Category: Audio

  • RAJAR Q2 2016

    Once again, this post is brought to you in association with RALF from DP Software and Services. I’ve used RALF for the past 9 years, and it’s my favourite RAJAR analysis tool. So I continue to be delighted to be able to bring you this analysis in association with them. For more details on RALF,…

  • The Political Cycle

    It’s my favourite time of year – The Tour de France is well underway. Mark Cavendish is back on form, picking up wins 27, 28 and 29, leaving him second on the all-time wins list, and the fireworks are about to kick off as the race enters the Pyrenees. Recently I raised my hand to…

  • The Fragmentation of the UK Radio Sector

    I’ve yet to properly write about the recently published RAJAR report, Audio Time, based on the last MIDAS survey. That will come. But it does implicitly present some food for thought about the future of radio in the UK, identifying some of the threats it may face. “Amongst 15-24s, the weekly reach of radio is…

  • RAJAR Q1 2016

    Once again, this post is brought to you in association with RALF from DP Software and Services. I’ve used RALF for the past 9 years, and it’s my favourite RAJAR analysis tool. So I continue to be delighted to be able to bring you this analysis in association with them. For more details on RALF,…

  • Live Football on the Radio

    No, I’m not writing about the new Premier League contracts for UK radio. They do seem a bit overdue though, and I’m slightly sad that Absolute Radio has made clear that it’s not bidding for live coverage from next season. So I expect some kind of carve up between Five Live and Talksport, with Talksport…

  • The End of Digital Downloads?

    That’ll teach me for writing this too quickly. I based this on a Digital Music News report which was published Wednesday evening UK time. A few hours later, and ReCode was reporting that Apple is planning no such thing. Of course plans change all the time, and record labels can get angry. So who knows…

  • Kyrgyzstan

    I recently got to visit the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan for work, and had a great few days. Clearly, I took my camera, and I’ve published a short piece about it, on a separate page under a new heading. So click here, or navigate via Writing above. While it should work fine on any…

  • Podcasting: Data/Tech Improvements or Leave Alone?

    A couple of interesting pieces on the development of podcasts, and Apple’s role, have been published recently and thought worth thinking aloud about (that’s effectively what my blog is – me thinking aloud). The New York Times published a piece that suggests major podcasting groups have been talking to Apple asking for extra functionality from…

  • YouTube v Radio

    I'm expecting a strong response from @matt @adambowie @DavidLloydRADIO and @Radiocentre https://t.co/xkiklRp7my — Phil Riley (@rileyorionradio) April 29, 2016 Since Phil Riley, Chairman of Orion Media, suggested it, I thought I’d have a look at what’s happening here. YouTube has just published a strong blogpost penned by Christophe Muller, Head of YouTube International Music Partnerships,…

  • Do You Know What Product Placement Is?

    Ofcom has just produced a slightly dry sounding report on “UK Audience Attitudes Towards Broadcast Media” based on some of its Media Tracker findings. If you work in UK commercial radio, then the good news is that most people don’t think you’re running too many ads right now. 51% of commercial radio listeners say that…

  • A Sheringham Soundscape

    Recorded along the coast during a near high-tide this morning. The promenade in Sheringham was quite badly damaged during December 2013 storms, and more than two years later, there is still work being carried out to repair some of that damage. The audio is a mix of different sounds with some “treatment” particularly to the…

  • Broadcast v Internet Listening

    If there’s one thing that’s incredibly dangerous to do when you’re trying to work out what’s going on the world, it’s the “Sample Size of One.” What I mean is that just because you or your family is adopting a certain type of behaviour, that does not make it the norm. That’s especially true in…

  • DAB and DAB+: Some Testing Ahead of SDL/D2 Launch Next Week

    Rupert Brun, expert on all things audio and late of the BBC, has been testing his radios at ahead of the Sound Digital (SDL) launch in a week’s time. The multiplex is in full test mode at the moment, so if you want to know if you can hear the new services, then a rescan…