Securing the future of radio
4 Digital Group believes that in this time of rapid technological innovation and changing consumer behaviour, radio could become the most powerful and influential medium in broadcasting.
Radio has a voice that people trust, and it is capable of responding to its audiences more quickly, with more versatility and ease, than any other medium. With the potential for new digital services to offer UK listeners more choice than ever before, combined with the opportunity to provide interactivity, podcasting and listening to radio whenever and wherever the audience wants, radio will continue to thrive and make an important contribution to daily lives in the UK.
The future of radio is digital - however, digital radio has failed to meet its full potential. Listening hours are falling, particularly among young people – they are not ‘turning off’, but radio does not play the same role in their lives as it has for previous generations. The internet and mobile phones have assumed more importance in young people’s quest for knowledge, entertainment and communication. The problems are particularly acute in the commercial sector, which has lost audience share to the BBC, and advertising revenues to online and other media.
4 Digital Group believes that radio has a strong, confident future. Digital radio – with its potential to provide new services, interactivity, electronic programme guides, colour screens, music downloads and enhanced advertising – can transform the listening experience yet still retain radio’s enduring strengths. We will do it differently – using new media and interactivity to give our listeners a voice in how content is created, presented and consumed. We will be edgy, bold and surprising.
4 Digital Group has the skills, resources and reach to create compelling content, to market that content effectively, and to work with equipment manufacturers and retailers to achieve Ofcom’s goal of transforming the impact, profile and take-up of digital radio in the UK.
