and some programs that appeared on the BBCWS
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Subject: Guardian | Internet saved the radio star
X-URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5112342-110837,00.html
Internet saved the radio star
As web radio surges in popularity thanks to broadband, the BBC has
decided to relaunch its pioneering Radio Player software. Bobbie
Johnson reports
Bobbie Johnson
Thursday January 27, 2005 Guardian (London UK)
When one-hit wonders Buggles launched MTV by declaring that "video
killed the radio star", it looked like an inevitable, if gloomy,
prediction. Back then, Microsoft was still in short pants and Usenet
had just been born. But 25 years later, online radio is one of the
web's success stories, enjoying huge growth as the number of
high-speed connections increases.
To make the most of the surge, the BBC this week relaunched its
pioneering Radio Player software, an innovative way of presenting the
corporation's radio output as audio on demand. The BBC says it serves
up more than 10m hours of radio a month over the internet, and will be
hoping to give that a significant boost.
"The liberation from BBC radio going on-demand has been enormous,"
says Simon Nelson, the BBC controller of radio and music interactive.
"When the original radio player launched two-and-a-half years ago, we
knew it would be a success, but it has surprised us."
The rejigged system will still allow streaming of BBC radio shows that
are less than seven days old, but it has added about 500 hours of
extra programming every week to cover 95% of all BBC national radio
output and adds several layers of interactivity. As before, you must
still download Real Player to be able to listen.
"Radio Player has made a huge impact for me," says DJ Pete Tong, whose
Radio 1 dance music shows The Essential Selection and The Essential
Mix last month picked up more than 300,000 listeners online. "The
Listen Again option is a double whammy: people can use it if they are
too busy or if they liked something and want to hear it again. My show
gets picked up and played to audiences on local radio stations all
around the world, but from the personal feedback I get, I'd say 95% of
the real connection all comes from online."
One of the most useful tweaks is the ability to stop a show at any
time and then return to the same point next time - even if you have
turned off your machine. Other features include deeper content, more
genre-based browsing and a "Like this? Why not try these?" feature
that will be familiar to many web shoppers.
As more people become technologically competent, and the number of
broadband users increases, internet radio will continue to reap the
benefits. Not only can it play the same role as traditional audio
broadcasting - operating in the background in homes and offices - but
with the ongoing integration of computers and home entertainment
systems, users are finding new ways to explore an old medium.
"What's driving it is the choice you're giving the listener," says
Richard Jones of Last.fm ([4]www.last.fm), which provides tailor-made
online radio according to your tastes. The more you listen to Last.fm,
the more it learns about the music you like - and then plays tracks it
thinks you might enjoy. "Online radio is interactive, not just a
broadcast medium. You can give people lots of information - track
listings and album covers, for example. It's more of a multimedia
experience."
With its large budget and public service remit, the BBC continues to
be one of radio's innovators, and last year found a way forward when
it ran a podcasting experiment. The trial, which allowed listeners to
download MP3 files of Melvyn Bragg's Radio 4 show In Our Time to
listen to at their leisure, was taken up by more than 70,000 users. It
could point the way forward for many shows.
"Podcasting is really close to what I'm about," says Tong. "It makes
sense. And now I don't bother with trainspotter-ish lists of what I've
played any more, I can just direct people to the web."
The real problem with downloading, as opposed to streaming, is the
murky waters of copyright. Some speech programming, and most music
shows, have to agree how to placate those who would probably prefer
some kind of digital rights mechanism. "The most high-profile omission
[from Radio Player] is Desert Island Discs, where we're negotiating
the rights," says Nelson. "I don't blame them for holding back because
the internet seems an uncertain and turbulent situation."
Even so, the large amount of material produced within the BBC means it
is able to set a standard for on-demand media. The Radio Player team
is "passing on the lessons" to those working on the BBC's iMP, an
interactive media player that will do for TV what the corporation has
already done for audio.
"I'm really excited with what the BBC are doing," says Last.fm's
Jones. "But I'd like to see a little bit more feedback and interaction
- pages that showed you weekly statistics on what different DJs are
playing. The BBC are in a unique position: they can afford to
innovate, in fact they probably have to."
Links
BBC Radio Player [5]www.bbc.co.uk/radioplayer
Guardian Unlimited ? Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
References
1. http://ads.guardian.co.uk/html.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&spacedesc=cookie&site=Online§ion=110837&country=(none)&rand=3143027
2. http://ads.guardian.co.uk/html.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&location=top&site=Online§ion=110837&country=(none)&rand=3143027
3. http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&location=top&site=Online§ion=110837&country=(none)&rand=3143027
4. http://www.last.fm/
5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioplayer
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