1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,920 Hello, I'm James Cridland, the radio futurologist and every couple of weeks I write a blog post 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:12,080 all about the future of radio and where radio is going. And this is it for June 4th, 2023, 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:19,600 talking about AM, Longwave and Radio on TV. Surprisingly but possibly inevitably, Ford 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:25,880 has decided that after all it WILL put AM radio in its new vehicles in the US. It might have 5 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:31,880 been radio speaking with one voice. It might have been threatened legislation, even though many 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:38,680 trade groups agreed with Ford and opposed the bill. Ars Technica points out that for a radio alert 7 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:44,520 to actually work it has to be turned on and tuned to the right wavelength point. Which makes sense, 8 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:49,080 even though radio sets use frequencies not wavelengths these days if we're going to be 9 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:55,080 strictly accurate. Also 97% of Americans have a cell phone says Ars Technica which is already 10 00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:00,360 designed to receive wireless emergency alerts and those alerts can be received even if the cellular 11 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:06,520 network is unable to send calls or other data. Well, it could be good news for those countries 12 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:14,120 that still rely on AM radio, the US and Canada at least. The UK is continuing to turn AM off. 13 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:20,840 The BBC says that 5 Live will be off AM by December 2027. They've been slowly turning off BBC 14 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:26,920 local radio's AM transmitters as well. No news on the BBC Radio 4 medium wave relays, 15 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,360 but you can probably bet that they're not going to exist for an awfully long time. 16 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:36,920 Commercial radio is too, turning off AM output slowly with Talksport announcing a reduction 17 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:42,600 in coverage. An absolute radio having vacated it entirely which hasn't really hurt it. They've 18 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:50,760 just posted their highest ever total brand reach at 5.3 million. However, Australia typically takes 19 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:57,160 its in-car equipment from that in the UK market. We drive on the left down here. We've got DAB+. 20 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:05,160 We don't have HD radio or SiriusXM. So if I was an AM broadcaster in Australia, I'd not be breathing 21 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:13,160 too easily. Now looking at long wave in the UK, BBC Radio 4 is finally coming off long wave. At 22 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:19,480 least separate scheduling for long wave is to cease in March 2024. So that's an end to the daily 23 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:24,040 service and the longer and superior version of yesterday in Parliament. It'll be off completely 24 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:32,040 by December 2027. I say it's the end. That'll be scheduled elsewhere. The BBC says, confusingly, 25 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:36,840 that the changes are, in anticipation of the closure of the long wave platform, owned and 26 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:42,280 operated by a third party, which is coming to the end of its life as a technology. Which seems a 27 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:48,120 little disingenuous because long wave isn't owned and operated by a third party at all. Though BBC 28 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:54,840 Radio 4's long wave transmitters are owned and operated by Arkeva, just like their FM and DAB 29 00:02:54,840 --> 00:03:01,640 transmission network. What are they trying to say there, I wonder? RTE Radio 1 came off 252 30 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:09,160 kilohertz long wave in the middle of April. In Denmark, DR Langbäuger, probably pronounced that 31 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,960 entirely wrong. Anyway, that's ceasing at the end of this year. And in Iceland, the RUV will also 32 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:20,360 cease next year. That'll just leave stations from Poland, Mongolia, Romania and Morocco on long wave. 33 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,680 And good luck getting the Mongolian output even now, since they're on non-standard frequencies 34 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:31,320 that you probably won't pick up. It looks to me as if long wave is rapidly heading for total closure. 35 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:38,440 Now I spent some time in the UK a few weeks ago and will do so again shortly in Manchester this 36 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:43,640 time. And while I can and do watch some of the domestic output of the BBC here in Australia, 37 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:49,960 because you know, geo-blocking doesn't really work, what surprised me watching it in the UK 38 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:55,800 and in a UK time zone was the amount of radio shows on the BBC News television channel. The 39 00:03:55,800 --> 00:04:00,360 mornings have a similar cast of Nicky Campbell's phone in from Five Live and it's capable done. 40 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:06,200 But Campbell sits in a poorly lit studio with a big microphone partially obscuring his face, 41 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:12,360 big chunky headphones on and a computer monitor also in view. His guest was on a video link rather 42 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,600 than just audio but otherwise no thought appeared to have been put into dressing the studio for 43 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:23,160 television. No affordance seems to have been made for the cameras. The weekends are full of 30 minute 44 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:28,600 fillers from BBC Radio 4 and unlike Nicky Campbell's phone in which has some nifty graphics and 45 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,920 production at least, those filler shows are put together with all the production values of a Zoom 46 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:39,560 call. For half an hour I watched Nick Robinson interview someone in a studio, rolled up posters 47 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:45,080 had been carefully placed behind each of them but the vision entirely consisted of two locked off 48 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:50,200 cameras switching between one and the other. The microphone once more obscured their faces and 49 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:56,600 both were wearing large headphones. Another show with the excellent Ross Atkins interviewing Jeremy 50 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:02,360 Bowen was recorded in a different radio studio. Headphones were worn once more but no attempt 51 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:07,640 had been made to dress the studio at all with a 1980s door behind one of the two locked off cameras. 52 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,720 Both appeared to at least ensure that their faces were visible though. 53 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:17,080 If you compare that with LBC who used desk mounted microphones and a dressed studio 54 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:23,240 albeit horribly ugly headphones or talk TV's radio output where presenters wear lapel microphones 55 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:30,600 and earpieces or even seven years ago Paul Henry on New Zealand TV and radio it's inexplicable to me 56 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,680 that the BBC hasn't done more of a good job with their radio to TV output. 57 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:42,120 Elsewhere the radio.com domain appears to have been withdrawn from auction. It still forwards to 58 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,760 its owner Odyssey. They were wanting at least two and a half million dollars for it and it begs the 59 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:54,600 question does nobody want that domain really or has the ebused.radiodomain destroyed the.com value? 60 00:05:55,720 --> 00:06:00,840 The UK's latest Radar figures came out with good news for Bowen's greatest hits radio even before 61 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:05,960 the Ken Bruce effect takes place and Matt Deegan takes a look at the figures with his usual attention 62 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:12,360 to details links to that and to other things I mentioned in my newsletter at james.cred.land. 63 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:19,960 One of the many BBC local radio bosses Roderick Telfand Davies has spoken with critic David Lloyd 64 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:25,480 and doesn't seem to either understand radio nor be across the issues which is rather disappointing. 65 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:31,400 Meanwhile Matt Deegan again takes a look at what BBC local radio could be doing and the opportunities 66 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:37,880 it could have in the future. And thank you to Clyde Broadcast who become my latest supporter. 67 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:43,720 Clyde Broadcast are experts in the design specification and installation of radio studios 68 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:50,440 and radio stations delivering full turnkey solutions worldwide and I'm grateful to them for their 69 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:57,320 support as well as Richard Hilton and James Masterton, Brun Audio Consulting, Somer FM and 70 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:02,440 Media Realms Radio websites. If you'd like to support this work in any way you can buy me a coffee 71 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:07,720 become a member to give regularly or just give a one-off coffee or five buy me a coffee.com slash 72 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:12,200 James Cridland is where to go. Now I'm looking forward next week to be at Radio Days North America 73 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:23,480 in Toronto and then in Manchester for Pod News Live my contact details are on my website james.cridland.net 74 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,440 if you're there too and you'd like to catch up you can also follow me on Masterdon just give me 75 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:33,640 a search james at crid.land and you'll find me there. My professional website has more details 76 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:40,040 about who I am, what I do and whether I can help you further as well. And let me talk to you very 77 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:47,800 quickly about Pod News Live it's in Media City in Salford and it's the first on June the 13th, the 78 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:54,280 first of a set of local day long conferences that focus on sharing knowledge and networking in the 79 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:59,560 business of podcasting. We've got speakers from Crowd Network and the BBC and Mike Media and many 80 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:04,600 more. It's an event which is small enough to network and varied enough to make sure that anyone can 81 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:10,440 get the most out of the event. Please do book your tickets they're very cheap and it would be lovely to 82 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:17,080 see you in the Lowry, the Lowry Centre. June the 13th is when it is and you'll find more information 83 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:24,600 at podnews.net slash live. My professional website, I use the word professional likely, 84 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,680 has more details about who I am or what I do and whether I can help you further you'll find that 85 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:35,800 at james.critland.net but until next time keep listening.