Change is something we can not run away from, whether we like it or not… something can be said about terrestrial radio. The medium has lost its ‘Mojo’, what’s left is just wallpaper.
Speaking to radio purists and experts they all point in the same direction that the medium has lost the ‘It Factor’ due to a lack of innovation and political correctness. Gone are the days’ radio was a theatre of the mind.
Radio presenters are lazy while some they lack creativity, all they do is to back announce tracks, tell us what time is, traffic report and they don’t share their opinions, views and how they view the world, because they’re scared to lose their jobs… they play safe through-out 3 hours radio of radio programme.
These are some of the reasons radio is bleeding audiences at a rapid pace. The radio audience is moving to the podcast because that’s where the theatre of the mind lives.
Take, for instance, Gareth Cliff, media personality and former IdolsSA judge took the plunge and left traditional radio because he felt a disconnect with his audiences. Gareth together with radio stalwart and veteran Rina Bromberg co-founded their own platform CliffCentral.com. Owning the platform gave them a sense of ownership, creative control and creating opportunities for young South Africans.
Gareth in one of his interviews just before they opened CliffCentral.com, made a brave statement and said ‘RADIO is dead and I can’t wait to attend its funeral’. 7 years later, what he said is becoming a reality as major radio stations are slowly dying.
Most of the radio stations lineup and programming starts from 4 or 5 am till 10 pm because after that no one is listening. Because of the internet, audiences are smart and they have power in their hands through their mobile phones, they create their playlist using platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Audiomack, Pandora, Deezer and others. They don’t need a radio DJ to tell them which song they just played on the radio.
While Gareth was making moves and transitioning from state broadcaster SABC’s 5FM everyone including his industry peers, thought he lost his balls and his crazy for saying goodbye to the terrestrial radio. It’s funny some of those people today don’t have jobs and they’re struggling to meet their monthly financial obligations, let alone making ends meet.
The so-called radio is almost on its deathbed, as many people no longer listen to it instead they opt for a podcast. What keeps the radio on the life support is old school marketing managers and CMOs Chief Marketing Officers, who still believes in the old medium….the same marketing managers are not paying attention to the growing digital platforms, another missed opportunity by marketers and CMOs for refusing to adapt and to move with the times.
While speaking about radio is dead, McG of Podcast and Chill series on his recent show said brands who advertise on the radio is like speaking or making noise to an empty stadium. To be honest, McG is damn right, no one listens to radio anymore.
Writes Rethabile Mohlala – Rethabile is the founder and Chief Editor of TechDailyPost
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