A Strong Future for Radio

James Cridland, radio futurologist and CEO of Media UK, says the future of radio will not rely on the strength of best music mix, but on human connection and shared experience. As radio continues to grow in digital platform such as DAB+, “it will offer more channels and more choices; it will become more popular and its future assured,” he said.

James Cridland, radio futurologist and CEO of Media UK, says the future of radio will not rely on the strength of best music mix, but on human connection and shared experience. As radio continues to grow in digital platform such as DAB+, “it will offer more channels and more choices; it will become more popular and its future assured,” he said.

Mr. Cridland spoke at the Workshop on the Challenges for Radio in the Digital Age, which was held on 28 May 2013 as a pre-summit event of the Asia Media Summit in Manado, Indonesia.

In his speech, Mr. Cridland said that radio’s strength makes it a great delivery platform for messages and news. However, this medium needs to deal with the young audience who is listening less to radio.

During her welcome remarks, Dra. Rosarita Niken Widiastuti, President of AIBD General Conference and Director of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), encouraged radio broadcasters to tap digital technology in offering good content.

AIBD Director Yang Binyuan also delivered a message saying radio is coming back strong with digital technology. This becomes important in Asia Pacific where radio plays a critical role in society.

He thanked AIBD partners in supporting this radio workshop, which has not been given much attention in previous AMS activities. They are Radiodays Europe, French Government, RFI and France 24.