The Magic of the Medium

Baby, I’ve been watching you, watching everything you do, and I just can’t help feeling someone else is stealing you away from me, I see it written in your eyes and you confirm it with your lies, though the web that you weave can hold me, I would rather that you told me where you wanna be, oh slipping away from me.

(Max Merritt & the Meteors - 1975)

Looking back over the past 50 years, who remembers after the release of the latest technical innovation that there was a prediction that radio would be dead within five years. That included:

Sony Walkman, the VHS recorder, the I-Pod, the I-Phone, Spotify and even Podcasts.

Radio according to some people should have died many many times over the past five decades but it didn’t and I don’t believe it will, unless the industry doesn’t play to its strengths and continue to evolve. People are referring to Radio as just another audio product and therefore there is nothing special about it anymore and if you think like that then you’re missing the point. What makes Radio different is still there however the industry has forgotten what the magic of the medium is and in their rush to reduce costs they are preventing that magic from working to its full effect. They are forcing the genie into the bottle so to speak, and sealing it, and if we’re not careful it will sit dormant waiting for a modern day Indiana Jones to be adventurous and discover it and let the genie out again. Now, I’ve indulged myself there to illustrate a point, for it’s not quite that bad but it’s heading that way. The objective of cost cutting has meant a push for efficiencies like networking, national news, national contesting etc and they all erode the reasons why people used to love radio and listen to it a lot. I’m not talking about the great networked shows like Hamish & Andy or the national night shows but Radio’s point of difference was that it was live and local and it needs to be if it’s going to not just survive, but thrive.

Live and local meant that announcers could reflect the nuances of the city they were broadcasting too and listeners felt they were connected to that city. Not connected later in the day when they read their social media feed but connected immediately via the immediacy of Radio and their favourite announcers who they not just liked but loved.

Podcasts are the closest thing to radio however they are not live, most are not daily and they don’t have the ability to have live interaction with listeners every day. They are not immediate. Radio needs to further embrace podcasts of course and I’ve talked about the need to integrate podcasts and video further to give listeners the control they now not just expect but demand but Radio is not a distribution platform and it’s not just another audio product and if it becomes that, well the future won’t be so bright.

I used to wonder why people seemed so keen to see the death of radio. I was captivated by the medium when I was a teenager and it’s been my career for the past 40 plus years. In fact it’s been my life for all those years. I love Radio for I know the magic of the medium and how powerful it is and it’s that magic that keeps it alive and no other medium can replicate it. Yes, Radio is under stress and that’s not surprising, I mean look at the competition Radio has today compared to 50 years ago, add that the industry is slowly removing the elements that allowed the magic to work and it’s no wonder it’s under stress. But it’s under stress mainly with younger audiences while adult audiences are still healthy.

I know Radio is not as live and local as it once was but but that’s the industries fault, radio delivers immediate information to the area it broadcasts too and what other audio platform can do that. As an example, take the last floods that affected Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, and you see radio come into its own. Using ARN as the example, we saw:

• An Increase of news and live bulletins across the network, as well as weather updates

• An Increase of localised content (97.3FM airing a local drive show instead of the national drive show.

• Station talent broadcasted from home if necessary due to being stuck in the flood zones

• Prioritising local listeners going on air to share their own stories

• The street teams heading out to flood affected areas and handing out care packs.

Local station River 94.9 in Ipswich just outside Brisbane became the point of contact for all councils and emergency services they broadcast to (Toowoomba, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Ipswich). They all called the Content Director directly to ensure the information got to air immediately. They also had real time information from SEQ water, as there were real concerns about dam releases, exactly what times the flood gates were being opened, how long the water would take to get to different parts, etc.

Similar activity would have happened on SCA and Nova in Brisbane as well.

Radio’s other great strength, it’s real power, and the key to its longevity is the connection it has with its audiences through the personalities that they listen to every day. Rather than more networking and national news, Radio needs to double down on its investment in personalities and shows that are local. Let me share a story with you.

Picture this. It’s Sunday morning on the 28th November, 2021 at London’s famous Heathrow airport and travel to Australia, which has only just recommenced is now affected by fears surrounding the new variant of Covid-19 called Omicron, and while flights to Australia from the UK are still on, passengers arriving into Australia are required to isolate for 3 days. On this particular morning there are no problems in the departure hall of Terminal 3 with preparations for QF10’s departure to Melbourne. The new Boeing 787 wide bodied Dreamliner is at the gate being readied for the 22-hour flight, via Darwin, to Melbourne and is scheduled to depart on time at 10am with passengers already arriving and the process of checking in well underway. Standing in one of the lines is a solo passenger, who at 78 years old is feeling anxious, in fact her son-in-law describes her as a very nervous flyer. She is very much looking forward to seeing her daughter, her son-in-law and her two granddaughters who were teenagers when she last saw them and are now young women. Behind her is an Australian businessman who lives in Melbourne and he too is looking forward to getting home, having spent the past week or so in London. There is nothing unusual or different about these two travellers as they wait patiently to check in…..that is….until the man leans forward, taps the 78 year old on the shoulder and politely asks her a question. A question that brings into sharp focus why the medium of Radio is so resilient. It’s about those voices on-air and their ability to create powerful personal connections that impact lives in the most incredible and enduring way. What he said to the anxious elderly traveler was; “Excuse me, you wouldn’t be Christian O’Connell’s mother-in-law by any chance?” The 78 year old had a look of surprise on her face and answered “ Well yes I am, do you know him?”

The Melbourne businessman whose name is Barrie is a big Christian O’Connell fan and while in London kept up to date with his #1FM Breakfast Show on Gold 104.3 via the catch up podcast each day. It was through the podcast that Barrie learned that Christian’s mother-in-law was heading down under and arriving on Monday evening and Barrie figured out that to arrive Monday night she would be on the Sunday morning flight to Melbourne which was the one he was on. He knew via Christian’s show that she was 78, a nervous flyer etc so introduced himself on the chance that it might be her, and it was. Once checked in and in the lounge he emailed Christian and told him he was with his mother in law at Heathrow, that he had moved their seating around so he would be close to her, informed the cabin crew that she was a nervous flyer and travelling alone and said he would look after her upon arrival into Melbourne to make sure she got through immigration and customs without any problems. Suffice to say her level of anxiety was reduced considerably and she was able to relax and enjoy the flight and what a relief that would have been.

When Christian told me that story I was amazed and slightly emotional. I mean, think about it, Christian had never met Barrie but such was the personal connection Barrie felt with Christian through being a regular listener of his show he didn’t hesitate to introduce himself to Christian’s mother-in-law and to look after the nervous flyer as if he was one of Christian’s best friends. And that, right there, is the magic of Radio in a nut shell and no other medium creates such connections that are so personal, so strong and so enduring.

It comes down to personality each and every time and that’s the element Spotify, Apple and YouTube cannot seem to overcome. The magic of the medium is the power of the personal connections it makes with its listeners through the unique personalities who are part of their life every day. They aren’t just voices, listeners consider them friends. That’s the magic which most people forget or don’t fully appreciate.

There are countless stories like that that about Radio but inside the cocoon of the media bubble the point is lost because Radio is not cool for some reason. As I said the connections people have with their favourite Radio personalities are very real though, and they are enduring like a true friendship which is why if you’re talking about the death of Radio you don’t understand just how powerful the magic of the medium really is.

That genie is not in the bottle just yet so let’s hope the industry doesn’t let it slip away.