The internet has revolutionised the radio landscape. Stations that were always separated by geographical locations and enjoyed their own listernership, now have to fight for a share of the audience on the global web. Streaming of audio over the internet, or webcasting as it is often called, represents this new broadcasting phenomenon.
Apart from expanding the overall distribution of radio, broadly, webcasting has benefited radio in several ways:
- It overcomes the restricted coverage often associated with radio frequencies, thus creating a limitless and borderless radio broadcast.
- Since it compresses space, radio becomes deterritorialised, thereby providing opportunities for audience aggregation beyond the traditional borders. Stations that barely knew of other’s existence before are now becoming competitors.
- It improves diversity and access.
- It erodes the old myth that radio is mainly listened to in the car. This myth resulted in the undervaluing of other radio programmes with more emphasis on the drive-time shows (morning and afternoon). Stations can now charge a good price for other programmes, which despite their rich content, continue to remain secondary to drive-time. Today radio is accessible through various mediums, including mobile phone technologies and computers.
- With added web cameras, webcasting overcomes the long existing weakness of radio relative to television and its audio-visual strengths.
- With the hits figures immediately available, radio stations are able to access the audience figures as the listeners tune in without relying on complicated, inconsistent and controversial research methodologies. Presently, radio stations have to wait more than three months before they can see the impact of the changes they make on their audiences. However, this has to be clearly worked out so that ordinary website visitors are distinguished from listeners.
- Webcasting creates additional revenue streams for radio. In other words, advertisers can advertise on the platform without the advert receiving normal airplay.
- It enhances interactivity.
While webcasting has created massive opportunities for the radio industry, it has also presented its own challenges. Firstly, regulatory challenges. Historically, radio broadcasting frequency planning, allocation and management were fundamentally based on market geography. This was essential in achieving diversity (both in ownership and content). The compression of markets resulting from webcasting has diluted this aspect, thus posing serious challenges relating to spectrum planning, allocation, management and efficient monitoring of the entire industry.
Secondly, measuring audience techniques. The advent of webcasting has shaped audience listening patterns. The critical issue will be how the audience tuning into the stations via webcams will be accounted for and traded to advertisers.
Thirdly, while webcasting is on the rise in South Africa, developments relating to the provision of adequate bandwidth to convey quality and rapid transmission have been slow. This unfortunately continues to have adverse effects on the popularity of the medium. The low penetration rate amongst radio stations in South Africa exemplifies this point.
Irrespective of these challenges, webcasting cannot be ignored. Radio stations that deliberately shun it, miss out on the opportunity to create a loyal audience and an alternative revenue stream.
Dr Mashilo Boloka teaches media studies at the Durban University of Technology’s Journalism Department in Durban-City Campus.