Do you still believe in radio ?
That's the question I'm regularly asked... And my answer is immediate: YES of course! But under certain conditions! When it was created at the beginning of the 20th century, radio was quite different from radio of the 40’s. It continued to evolve throughout the decades and it's up to us to create the radio of 2021 and beyond!
Of course, we will always need news radio and according to studies, news coming from the radio is the most credible. But how do we continue to make radio a relevant medium for music and entertainment? We have never had as many options to choose from our entertainment as we do now: music and video streaming platforms, cinema, TV, social networks... How can a low tech medium like radio manage to survive in the face of all these high tech giants (especially the GAFA)? Adapting, evolving and being creative! That's how we've always done it. The intimate bond that radio has with its audience is its unique selling proposition.
Here are 3 priorities we need to focus on to create entertainment radio for today’s audience:
1/ Let's tell the most compelling stories: For Ron Chapman, an American radio host from the 1970s (and taken up by Elvis Duran in his recently released book), radio is “learning all we can about words and how they can create images in people's imaginations. It’s the theater of the mind.” The more you can image a story, the more it will speak to your listeners. It is pointless reading raw information, people go directly to the internet to get that if that’s what they want: it’s faster and more direct. Who waits for the evening TV program on the radio or for this week's movie releases? No one! This type of content, like all the others, becomes interesting and different if you add value to them: your personality in the way you transcribe them. In order to reach our listeners, you have to talk to them as you would to your friends and tell them things that will interest them. I'm willing to bet that talking about your last embarrassing moment as a couple followed by a debate with your friends about relationships will be more engaging than reading the evening TV programme to them. Radio is a companion to everyday life, so let's tell real-life stories that touch listeners and do it in a concrete way by picturing them. There are obviously established codes for telling these stories (I'll come back to this in a future article); but you must know how to identify the stories that are relevant to your target audience.
2/ Let's adapt existing codes to the present time: As far as I'm concerned, radio hasn't changed much in terms of form since the 90s: same type of packaging, promos, ads... It's been 30 years! Society has changed! It's time for us to change too. On YouTube, an ad before the video now lasts 5 seconds. Our average attention span has dropped to 9 seconds. So why are we still creating 20-second jingles or 1-minute promotions on radio? Few marketing rules have changed for radio since the 90's: by comparison there is a huge difference in visual marketing communication for the same period. As there is a visual element to all communication now, why, in most radio stations, is the quality of filming so poor? It may as well be done by surveillance cameras. I'm not in favour of filming all programs (some must keep the magic of voice without image); but when we do it, let's do it qualitatively: with the right lighting, the right cameras and the same sound as on the radio. To evolve, let's think and look at what is being done in other entertainment and internet sectors: how does Disney still grow after a century of existence? How is Amazon evolving to make itself indispensable? Efficiency, clarity of message, targeting and personalities are for me the 4 keys to adapt our codes to 2021.
3/ Let's be alive! What still works on TV today? Live and big events. Let's adapt them to the radio: Let's go live all the time! We are the most responsive and instantaneous media for our listeners, let's not give up this strength! And if we're live, let's show it! I still listen to shows that could be recorded 6 weeks ago because they are so disconnected from real life. We have to prove to our listeners that we live similar lives and have similar daily routines. Let's create events that will touch our listeners and make them remember us! Was it an early morning horoscope and TV program that made an impression on you when you wanted to do this job? I don't think so... What impressed me was obviously the personalities of the hosts and the events they created in their programmes: specials, charity events, relocations... These events should not take place on a daily basis, but on a regular basis in order to leave a lasting impression on the minds of the listeners and make people talk about us.
Radio still has long and beautiful years to go! It is far from being dead, but we must constantly question ourselves! Let's show our listeners that we know what affects them, that we are responsive to all current marketing codes. If we succeed in having these 3 qualities, then we can look to the future with confidence and continue to evolve.