A new medium is coming up - fast! Broadcasters: will you seize the opportunity? (1 of 4)

The world is exactly the same as before. Changing.

I don’t intend to philosophize about the meaning of life - but, as a broadcast professional, what does it mean for our industry?

In just a few years, we’ve gone from linear TV and CDs to Netflix and Spotify. The traditional press is under great pressure because the availability of content has boomed as the Internet has grown. More and more content is being consumed on the go, or on these new smart speakers. Social networks are at the heart of our daily consumption of news, be they from friends and relatives or the rest of the world.

In a nutshell: demand has shifted.

What do we offer on the supply side? How do we address the need for interaction, new experiences, flexibility, choices, community, tailored content?

At the same time, social media too is being increasingly scrutinised. The AI algorithms that drive our feeds, the quantity and usage of the data we share, our ability to disconnect from the giant web – they not only disrupt the previous order, but also bring new types of challenge.

As a result, traditional broadcasters are having a hard time keeping up and renewing the engagement of their audience.

Don’t think it’s all doom and despair though. It’s far from that!

As usual ,when new challenges emerge, new solutions arise.

A new kind of media is up and coming - and it has incredible advantages:

- it is available nearly everywhere - with even better coverage than 4G

- it is “live” and, at the same time, available on demand

- it works for all ages, genders, demographics, circumstances…

- it is all about things that are close to you - or further away, if you like

- it is ideal for making new discoveries or deepening your understanding of topics

- it can be listened to, watched, read, written and commented on

- it is deeply connected to your life and quick to generate engagement - but your data is safe

- it is already widely trusted

So, how come you’ve never heard about this miraculous grail?

Well, actually, you have.

It’s simply called RADIO -the medium of proximity by excellence.

Don’t smile: think about it.

As studies show, it’s there with us nearly every day. With a touch of innovation and creative professionals, it’s really not far away. We can drive that change!

How? By working on proximity with our audiences, providing easier workflows to our teams and keeping budgets under control.

Stay tuned for more. We’re starting a mini-series about virtual radio, and how it will benefit the future of radio.

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About On-Hertz

On-Hertz produces unique, innovative, highly affordable web-based radio studio solutions, providing a complete workflow on a local laptop/tablet or in the cloud. The solution responds to the challenges faced by radio stations, enabling presenters to broadcast live from anywhere much more easily and efficiently, at lower cost – creating differentiation, increasing engagement and generating new revenue opportunities. On-Hertz’s virtual radio studio offers a complete feature set and absolute reliability, and transforms the economics of outside broadcast.

On-Hertz is proud to be trusted by start-up acceleration programs including imec.istart (www.imec-int.com/en/istart), Start It @ KBC (startit.be) and VRT Sandbox (sandbox.vrt.be).