Traditional Radio Audiences
With the development of the digital age individuals are empowered with the technology that enables them to create and more importantly share their productions and opinions publicly. Previously, audiences did not have the opportunity or means to distribute their works publicly; they were technologically inhibited when it came to contributing to public media. Rather, their own projects or fan-based productions were contained within the home, or limited to a close circle of friends. Due to the Internet and the ability to distribute with ease on such a public and large scale, active audiences and the participatory culture, which was initially contained underground, have now been exposed and brought to attention.
Traditional radio listeners have always been active audiences in relation to broadcast media, however it is only with the rise of new technology and the Internet that the ability to participate and have an interactive relationship with broadcasters has become prevalent. In an article for the Journal of Broadcasting, Charlene Simmons discusses the division of scholars on the definition of interactivity. One belief is that interactivity is 'dependent on the technological features' (Simmons 2009) of a communication medium. Whereas the opposing belief proposes that interactivity is actually 'a manifestation of how users perceive their communication experience' (Simmons 2009), which is reliant on the content produced as opposed to the technologies accessible.
However we propose that to establish the prime level of interactivity, traditional broadcasters must reach a well-balanced combination of relevant, relatable and personal content, amalgamated with the technologies to support a variety of outlets for content as well as two-way communication channels. In an interview with Joel Carnegie, the operations manager of 3mbsFM, the importance of local content in the development of a loyal and participatory audience is highlighted.
Joel Carnegie, Operations Manager 3MBS says -
Traditional radio listeners have always been active audiences in relation to broadcast media, however it is only with the rise of new technology and the Internet that the ability to participate and have an interactive relationship with broadcasters has become prevalent. In an article for the Journal of Broadcasting, Charlene Simmons discusses the division of scholars on the definition of interactivity. One belief is that interactivity is 'dependent on the technological features' (Simmons 2009) of a communication medium. Whereas the opposing belief proposes that interactivity is actually 'a manifestation of how users perceive their communication experience' (Simmons 2009), which is reliant on the content produced as opposed to the technologies accessible.
However we propose that to establish the prime level of interactivity, traditional broadcasters must reach a well-balanced combination of relevant, relatable and personal content, amalgamated with the technologies to support a variety of outlets for content as well as two-way communication channels. In an interview with Joel Carnegie, the operations manager of 3mbsFM, the importance of local content in the development of a loyal and participatory audience is highlighted.
Joel Carnegie, Operations Manager 3MBS says -
"We’ve just put a new project up online called Recitals on Demand which is all about recording visually performances that go live to air and we package them afterwards and they go on our website. So people can actually see that there are real musicians in here playing. And that really adds a different dynamic to the performance... Regardless of what the platform is and regardless of how things amalgamate or they don’t, people will still want content, content is king. If we can produce good quality content, that’s interesting for our audience then regardless of what platform we deliver it on, it doesn’t really matter.
It’s all about how can we connect with our community in order to best deliver a service that’s relevant, that’s engaging, that looks at ways in which we can innovate from a technology perspective. And it’s all about community relevance. For instance, coming up in the next week or so we’ve got 25 ensembles coming into this space and performing live. That’s really connecting in and allowing our audiences to listen to performers, and allow the performers to connect with the audience so that now the audience can go ‘oh maybe I’ve discovered something on 3mbs, maybe I’ll go to the concert, maybe I’ll buy their Cd’ an develop followings that way. So in fact we’re a bit of a catalyst in pulling together the audience and the performers and composers. Pulling them together and uncovering talent, promoting the community, promoting the performers and composers and also the wider arts community as well."
Participatory Culture
Providing a definition for participatory culture is the first step to developing a clear understanding of what it means for the audience to be active in their relationship with media technology as well as media producers. Also by outlining the key attributes that are the building blocks of for a flourishing participatory culture we can then take the step to devise strategies broadcasters can implement to ensure they are encouraging an active audience. Borrowing the definition from Jenkins (2006), participatory culture requires:
1. Relatively low barriers for artistic expression,
2. Strong support for creating and expressing opinions as well as enabling the sharing of user's creations.
3. Some type of informal 'mentorship' where the experts can model appropriate content and behaviour and pass this knowledge on to the novices.
4. Users to believe that their contributions and opinions are valued,
5. Users to feel some degree of social connection with the rest of the community of listeners (or at the very least care what other people think about what they have created).
It’s important to note that not all members of the audience will participate and it is not essential for every user to contribute to a project in order to gain something from the interaction. However every user must believe they have an equal opportunity to contribute as they wish and that their input will be respected and valued.
Media practitioners need to be aware of the difference between creating an interactive environment for their audience compared to a participatory situation. Participation is an element of culture, and requires producers to lend the audience the power and freedom to be in control of creating their own paths and connections and allow the audience and users to become co-producers. Interactivity is however, an attribute of technology and only enables users to play in a predetermined framework. The combination of local and relevant content that engages audiences on a personal level with the accessibility, ease and resources new technologies offer allow a participatory relationship between users and broadcasters to prosper. Hence the need for relevant and local content that offers users the chance to actually participate and potentially provide valuable input into the discussions and productions.
1. Relatively low barriers for artistic expression,
2. Strong support for creating and expressing opinions as well as enabling the sharing of user's creations.
3. Some type of informal 'mentorship' where the experts can model appropriate content and behaviour and pass this knowledge on to the novices.
4. Users to believe that their contributions and opinions are valued,
5. Users to feel some degree of social connection with the rest of the community of listeners (or at the very least care what other people think about what they have created).
It’s important to note that not all members of the audience will participate and it is not essential for every user to contribute to a project in order to gain something from the interaction. However every user must believe they have an equal opportunity to contribute as they wish and that their input will be respected and valued.
Media practitioners need to be aware of the difference between creating an interactive environment for their audience compared to a participatory situation. Participation is an element of culture, and requires producers to lend the audience the power and freedom to be in control of creating their own paths and connections and allow the audience and users to become co-producers. Interactivity is however, an attribute of technology and only enables users to play in a predetermined framework. The combination of local and relevant content that engages audiences on a personal level with the accessibility, ease and resources new technologies offer allow a participatory relationship between users and broadcasters to prosper. Hence the need for relevant and local content that offers users the chance to actually participate and potentially provide valuable input into the discussions and productions.
Media Behaviour
There is a huge variety of users who maintain an assortment of habits that influence the ways in which they interact with media broadcasters. Drive time radio is still one of the most popular times for listeners and as Joel Carnegie predicts, once digital radios are integrated into cars, there will be a much larger cross-over from FM to digital listenership. Current studies suggest there are certain categories of media-users, they share different habits and behaviours and also have different reasons for using and interacting with media. It needs to be noted however, that users don't normally remain in just one category, they often shift between the various labels depending on their particular need at the time. Each media-user typology has a different need and thus will interact in different ways with media broadcasters. Research provided by MUT (Brandtzaeg 2010) supplies an analytical breakdown of the most common typologies, which offers an insight into the most common behaviours, and an estimation of user demands among the various types. Although this research focuses more on user behaviour online it is still relevant for radio listenership, especially with the introduction of radio online, and needs to be highly considered when radio broadcasters begin to strengthen their online presence.
Non-users - broadcasters shouldn't be concerned with the non-users, there will always be a percentage of society that does not have access to the appropriate technology or chooses not to engage with radio.
Sporadics - these types of users have a low frequency and variety of usage. They don't have that much experience with new technologies, they aren't particularly interested in the new online playground and they don't have any particular or reoccurring activity online.
Debaters - with a medium level of usage, the debaters are purposeful in their actions, choices and usage. They have the desire to be active in discussions, they are keen for information and want to have a two-way relationship where information can be exchanged.
Entertainment users - with a moderate level of usage, this type of user consumes entertainment media in a more passive style. They will probably not actively engage in discussion like the debaters, however they will listen to a fair amount of programs, silently.
Lurkers - this form of behaviour is one that many audience members will often slip into. They are predominately killing time, so they will prefer to flick through content, which doesn't ask for full attention or a commitment.
Instrumental Users - these users are low on entertainment purposes, and are often the ones who look for the bargains - the best shows, what offers them the most, what would be the most beneficial for them. They tend to use media and the internet for work related purposes, which means they would probably be more likely to stream informative programs rather than listen to a traditional radio when at work.
Advanced users - Advanced users have the highest usage of media and are also the most skilled in the online domain. They will fulfill all of their desires online, work, entertainment, socializing. It is this type of user that will be the most participatory and active in their relationship with media broadcasters. Although they are also the least common typology they appear to be the quickest users to jump onto new platforms.
There has been extensive research into media-user typology, revolving around online users. Due to the ability to collect data about user presence on particular sites, user behaviour has been exposed to a level that has not previously been achieved with traditional broadcast mediums. However as radio practitioners in particular, have only recently begun to make the shift to the digital realm, statistics that reveal the popularity of streaming as opposed to listening FM are still sketchy but as Phil Wales reveals in relation to 3RRR and the launch of Radio on Demand, there is a gradual increase in the crossover between traditional FM and online streaming, as audiences begin to experiment, become more technologically literate and the overall publicity of available online content expands.
There have been plenty of studies, research and statistics about when and where members of different demographics and age ranges listen to radio and which stations and programs they listen to but no substantial research has delved into how and by what means users listen to radio. As digital technology becomes much more incorporated in everyday life, audiences become technologically literate and content is produced for these platforms more statistics will begin to be unveiled. The graph below illustrates the spread of audiences across broadcast platforms in 2011, and although traditional broadcast mediums, television and local radio, are still dominant, it is evident that newly developing mediums are gathering momentum. As the shift to the digital world is only a recent development for radio, FM radio is currently still the number one platform for listeners, however as radio broadcasters develop their online and digital presence audiences will inevitably and exponentially flourish further across platforms.
Non-users - broadcasters shouldn't be concerned with the non-users, there will always be a percentage of society that does not have access to the appropriate technology or chooses not to engage with radio.
Sporadics - these types of users have a low frequency and variety of usage. They don't have that much experience with new technologies, they aren't particularly interested in the new online playground and they don't have any particular or reoccurring activity online.
Debaters - with a medium level of usage, the debaters are purposeful in their actions, choices and usage. They have the desire to be active in discussions, they are keen for information and want to have a two-way relationship where information can be exchanged.
Entertainment users - with a moderate level of usage, this type of user consumes entertainment media in a more passive style. They will probably not actively engage in discussion like the debaters, however they will listen to a fair amount of programs, silently.
Lurkers - this form of behaviour is one that many audience members will often slip into. They are predominately killing time, so they will prefer to flick through content, which doesn't ask for full attention or a commitment.
Instrumental Users - these users are low on entertainment purposes, and are often the ones who look for the bargains - the best shows, what offers them the most, what would be the most beneficial for them. They tend to use media and the internet for work related purposes, which means they would probably be more likely to stream informative programs rather than listen to a traditional radio when at work.
Advanced users - Advanced users have the highest usage of media and are also the most skilled in the online domain. They will fulfill all of their desires online, work, entertainment, socializing. It is this type of user that will be the most participatory and active in their relationship with media broadcasters. Although they are also the least common typology they appear to be the quickest users to jump onto new platforms.
There has been extensive research into media-user typology, revolving around online users. Due to the ability to collect data about user presence on particular sites, user behaviour has been exposed to a level that has not previously been achieved with traditional broadcast mediums. However as radio practitioners in particular, have only recently begun to make the shift to the digital realm, statistics that reveal the popularity of streaming as opposed to listening FM are still sketchy but as Phil Wales reveals in relation to 3RRR and the launch of Radio on Demand, there is a gradual increase in the crossover between traditional FM and online streaming, as audiences begin to experiment, become more technologically literate and the overall publicity of available online content expands.
There have been plenty of studies, research and statistics about when and where members of different demographics and age ranges listen to radio and which stations and programs they listen to but no substantial research has delved into how and by what means users listen to radio. As digital technology becomes much more incorporated in everyday life, audiences become technologically literate and content is produced for these platforms more statistics will begin to be unveiled. The graph below illustrates the spread of audiences across broadcast platforms in 2011, and although traditional broadcast mediums, television and local radio, are still dominant, it is evident that newly developing mediums are gathering momentum. As the shift to the digital world is only a recent development for radio, FM radio is currently still the number one platform for listeners, however as radio broadcasters develop their online and digital presence audiences will inevitably and exponentially flourish further across platforms.
As you can see in the second graph audiences are evolving and adapting, and although more people have traditional broadcast devices newer technologies are becoming much more significant in households. This suggests that ,as a traditionally audio-based medium, it would be more beneficial for radio broadcasters to establish a stronger presence online and embrace mobile devices that offer apps for radio listening, so as to provide audiences with content that is accessible across all platforms.
One of the advantages with enabling online streaming is that local broadcast radio becomes accessible world wide. Audiences are now searching for radio programs that they can relate to on other levels other than just locality. Radio is a communication tool that helps create communities, connecting diverse individuals from a range of locations. Traditional broadcast radio assists in building, to borrow the term from Anderson (1983), an 'imagined community', enabling individuals to connect with each other in an 'indefinitely stretchable net of kinship' (Anderson 1983 p7). The statistics provided by Localystics demonstrates that there is a demand and an accompanying audience that lies outside of a radio station's local community. Many factors determine why listeners may connect with a station that's not in their personal locale, such as migration. Those who listened to a station at home however have moved away to another state or even overseas may continue to listen to their home station as an attempt to remain connected within that community.
Requirements for a Participatory Audience
Radio broadcasters need to encourage and foster a participatory environment, which will assist in supporting the youth in the development of skills, self-confidence, and an understanding of the ethical frameworks and appropriate behaviour within online, public and participatory communities. Both technologies and content are essential components of broadcast media and are both equally important in the successful production of radio. Jenkins points out the vital components that could be taken advantage of and used by broadcasters and producers to promote a participatory culture and establish a stronger relationship with an active audience.
1. Affiliations - alliances and loyalties constructed through memberships within communities centred around common interests, strongly enhanced by providing local content. Affiliations can also be enhanced by the inclusion of various forms of social media such as Facebook and forums.
1. Affiliations - alliances and loyalties constructed through memberships within communities centred around common interests, strongly enhanced by providing local content. Affiliations can also be enhanced by the inclusion of various forms of social media such as Facebook and forums.
2. Expressions + Collaborative Problem-Solving - the opportunities and ability to be the producer and not just the consumer. Allowing users to compose new creative forms, that will have a purpose and be respected by others in the community. Also providing the potential to work with teams and groups of countless other users to contribute equally to a project, develop new knowledge and where each user's input is valued. This will also work to consolidate affiliations, and assist members at strengthening their bond with the rest of the community.
3. Circulations - being part of an ongoing cycle of information and having an influential role in shaping the stream of media (through blogging, youtubing, twittering)
4. Technological Accessibility - enabling content to be available at all times on a variety of platforms and communication devices that enable easy consumption and production by users wherever they are.
If radio broadcasters can implement strategies that enable them to incorporate all of these components they will inevitably succeed at establishing a participatory, loyal and supportive community.