Re: [Swprograms] Fwd: [uk-radio-listeners] How will radio change in future?

["Richard Cuff" <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>]

One of the facts surrounding these new technologies is that radio is a
very efficient technology -- the overall costs to get the content from
that studio to your ears is cheaper than it is for these
newer-technology alternatives.

How much we are willing to pay for these alternatives becomes the
interesting debate.

The flipside of costs is audience reach...does one or more of these
new methods give a broadcaster access to an audience they were missing
before?

Looking back at the BBCWS decision in 2001 to exit SW to NA, they
likely divided their potential audience into three groups:

1.  Current SW audience unlikely / unwilling to migrate to new access methods

2.  Current SW audience willing / able to migrate to new access methods

3.  Potential audience unlikely / uninterested in acquiring SW radio

Said BBCWS higher-ups also determined they could not fully utilize all
distribution / access alternatives - their budgets would not tolerate
that diversity.

So, they reasoned that the upside from group #3 exceeded the downside
from group #1.

That cold-hearted logic comes across as insensitive to those who had
emotional connections with a broadcaster... which is one reason folks
still seethe over the BBC...

One point below is interesting, Scott -- the phrase "...required them
to modify their life styles to accommodate it..."  when considering SW
as the older tech, the opportunity costs of "lifestyle modification"
were already paid by SW listeners...they already had arranged their
lives to allow them to listen to the broadcaster of choice when they
wanted...so for existing listeners, the opportunity cost was zero.

Your analysis remains sound, though!

Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA


On 10/3/07, Scott Royall <royall@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> A voice in my head tells me to stay out of this discussion, lest some not
> like my comments. Yet, I can see why some dislike new technology. Older tech
> required them to modify their life styles to accommodate it.
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