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Slip-slidin' away...

I don't mean to sound pessimistic (a sentence that usually precedes something very very pessimistic)... Have a look at this graph:

Thanks to the guys at http://ilevel.ie
I've made it nice and big so you can see the trend clearly. Above is the percentage of Dubliners over the age of 15 who listen to radio each week. The different coloured lines represent different demographs, as indicated on the right. The x-axis represents this period in 2010, in 2013 and in 2016 (the current period).

Noticeably, they're all descending, and some quite significantly. In the case of 15-19 y/o's, listenership was at circa 92% in 2010, while it is at around 69% now. That's one hell of a decrease.

Those 15-19 year olds are the streaming generation - what's the point in them listening to a pre-selected playlist on the radio if they can create their own on Spotify? Perhaps with the distractions of social media, gaming being more accessible than ever on our smartphones, and the widespread availability of video streaming - people in this age group just don't find radio that exciting anymore. That's why fewer and fewer are listening.

Let's not rest on our laurels, though. We can either just deem this as the inevitable fate that we've been anticipating for years or we could act and slow down or even avert the trend.

Here's an idea - make your radio brand into something more than just an FM frequency. Make it multimedia. Turn everything you do on-air into video content, rendering it suitable for social media. You may not be gaining listeners directly, but you'll be keeping them connected with the brand. And who knows: maybe when they're in the car they will turn on your station?

We're seen the prominence of vloggers on YouTube. Teenagers are becoming infatuated by these people. They have real power, authenticity and a real personality that young people can relate to. Why doesn't radio tap into the trend? These people obviously know how to entertain, captivate an audience and communicate. Lets train them in radio - they'll bring their hoards of teenage fans with them, and connect with the demographic that is currently abandoning our medium. (Well maybe that's a bit optimistic - but it's a hope).


Let's not concede in this battle. Radio is not a lost cause, I think we can preserve its future if we adapt the medium with the times.

Gavin

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