hours per week – an 8 hour increase from when it was first launched in 2009. This graph illustrates how digital radio's household penetration rate exceeds that of most other media technologies or mediums in the market (it would most probably overtake DVD by 2014):
Young digital radio listeners in the 16-24 age group are most likely to listen to radio through multiple devices, such as car stereo and PC, or with MP3 player and smartphones. They are the most versatile kind of users (early adapters) and they are more ‘aware’ of the functionalities and the features that digital radio has to offer. For example, 45% of listeners from this age group knew about the digital-only stations, whereas only 23% of the users from the 25+ age group knew about this area of development. Below are some statistics about the digital radio features that the youth audience consider to be important. Better reception and clearer sound quality were the priority for most of the respondents, but features such as the ability to pause & rewind, download music, receive electronic guide, and the ability to tune in by station names were some of the points that followed closely (pp.40-41).
It should be noted that mobile connectivity has an important role to play in expanding young users’ radio consumption pattern. More than half of the participants in the youth survey (52%) said they are using their phones to access radio. DAB+ has yet to penetrate this market as most of these consumers are using phones with standard broadcast FM receiver or mobile streaming services (p.42).
In terms of DAB+ signal capacity, Australia has the most powerful digital radio transmission system in the world. The industry is currently planning to spread the technology to regional Australia with some adjustment in the cost modeling and preparation for negotiations with the Federal Government. DAB+’s digital radio awareness campaign is still ongoing,
with general ads about the new medium being played through various analogue
metropolitan radio stations (p.32).
Opening New Opportunities
Commercial Radio Australia (the organization that oversees DAB+ testings on commercial radio station) predicts that digital radio will have beneficial impact on advertisers. According to chief executive of the organization, Joan Warner, radio advertisers can now use their air-time more effectively since unnecessarily bits such as Terms and Conditions can be replaced to texts on screens. Moreover, advertisers can now add their brand logos, product shots, and even e-coupons to bring radio commercials to a new level.
Surveys from TargetSpot also show that internet radio increases online & broadcast ad effectiveness. There is a significant increase in broadcast radio ad recall and response rates when combined with internet radio use.
+ Listeners who use both broadcast and internet radio had 3.5 times higher ad response rate than those who only consumed traditional broadcast radio.
+ Radio listeners also had a slightly better recollection of the advertisement when they encountered it through internet radio.
Furthermore, internet radio listeners have higher engagement rate with radio stations. As shown in the below graph, 45% of internet radio users spend more than 8 hours per week listening to radio, whereas only 34% of non-users spend the same amount of time in front of their radio. The majority of non-users (those who only listen to traditional broadcast radio) are more likely to listen to radio around 1 - 7 hours a week.
According to Nick Pigott, head of Creative Technology at Global Radio, advertisement revenues in all traditional media such as radio, television, newspaper, and cinema have been experiencing a decrease over the years as more and more advertisers invest a larger amount of their overall marketing budgets into internet related marketing, which includes visual advertising on websites and social networking sites. However, radio stations that manage to establish strong online presence are able to attract more advertisers and successfully counterbalance the decline in their broadcast advertisement revenues.
DAB+ in Australia has already started testing with real time traffic advice & navigation system prior to 2009. As a country that loves sport, there has also been a substantial advancement in terms of real-time updating system (Warner, 2009). For example, a ‘photo finish’ can be provided for horse racing fans during the Melbourne Cup season, which increases the audience’s engagement, not only with the event, but with the radio station as well. A constant score update for football and cricket matches are another factor that appeals to many sports fans. This technology can be further developed to into different life-saving services in times of natural disasters such as Queensland flood crisis or Victorian bushfires. The residents of these areas can be regularly notified of danger zones and hazard levels via digital maps, and it would play a significant role in announcing a call-out for volunteers to deal with the situation.
Commercial Radio Australia has been actively promoting DAB+ technology within Australia and overseas in order to broaden the use of digital radio and urge device manufacturers to produce more products that support the hybridization of audio and multimedia content (Warner, 2009). The organization produced a detailed Ensemble Transport Interface (ETI) file that included up to 32 digital radio channels, slideshows, images, PNG logos, and scrolling text, as a free trial package to aid device manufacturers all around the globe to test and optimize these new elements in their upcoming products. After the ETI file distribution, Commercial Radio Australia went on to make a campaign with similar components targeting several Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia, to fully showcase the capabilities of DAB+ and open up their markets to digital radio technology.
Commercial Radio Australia has been actively promoting DAB+ technology within Australia and overseas in order to broaden the use of digital radio and urge device manufacturers to produce more products that support the hybridization of audio and multimedia content (Warner, 2009). The organization produced a detailed Ensemble Transport Interface (ETI) file that included up to 32 digital radio channels, slideshows, images, PNG logos, and scrolling text, as a free trial package to aid device manufacturers all around the globe to test and optimize these new elements in their upcoming products. After the ETI file distribution, Commercial Radio Australia went on to make a campaign with similar components targeting several Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia, to fully showcase the capabilities of DAB+ and open up their markets to digital radio technology.
Case Study: EBU's Hybrid Radio
EBU Technical (part of European Broadcasting Union) is a collective organization made up of Europe’s 75 national broadcast stations that constantly monitor and analyze technical developments in the mediascape in the European Union and around the world. It promotes new changes across industries by holding annual seminars and exhibitions, and tries to create a better media environment with interoperability and equal access in all significant services and platforms.
According to the organization, their objectives are:
- To create and test new services with broadcasters.
- To offer broadcasters open tools that can be integrated with their production systems to experiment and test new services with their stations.
- To help to break the chicken-and-egg situation between the industry and broadcasters by enabling faster adoption on broadcaster level.
In last year’s Digital Radio Show 2011 in Brussels, EBU revealed a new service tool to demonstrate the concept of hybrid radio. They set up what seemed like a traditional radio show, but built visual components around it, such as photos, slides, facebook ‘like’ buttons. This meant that the blank spaces on smart phones, tablet PCs, and radio screens could now be replaced with something more interesting and informative. Furthermore, listeners who downloaded the podcasts after the show was over could still see all the components and have the same kind of experience.
As shown in the above video, the hybrid radio screens display background information about the show, the presenter, and the topic that is being discussed. Listeners can read about the guest speakers as they are speaking (reducing the confusion on who is speaking when there are multiple guests) . Furthermore, EBU’s hybrid radio also enables broadcasters to use a ‘voting widget’ that can carry out live voting, and real time Twitter feeds to communicate with the audience in multiple levels. This allows a proper two-way communication to come about in radio; users can express their opinions almost instantly, and broadcasters (and radio presenters) can take this information into consideration and direct the course of the show or the interview.
The listeners have the choice to press the buttons that say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from their homes and cars, and the production team can monitor the feedback from their studios without having to wait for individual phone calls or text messages. There is also the possibility of radio web archive, where listeners can access archival materials from the past using digital radio devices. Older audiences can search for radio shows that they reminiscence and want to listen to again. Below are some of the visual images of the actual radio show that went on air on October 11th, 2011:
EBU's project proved that digital hybrid radios have similar workflows as traditional radio, which meant the production team did not have to go through too many difficult changes and alteration. The Digital Radio Show 2011 was, in its core, a proof of concept and research to show developers and platform manufacturers that hybrid radio can be easily integrated into current radio practice. It shows us the future of radio – that with the help of new innovations, radio can maintain its position as a truly intimate, democratic medium of communication in the digital age.
EBU works closely together with RadioDNS, a non-for-profit project that allows radio stations to maintain 'economically attractive model of massmarket broadcasting’ by merging radio and IP technology (Pigott, 2010, p.1). Adopting IP technology means broadcasters can now generate new services in much more faster and cheaper ways because, as mentioned earlier, the workflow is fairly similar to traditional radio production procedure and it does not require high level of development costs. Many broadcasters has the ability to convert more than 25% of their dedicated listeners to their website users (this rate might vary between different target demographics). Lastly, it means users can access radio programs through any IP-connected devices, ranging from smart phones to various games consoles. One of the innovative services that RadioDNS provides is the RadioTAG function. If the listener wants to find out more about the song or the artist, one simply has to press a button while the song is playing and it will transmit the required information. Because this is based in IP technology, it can be used to monitor the listener’s preferences and personalize the service for each listener.
Harmonized Metadata
The RadioTAG function mentioned above is closely linked to the idea of metadata. Metadata in digital radio can be divided into two main categories. One is content metadata and the other is commercial metadata. Content metadata, for instance, includes all the information related to the song or the artist. Commercial metadata, on the other hand, is a digital metadata that is related to advertised products and campaigns. The user has the option of selecting a particular section of ‘commercial data’ or tagging and advertisement so that he or she can receive a link to a coupon, a barcode, an audio file, or other types of commercial endorsement. It may also include contact information, a location map, or even text instructions (Bares & Reid, 2012, pp.3-4).
With the help of GPS technology, metadata services can determine the user’s location and customize the kind of content or advertising it is giving out to the user. Service providers are currently working on a project in order to come up with a radio device can send the same kind of information to other devices that are pre-selected by the user. For example, if a radio ad is about a particular restaurant, the digital radio might send a map to the GPS in your car while sending e-coupons or e-menus to your email or smartphone (p.4).
Radio metadata service has already been proven to be useful in internet radios and smartphone apps. Pandora Radio has recently created an iPhone application that allows the users to build personalized radio stations just for themselves. For example, when you first enter the application, you tell the system a little bit about yourself by inserting basic information such as your favorite music genre and favorite artists. It will initially start off by playing the songs that you already know, but subsequently introduce you to other tracks and other artists that are similar to your taste. This applies to comedy shows and radio talk shows as well. The concept fits in well with today’s radio consumer culture, as more and more users are demanding complete control of their music and programs with instant access to the songs that fit their mood and choice.
Interview with Timmy Byrne & Case Study on KISS FM
KISS FM is a Melbourne-based dance music station that deals with contemporary music culture. According to Timmy Byrne (Station Manager & Program Director), the relationship between the station and the audience is far stronger than what most commercial radio stations such as FOX FM or NOVA FM can set out achieve. The local listeners can have a more intimate, immediate engagement with the DJs whereas the stations that broadcast nationwide do not provide this kind of social connection. KISS FM’s listeners do not just tune into the station while traveling in their cars, they listen to it wherever they are and there is a passionate sense of community.
The station has recently launched a mobile app that allows the users to stream their programs. The new conversion was a huge success as there were over 4000 downloads, most of which were by smartphone users. Timmy emphasizes the importance of smartphone technology and its potentials in the future of the radio industry as it liberates the audience from tradition devices and listening habits (and locations). People now have the choice to listen to their favorite stations without having to buy a separate device with the help of relatively low-cost mobile apps. Changes like this has been happening all over the industry. The Australia Radio Network (ARN) also launched a social media integrated app that offers multi-platform experiences, which operates on all popular mobile devices such as Google Android, Nokia, Apple iPhone, and even iPad. In an article written on the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association website, it states “With the convergence of technology, it’s clear that Smart-Phones are very quickly emerging as not only the new laptop computer, but also the new radio…We are not only ensuring we’re ‘front and centre’ on these devices, but more importantly we’re extending our relationship with our listeners and clients through their virtual lives” (Paul Parker, Group Sales Director of ARN).
Timmy Byrne likes the idea of radio with pictures, but believes that radio is still very much an aural experience, distinguishing itself from other means of communication. KISS FM does, however, have its own video section and has been collaborating with organizations such a SpeakerTV to cover events and concerts visually. Timmy points out that audience participation has risen due to their online website and admits that there can be improvements in terms of consistency in putting up visual materials. He says the station is aiming to send out videographers and photographers to carry out interviews and shoots in order to provide the more contents in the future. At the moment, they are focusing on raising awareness and community activity within the social media sphere mainly using Facebook and Twitter. Again, this links back to the idea of intimate engagement between the station and the users. KISS FM’s posts on Facebook consist of informal, exaggerated language that young audiences can relate to. They even use popular ‘memes’ to share their ideas and humor unlike some commercial stations.
By looking at how a relatively small radio station such as KISS FM has been adapting to new hybrid/convergence culture successfully, it gives us a broader sense of where the industry is going and what the possibilities are.
Case Study: Novanation
Novanation, along with Red FM and Koffee, is one of the first internet 24/7 radio stations in Australia. It broadcasts through digital DAB+ and online streaming, and it is perhaps the best example of what can be incorporated into radio in the internet environment. The online streaming windows allow the users to interact with the station and with other users through live messages and polling segments, which can also be seen on the newsfeed section in the main part of the website. The station holds competitions where the audience can submit their own mix through audio networking sites such as SoundCloud, and these entries are shared publicly so that other people can listen to the submissions.
Novanation embraces SoundCloud as one of their primary method of engaging with the listeners – promoting each of the DJs and their work on the website itself. Articles, photo albums, and audio interviews with artists can be shared instantaneously on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and Google Buzz. The ‘events’ page displays detailed information about the upcoming events, including links to where people can purchase the tickets and Google Maps showing the exact location of the venues.