David Shapshak
Push technology hasn’t had the kind of reception in South Africa that it deserves. An innovative means of disseminating information by “pushing” information to people’s computer desktops has great potential for the advertising world.
With this in mind Kagiso Media has updated South Africa’s first push channel, Newzdesk, and are using it to give predominantly Gauteng-based ad agency media planners a look into Kagiso’s two regional radio stations, OFM and East Coast Radio.
Fred is an icon-based Windows 95 application that “streams” information to your desktop: from actual broadcasts from both stations delivered through the Internet, to information about the stations, ad rates, demographics of listenership, DJs, management teams, and much more.
The site, which was designed by VWV Interactive, is more 3D and user-friendly than its predecessor and has a variety of windows which alternatively give you product information or flight adverts. If there’s a particular product you’re interested in, the hyperlinks which Fred’s online format make possible are just a click away from bringing you more information.
News and “pushed” information are accessible through Fred’s channels from news organisations including a business service, an IT magazine, a health organisation and even the stock exchange. Kagiso Media will also provide fresh media news every day. Lalela Broadcasting, a Kagiso subsidiary, has included its ad- booking arm, Radmark, in the application.
Push technology allows users to pre- organise their news consumption by setting which news service they subscribe to and when they will be updated with new information. When you load the programme, the so-called Daily Me will come popping up.
Fred’s use of the technology is on a par with the rest of the world, especially the live audio streaming, which uses the real- audio plug-in RealPlayer. Potentially, radio stations will be able to pipe events on to PC desktops, so people can listen while they work.
Fred is a step in the right direction to bring techno-illiterate South Africans into the global gamepark. The technology is surprisingly simple and should finally get the much larger following it deserves.