1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160 Hello, I'm James Cridland, the radio futurologist, and every couple of weeks or so I write a 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:12,320 newsletter all about the future of radio. This is it for July 27th, it's called Farewell 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:17,440 All Access, and congratulations to Kyle and Jackie Oh. 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:24,040 I tell people it was in a pub close to 2017's Worldwide Radio Summit, the annual conference 5 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:30,520 run by Joel Denvers All Access, that the idea of pod news came about, and that's almost 6 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:35,080 true it was at a restaurant rather than at a pub, but a pub fits my personal brand better, 7 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,960 and I did go to the pub with Kurt Hansen later. 8 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:43,360 I was chatting with Steve Goldstein, the generous and intelligent founder of Amplify Media, 9 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,920 about where to get news about podcasting, in a conversation that probably only lasted 10 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:52,600 a few minutes he asked me if I knew anywhere, and I didn't. But the conversation got me 11 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:59,880 thinking, and just three weeks after returning home, I launched on May 30th, 2017. 12 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:04,640 It was the type of conversation that came out of the Worldwide Radio Summit, and of 13 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:10,280 being a writer for All Access, which I was for over five years. Writing articles, some 14 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:15,800 quite carefully researched, some not so, for Joel Denver, who responded to every post 15 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:21,240 with thank you exclamation mark exclamation mark exclamation mark in capital letters. 16 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:26,040 It's disappointing, therefore, to see that All Access will close next month. It seems 17 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:31,400 to be predicated by changes in the music industry rather than radio, but it's sad to see it 18 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:38,120 go. I'll miss Perry Michael Simons' often gloriously snarky letter, and Joel's positive 19 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,560 attitude to everything, even while his own home was burnt down in a wildfire, I seem 20 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:49,440 to remember. My time with All Access was responsible for breathing new life into my career, and 21 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,760 I will miss it. Thank you, Joel. 22 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:57,120 Now, I've spent some time appearing on the ABC over the last couple of weeks, as Australia 23 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:03,560 wakes up to the possibility that AM might not be in car radio receivers forever. First, 24 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:09,040 an appearance on ABC Radio National, which I link to from the newsletter version of this. 25 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:13,280 It has a lazy bugles headline. What does it say? Let's click through. Have a quick look. 26 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:18,560 Will electric cars kill the AM radio star? Yes. Focusing on the demise of AM across 27 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:24,440 the world, Radio National is mostly carried on AM in the capital cities. Then, an appearance 28 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,520 two hours later on ABC Local Radio for New South Wales, where I was plays in with video 29 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,080 killed the radio star. Thank you, Anna. 30 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:37,280 Both enjoyable and sensible discussions and debate about the future of AM Radio. On Radio 31 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:43,400 National, I called for the government's RE-MEDIA regulator to require ABC Local Radio to additionally 32 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:48,360 be available on FM in the capital cities, with the argument that an emergency broadcast 33 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:54,640 is only any good if people own the receivers to pick the emergency station up. And for many, 34 00:02:54,640 --> 00:03:01,560 the only AM radio we own is in the car. In both cases, I suggested that AM in the capital 35 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:06,920 cities is a liability for broadcasters. It reacts badly to LED lighting, to high power 36 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:13,160 lines, even to close at hand internet connections and tram tracks as well. And it's inaudible 37 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:20,160 in concrete buildings. But AM is vital in regional Australia, where DAB Plus is unavailable 38 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:26,520 and FM radio doesn't reach as far as a good AM signal does. It's a tale of two countries. 39 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:31,880 And it's a concern that Australia mostly gets its in-car radio receivers from European 40 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:37,280 car models, where AM is being progressively switched off. 41 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:44,240 A week later, an appearance on ABC Radio Adelaide. A half hour featuring three old AM radio personality 42 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,760 mates, two guests, one guest in the studio, chummingly reminiscing or auditioning for 43 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:55,080 their next gig. I was described in the introduction as the enemy because I had something to do 44 00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:02,000 with podcasts. And my title of radio futurologist also got comment. So after all that, I'm 45 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,280 not sure that 62-year-old David Bevan, the announcer, was expecting me to respond to 46 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:12,000 his first question. How'd you get to call yourself radio futurologist then? By my responding, 47 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:17,080 I print my own business cards and you can call yourself anything on those. 48 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:28,400 In my newsletter version of this podcast, I share a quite impressive graph from the 49 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:34,920 Unmade Media newsletter showing Kyle and Jackie O's CUME figures, which over the last year 50 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:44,480 or so have increased from around half a million up to nearly a million. 950,000 was almost 51 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:50,680 their peak. They are doing fantastically well. And whatever it is that they're doing, I do 52 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:56,240 hope that they are bottling it up and selling it to the rest of radio. 53 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:03,440 Also from Unmade Media, Tim Burroughs interviewed Rob Schwetz from Disrupt Radio in a podcast. 54 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,720 Now Disrupt Radio was an interesting listen when I could listen to it in the car here 55 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:13,280 in Brisbane, more about why I can't listen in the car in forthcoming newsletters. That's 56 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:19,080 me throwing ahead there. Anyway, it's a strange entrepreneur speech radio station with an automated 57 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:27,360 newsreader that was very weird. Anyway, whoever put Rob Schwetz up for interview probably 58 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:32,960 won't be doing so in future. Tune in for the toe-curling pauses and it gets better and 59 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:39,960 better and better. Here's a little clip where Tim Burroughs starts asking about the shareholders. 60 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:45,280 Are SCN or Craig Hutchinson, are they investors in Disrupt Radio then? 61 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:51,440 I'm not across the full investor portfolio at this point in time. 62 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,720 You've been working with the organization for five years though. You must have a bit 63 00:05:54,720 --> 00:06:07,640 of an idea. Sure, question. And what's the answer? 64 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:13,280 To be quite honest, I'm actually not across the entire investor portfolio. So that's something 65 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:17,000 I can't make a comment on. Are you an investor? 66 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:24,640 No, I'm not. It does get worse as well. Good luck to the ABC's James O'Brien who 67 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:31,200 is recovering in hospital after illness. He's a good man. He's got lots of fans in radio 68 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:37,880 here in Australia. And I and I know that everybody else wishes him well for his long recovery. 69 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:42,760 Interesting numbers from the BBC annual report picked apart by Bill Rogers that I linked 70 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:49,960 to in my newsletter of note. Quietly, the BBC's weekly reach around the world has gone down 71 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:58,800 by 9% to 447 million from 492 million. Tony Hall's target, if you remember, was 500 million 72 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:05,520 by 2022. And that was set all the way back in 2013. It's a real shame that the BBC's 73 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:11,200 audience figures appear to be going backwards across the globe. And you'd think fixable 74 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:17,880 with one really easy thing by making BBC News Channel, the worldwide version, a free to 75 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:23,080 air channel and streaming it on YouTube and other places as well as via cable networks 76 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:29,720 where it currently exists. On YouTube, they would be joining ABC News from Australia, Al Jazeera, 77 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:38,760 Deutsche Welle, EuroNews, France24, NHK and many others as well. As it is in most countries, 78 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:45,440 BBC News is just a subscription channel. And it's such a missed opportunity if the BBC 79 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:53,480 really wants to reach half a billion people. Disappointing news from the UK as well. While 80 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:58,280 the BBC has been focusing on removing local output from its radio stations, Global, the 81 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:04,480 biggest commercial company there, is now playing a game of Hold My Beer. And it looks to be 82 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:10,880 removing local journalists as well, possibly even as much as 40, which is rather a shame. 83 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:17,560 No Free Fede is an interesting idea, which I found the other day, to radio streams using 84 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:23,960 music that the artists have approved. And there are purchase and social links with each 85 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:30,440 now playing track as well. It's worth a peek and worth a listen as well. I've got a personal 86 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:36,400 blog, by the way, it's over at James.Cridland.net. Come for the travel posts, stay for the random 87 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:42,320 bits of code. And thank you to David Webb for a coffee. He says, always enjoy your informative 88 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:53,680 emails. I am a voluntary presenter at One Way FM and DAB Plus, and DAB Plus, Canberra's 89 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,960 Christian Community Radio Station. I bet he says that better than I do. Anyway, I love 90 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,120 the fact that he's calling himself a presenter as well. You're turning British. That would 91 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:09,800 be a good thing. You're an answer, are you not? Anyway, thank you also to Stephen Centofanti 92 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:15,600 for the coffee, who says, James Cridland is the cutting edge word on radio. Maybe he'll 93 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,800 help me plug my voice service while talking about coffee and talking about the coffee 94 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:24,080 that Stephen Centofanti has bought me. Here he is talking about coffee. 95 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:29,840 There's a special feeling that only comes from drinking coffee. It's a kick, a buzz, 96 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,040 a little tingle. Republic organic coffee gives you that twice. 97 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,960 Yes, he's a great freelance voiceover artist based in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, and 98 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,480 I especially like his big list of radio tech links, which you'll also find as well, Stephen, 99 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:48,320 thank you. And thank you too to Broadcast Radio, to Clyde Broadcast, Richard Hilton and James 100 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:55,680 Masterton, Brunn Audio Consulting, Soma FM, and Media Realms Radio websites for your support. 101 00:09:55,680 --> 00:09:59,960 If you would like to support my work in any way, you can buy me a coffee, become a member, 102 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:04,920 to give regularly, or just give a one-off coffee or five. Just go to buymeacoffee.com 103 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:09,680 slash James Cridland. You can follow me on Masterdon on the FEDI verse as well. Just 104 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:15,760 search for James at Crid.Land there, and you'll find my current home on a Brisbane site. My 105 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:20,040 professional website has more details about who I am and what I do and whether I can help 106 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:27,280 you further. You'll find that at james.cridland.net. And until next time, keep listening.