Mumbrella360 recap: the effect of digital on radio
We recap the highlights in the final instalment from our ‘Future of commercial radio’ session at Mumbrella360 last month.
Tim Burrowes was joined by the bosses of Australia’s biggest radio networks, Ciaran Davies, CEO of ARN, Cathy O’Connor, CEO of DMG, Adam Lang, CEO of Fairfax Media’s radio group and Russell Tate, CEO of the Macquarie Radio Network.
The panel discussed:
- How streaming music services are effecting traditional radio networks;
- Digital’s impact on talk and news radio;
- The importance of understanding listener behaviour.
Quite clear none of them have an answer or a clue how to make money from digital. How much did they blow on digital radio? A technology that was obsolete before it left the lab.
You just have to look at how off guard Pandora and Spotify caught the whole industry. See them now trying to catch up with their own products far, far too late, just like they were in the US and Europe.
The idea that news talk is ‘bullet proof’ proves how little they know or are prepared to admit they know. I’m sure newspapers thought they were ‘bullet proof’ too.
The bottom line is digital is expensive. They can’t return a dividend to shareholders whilst forking out a ton of money to build a digital platform. So, what ever they come up with will be half arsed, underfunded and obsolete within 18 months.
Notice SCA aren’t in the room!