Stations to unite for massive outside broadcast to promote digital radio
In a world first, Australian commercial radio broadcasters and the public service broadcasters are putting competition aside on Thursday August 6 when more than 40 different radio stations hold a simultaneous outside broadcast in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide to promote digital radio.
The event billed as ‘Radio United’ will see the highly competitive commercial sector broadcasting side by side with their commercial counterparts and public service broadcasters to promote the benefits of digital radio.
The Perth broadcast will be from Forrest Place and include Mix 94.5’s The Bunch; 92.9’s Em and Sam Mac; Nova 937’s Nathan & Nat; 6PR’s Breakfast with Millsy & Tony Mac; 96fm’s The Crew; 6iX’s Johnny Young’s Big Breakfast; and ABC 720 Breakfast with Eoin Cameron.
Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia saidthe radio industry was coming together with one voice, at one time, onone day to highlight the new digital radio technology.
“Breakfast radio is a very powerful medium with Neilsen researchfigures for survey four 2009 showing the average cumulative breakfastradio audience Monday to Friday in the five state capitals for allstations is 8,761,000 people. Radio is a big part of Australians way oflife and we want to tell them about our new digital technology.”
The location will have a digital radio “Listener Post” where digitalradio manufacturers: Roberts, Sangean, Yamaha, iRiver, Bush, Revo,Grundig and Pure will showcase a range of digital radios and enablelisteners to hear and see digital radio on a variety of differentreceivers. A fully fitted out car featuring a digital radio adaptorwill also be on site in each state. Plus there will be a preview of thefirst screen based digital radio showcasing the visual aspects of thenew technology with the transmission on screen of album covers, radiopresenter photos and station logos.
Hundreds of digital radios will also be given away to lucky listenerson the morning but they must attend the outside broadcasts and enter onsite to win.
A countdown clock to the start of the Radio United event begins todayat the www.digitalradioplus.com.au website and all participatingstations will start the countdown on their websites soon.
10 Comments
I think that people already understand the benefits of digital radio – the problem is the radios themselves.
They are ugly, impractical and expensive!
Obviously some bright spark though it would be “cool” to make these high-tech radios look like retro wirelesses – sorry, not cool!
But people are used to carrying iPods, iPhones or other touch-screen tech-toys, they don’t want to have to lug around the equivalent of an original mobile “brick” phone, just so they can have better quality radio.
People want a downloadable application for their phone or ‘pod’ – a simple USB plugin for their laptop or USB-enabled car audio.
While it’s true that Australians are usually quick to take up new technology, they have already invested heavily in multimedia communication devices and rather than have to invest in another device, they would be much more likely to invest in a simple add-on.
Manufacturers need to go away and rethink. Digital radio may be new in Australia, but many of the benefits being sold to us (cover artwork, on-screen descriptions and information etc) are already widely available on most touch-screen phones and players – the only “new” benefit is that the old AM stations will now be heard in crystal clear digital sound and the FM stations will be marginally better in sound quality.
Quick action is needed if digital radio is to grab the hearts of the consumers.
Back to the drawing board.
Ouch!
I think it’s great to have all the morning DJs in one place at one time. Now all I need is one bomb.
Timing 8.38
Whenever I hear the words “digital radio” I instantly think of “digital examination” Therein lies the fundamental problem for this media among its 35-50 y-o male demographic
It seems David has hit the nail on the head.
A deathly silence from the radio stations! Not one single contradiction or comment from Austereo, Nova, Fairfax Radio. That’s pathetic guys. All that money you are investing and no one prepared to comment on David’s seemingly informed observations.
Maybe they themselves know that this whole digital radio is a kite that won’t fly.
What do you expect from an industry that still uses diary research.
What’s research into cows got to do with radio?
Who could be bothered responding in any detail to such uninformed drivel and we’ve all got real jobs.
In response to Bill.
It would be useful to hear some “informed drivel” rather than endless spin – remember the nonsense about the 15 NEW free to air channels? But that’s another story that’s off topic, so my apologies.
Bill, convince me why I shouldn’t just wait until the “new” digital radios begin to appear in the remainder bins and then get one for the kitchen.
When DAB became available in the UK and Europe more than 6 years ago, the technology could support a new device in its own right.
However since then, personal multimedia technology has advanced in leaps and bounds – and much of that advancement has been in integrating communication, information, music, location (GPS) etc into one or two handy “lifestyle” devices.
The simplest way to guarantee a speedy uptake of DAB+ is to find ways to integrate it into existing lifestyle devices and not to tout it as something so different that it has to be purchased as an entirely separate device. It was different 6-8 years ago, and although DAB+ is an improved version, it’s still just a digital delivery platform. So that being the case, why isn’t it available via cable or satellite?
So come on – let’s hear the informed argument Bill.
And by the way, I have a real job too
David