There are some very interesting and progressive things beginning to happen in both commercial and public radio when it comes to personalized content consumption.
And I’m not talking about music.
So often, the topic of playlists and customization centers on Pandora, Spotify, and now iTunes Radio which makes its debut in the next few weeks.
But on the news and talk fronts, there are some interesting concepts being bandied about – and even launched.
Recently, NPR’s visionary CEO Gary Knell (pictured) made headlines when he told The Wall Street Journal, “What we’re trying to work on is a Pandora for news, to allow listeners to customize a playlist, available through the cloud, live. We want to have serendipitous listening, not knowing what the next story is, but we’ve also got to give people the option of a la carte listening, or they will turn to other places…”
Of course, it helps to have content that makes it desirable to listen to news and feature programming in a personalized and/or algorithmic way – and NPR does. Long a leader in audio podcasting, Knell’s comments earlier this month speak volumes about how public media views the value of reaching younger demographics with spoken word programming.
As Knell noted, “We’re engaging a lower-age demographic. The average (radio) listener is about 53 years-old. (Those who connect) on an iPhone are 37, and the average age of the engager on NPR Music is 28 years-old.”
And then earlier this week, Clear Chanel launched “iHeartRadio Talk,” a new wing of their streaming service that allows users to customize (there’s the C-word again) talk content, allowing consumers to record their reactions to programming, as well as discovering programming that is also being provided by ABC News, Fox Sports, The Wall Street Journal, American Public Media, Huffpost Live, and others.
Brian Lakamp, president of Digital for Clear Channel, spelled it out this way: “We are giving a voice to the everyman, and at the same time are enabling iHeartRadio users to discover and enjoy thousands of ‘audiosodes’ from the best talent around the country…”
Personalized content, user reviews and interaction, customized programming, on-demand access.
These are usually terms that are associated with music programming, but some of radio’s most dynamic spoken word content providers are innovatively turbo-charging their digital mojo.
As we continue to see in our Techsurveys for both commercial and public radio, this is how you engage youth, it’s how you keep radio relevant, and it’s the future.
And it’s nice to see radio – commercial and public – leading the way.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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