Month: November 2021

Broadcast radio continues to dominate as the most preferred source of in-car entertainment across the globe, according to a new international study* released by Edison Research. Almost all (90%) of the survey respondents say a broadcast radio tuner should be standard equipment in every car, a trend that is consistent across age groups, indicating strong demand among current and future car buyers.The survey also reveals that the availability of radio has a major impact on consumers’ vehicle purchasing decisions: 82% of potential car buyers say they would be less likely to buy or lease a vehicle that is not equipped with a built-in radio tuner.The survey – commissioned by WorldDAB in partnership with Radioplayer and sponsored by The National Association of Broadcasters, Commercial Radio Australia, and Xperi – interviewed those who had recently purchased or leased a new car, or plan to do so in the near future. The study included interviews in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the U.S.A.When considering the most valued standard-fit audio features in a new car, having a broadcast radio tuner ranks highest for the respondents (rated ‘important’ by 89%), ahead of USB ports (rated ‘important’ by 86%) and the availability of Bluetooth (rated ‘important’ by 85%), and well ahead of smartphone mirroring technology (Android Auto is rated ‘important’ by 65% and Apple CarPlay by 54%).Day-to-day consumption of broadcast radio among motorists remains significantly higher than for any other form of audio content. 65% of respondents say they listen to broadcast radio in the car ‘frequently’, versus 23% for online streaming music services and 15% for CDs. Echoing the usage levels, a clear majority (80%) agree with the statement: “radio provides a better listening experience in the car than other types of audio sources.”  Respondents say the primary reason for listening is ‘to get news and information’, cited by 63%, followed by ‘to hear favourite songs’ (42%).A clear majority don’t want to pay for radio – 93% say it is ‘important’ that radio should remain free to listen to – as it is currently via analogue and digital broadcast radio tuners. The importance of free-to-air radio was highlighted by motorists’ concerns about data charges for streamed content: a clear majority (70%) of those who currently listening to audio via their mobile device say they are ‘concerned’ about how much data they are using.Car buyers were also asked about their most desired added-value in-car radio features. Having an ‘ability to search for radio stations using voice controls’ is the most popular (mentioned by 58% of respondents), followed by ‘provision of information about content’ (54%).Ongoing radio consumption trends
Consumption of broadcast radio remains very high among today’s car buyers, with 89% saying they have listened in the last week, and 76% saying they listen at least once per day.
The car remains the most popular location for listening to radio, cited by an average 89% of respondents, followed by 75% who listen at home and 39% who listen at work.
Tom Webster, Senior Vice President at Edison Research, comments: “This is a major piece of consumer research covering some of the biggest automotive markets, yet attitudes about radio among car buyers across all of the countries surveyed were uncannily similar.“It’s clear, too, that broadcast radio was singled out specifically as a must-have option. Roughly two-thirds of motorists across all countries surveyed indicated that they ‘would not listen to their favourite radio stations’ if they were only available online. For consumers the availability of free, easy-to-access broadcast radio as standard is an essential part of the in-car entertainment system and looks set to remain so.”* Edison Research was commissioned by WorldDAB, in partnership with Radioplayer and sponsored by National Association of Broadcasters, Commercial Radio Australia, and Xperi, to conduct national online surveys in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The 6,287 respondents, evenly split among the six countries surveyed, reported either purchasing / leasing a new vehicle within the past two years or that they plan to purchase / lease a new vehicle in the next 12 months. Interviews were conducted between 1 September and 21 September 2021, and data was weighted to match the most recent population estimates from each country for age, gender, race and region. […]

Helwin Lesch, Head of Distribution and Controlling Department in the Production and Technology Directorate of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), was announced as this year’s recipient of the WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service at the WorldDAB General Assembly meeting on Monday. Helwin Lesch has been a pivotal figure in promoting DAB+ in Bavaria, in Germany and more widely in Europe. He has been an active member of the WorldDAB Steering Board for several years, in addition to being a founding member of the European Digital Radio Alliance (EDRA). He has worked at Bavaria’s public broadcaster, BR, since 2002, first as Head of the Main Program Distribution Department, then as Head of the Main Planning and Technology Department, and since 2015, as Head of the newly created Main Distribution and Controlling Department.In addition to his responsibilities at BR, Helwin serves as a member of the Executive Board of Digital Radio Platform e.V. (DRP), and as a member of the advisory board of Bayerische Medien Technik (BMT) GmbH and Bayern Digital Radio (BDR) GmbH.Prior to joining BR, Helwin worked with the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM) as a specialist consultant, while simultaneously working as an authorized signatory at Bayerische Medien-Service-Gesellschaft mbH (BayMS).Commenting on receiving the award he said: “Digital radio will help to ensure that radio continues to play an important role for people in the future and provides a common information base for discussions in our society. Even though I am no longer a member of the Steering Board, I will continue to devote all my energy to digital radio.” […]

Content from BPRA common challenge for programmers is differentiation of their news/information programs from those of the competition. There are a number of ways to do this.
NAME IT. Many years ago, a station in New York State identified its news bulletins as “Action Central News.” Even though it did not necessarily mean anything, it suggested immediacy and authority. When listeners were asked, “What station has Action Central News” most of them were able to identify the station without hesitation. The same idea can be applied to traffic, weather and sport reports. By naming a report, it becomes proprietary to your station and associated with your brand.

PERSONALISE IT. One of the most effective ways to associate your news, traffic, weather and sport reports with your station is to personalize them by linking them to specific reporters. If you are fortunate enough to find a talent with an engaging style, the station’s association with that type of report will be greatly enhanced. Listeners are more likely to trust a report if it presented by an individual whom they know and whom they feel can be relied upon to give them accurate information. Over the years, many sport reporters, including professional athletes, have gained renown as the “sport guy” on the station.

GIVE IT A LOCAL FEEL. Associate your reports with the local community. This technique works especially well in large metropolitan areas or regions. For example, some stations have localized their weather reports by adding weather conditions for a specific area of town. Reporters can preface their news stories with lines such as, “Here is a report just in from the Kensington area…”

OWN IT. Always link your reports with the name of your station. “Here are the latest headlines as compiled by the Hit Radio news team.” “And now for the latest traffic information from Hit Radio’s traffic guru Bob Jones.”

PROMOTE IT. By promoting your reports throughout the day, you can raise listener awareness of your information programs. “Listen tomorrow morning at 7 to Hit Radio Radar Weather and be fully prepared for the day ahead.” “Tune in to Hit Radio before leaving the office to check on the latest road conditions.” We know that promotion works, so why not apply it to your information reports?
One of the realities of modern radio is that the information that we deliver to the audience usually comes from an external source. For example, weather information is often generated by a central meteorological agency. However, this does not prevent us from taking ownership of our reporting and linking it to our brand image.By Andy Beaubien, BPR […]