ASIA

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 […]

Content from BPRSocial media platforms have become an extremely effective way to share information and build brands.Radio stations use it to engage with their audiences and clients, presenters use it to engage with their fans and their sponsors.However, an Australian TV journalist learnt the hard way recently that it’s essential to think before you post.As news.com.au reported on September 10 this year, Georgia Love was removed from her on-air role as a reporter at Channel 7 Melbourne over a social media post. Georgia had posted a video to Instagram earlier in the week of a cat which was sitting inside an Asian restaurant.Accompanying the video was the caption: “Shop attendant or lunch?”The response was immediate.Georgia deleted the video about an hour later but the damage had already been done.Her employer, The Seven Network, was swift in its actions. It issued a statement which said: “We have addressed this matter internally and disciplinary action has been taken. Seven does not condone this inappropriate conduct and all of our staff have the right to work in a safe, nurturing workplace free from prejudice.”She was moved to the production desk, undertook counselling and issued an apology to her colleagues.To rub salt into the wound, Georgia was also dumped as an ambassador for Melbourne’s prestigious Chadstone Shopping Centre. No doubt a nice little earner for her.So, here are five points to remember as your station and your talent leverage the power of social media platforms to build their profiles:
Nothing is private.
Anyone who follows you or is otherwise connected to you online can take a screenshot of your social media post or image and “share” it. There’s a high degree of probability that your competitors are following you on social media platforms to see what you’re up to and to catch out a mistake.
The Internet is forever.
Content shared on the internet is never deleted….it is out there, waiting to be found. Yes, you may have deleted content that you thought, in hindsight, was inappropriate for your brand but you don’t know who has already seen it, stored it or shared it. The reality is that you can never completely remove yourself or your information from the internet. 
Your posts are searchable.
If there is even the slightest chance that your station or your talent may regret posting a photo, a joke, a comment, or a complaint online, then don’t do it. Anyone with the right tools can look you up and find old posts that you had long forgotten about.
Talent – this one’s for you. Your posts could cost you new job opportunities.
Employers are looking online. Before you’re even hired, and possibly before you’re even interviewed, potential employers are looking through your social media posts to learn more about you. Your current employer may be reviewing your social media profiles when evaluating you or considering you for a promotion. Your clients and sponsors search online. As Georgia Love found out, one post cost her a lucrative promotional contract. If sponsors or potential sponsors find content that you shared that does not align with their brand values, there’s a strong chance you won’t get that MC’ing gig or TV commercial endorsing their product. Distasteful comments can come back to haunt you. It’s your image…….protect it.
Not All Jokes Are Funny.
You might think you are the funniest person you know, but when an online “joke” falls on the wrong audience, it can cause offence. You might also think that your meaning is clear when you post a comment, but it’s easy for misunderstandings to occur. Always think twice before you post.Your reputation is your greatest asset. Radio stations and talent must do everything they can to build and promote their reputations in a POSITIVE way, not to destroy them. There are enough people out there on social media only too willing to do that for you. Don’t give them the ammunition!By David Kidd, BPR […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat BrysonWhat CAN advertising do for businesses?In their heart of hearts, businesspeople want to run an ad today and have teeming multitudes run into their store tomorrow screaming out our call letters.Since they all start with “K” or “W” in the US at least, customers will find it confusing at best to attribute their arrival to ads heard on our stations. Also, it’s not their job to help businesses know how their advertising is working. Customers want to get their needs met in the most expeditious way and go on with their lives.Measuring traffic flow is the best way to know if advertising is working. Over time, traffic should increase if advertising is effective. Note, I didn’t say “sales”. Once a potential customer crosses the threshold, it’s up to the business to sell them. Often, we get an interested potential customer into the store, but the “friendly, knowledgeable personnel” fail to sell them.Most advertising is designed to work over time. Why? Because on any given day, the national average for people who are “hot” consumers (those who are planning on buying TODAY) is only 2%. “Warm” consumers (those who are thinking about buying and developing their criteria for a purchase) make up only 8%. That means that statistically, 90% of the population is “cold”. They are NOT planning on buying today and aren’t even thinking about it.Our clients seem to think that every time one of their ads airs, everyone within their trade area is wanting to buy what they are selling. Not so.The main objective of advertising should be to predispose the 90% and the 8% to buying from our clients when they have the need. And no one, not us nor our clients can determine exactly when that need will arise. Advertising’s job is to make sure that customers will at least go into our clients’ stores or call them, or go online to their websites and give them a chance to serve them. Otherwise, if our clients’ names are not in the customer’s mental file drawer, they will never see that person. The customer will end up in one of the national chains that does have space in their file drawer.As we are in the sales process, we need to explain to our prospects how advertising works. The 2%, 8% and 90% also explain why advertising should be consistent and long-term. As advertising professionals, it’s up to us to craft campaigns that will work. Higher revenue awaits for our clients and for us.Pat has a New Book […]

For this December IBC event, DRM is going hybrid with an intertwining two events under the overarching theme “DRM – Smart Radio Accessible to All”.Virtual and free, the DRM Consortium’s first IBC 2021 event is scheduled for December 1  and promises to be an exciting showcase of the practical advances of DRM in various parts of the world. The focus will be on the recent tests and improvements to the DRM performance, equipment, and receivers. New and older members of the Consortium will give a well-illustrated, quick, and global view of DRM so that you can get the best and most reliable information from the specialists, a chance for you to ask questions and see the great progress made by DRM in 2021.The event hosted by the DRM Consortium will be completed by the live streamed Nautel hosted DRM event on Saturday 4th of December.Those who will be in Amsterdam will have a chance to get a real feel for and more details on some of the DRM developments already introduced before. The live event will be an extension of the virtual DRM event on December 1st but also a rich standalone moment. It will also be a chance to reconnect, network and re-establish the much-needed face-to-face contacts so severely disrupted over the past 18 months.“The DRM event at Nautel’s IBC stand has become a space where all participants in the DRM ecosystem can gather to learn about the latest developments in the DRM world, celebrate DRM’s recent successes, and, as a DRM community, share stories, experiences, and refreshments,” said John Whyte, Nautel Head of Marketing. “Join us live at the Nautel stand or watch remotely via our Facebook live stream.”Ruxandra Obreja, the Consortium Chairman, says that: “It is the first time that at IBC 2021 we are blending a virtual event with a real one. By doing this we hope to enhance our IBC presence and also impress on all those interested how much progress DRM has made in both takeup and receiver solutions over these last trying months. It will be a recap of the great activities of 2020-2021 and a good starting point for next year’s decisions and steps. DRM is more attractive and in tune now with the needs of the world than ever, with its energy and spectrum cost savings and some its extra features and possibilities like delivering education and emergency warning.”Register here […]