I think there’s a real danger that great radio will be further submerged in a sea of audio content. That’s not because some programme managers are not working hard enough to make their station sound different from the competition. It is simply that on-line and on-demand are becoming increasingly important to anyone under 35. Most stations are just not doing enough to make this great content findable. Just ask your audience. Watch how they use your station’s content, both on-air and on-line.
Satellite and terrestrial TV stations have made great efforts in electronic programmes guides. As people flip through channels (or search websites like Hulu.com) they can subscribe to their favourite shows, or get recommendations like on Amazon. Whilst some radio stations have played around with podcasting, most haven’t really put their heart into it. The on-line content isn’t properly labelled; at best it’s the name of the show and the presenter. Yet if consumers can’t find what they are looking for within 10 seconds, they’ll simply click to something else.
The good news is that several commercial and public radio stations are pooling resources to tackle this problem. www.radiodns.org aims to develop a tagging system so next generation radios will come with a "Tell me more button". Imagine you hear a particular song on the radio in your mobile phone and want the MP3 sent to your iTunes account. Push the button! Want to take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer for the movie being advertised? Push the button on the radio within 5 minutes. RadioDNS is worth watching and costs nothing to be kept informed.
But what can you do now to prepare for what’s coming? Just ensure your production system is generating relevant, accurate tags to describe what you’re broadcasting now. Better search engine technology is coming to both mobile and digital radio. Those stations that can offer searchable content will have an unfair advantage. My experience is that it takes stations on average three years to implement these kinds of ideas, which is why I mention it now. It doesn’t need to involve major costs - just an awareness that the future of radio is part of a much bigger audio pie. In order to retain audience attention, stations MUST make far more effort to be found.




Jonathan Marks explores the next 3 years for radio on his blogs at www.jonathanmarks.com . Proud of his heritage in radio, he is currently documenting the switch from analogue to digital storytelling, previews are in the video vault on his website. He consults regularly to radio clients who share his belief that cross-media thinking can be profitable. Contact: jonathan@jonathanmarks.com

Kiss FM in Spain is one of the top-rated national stations in the country. Its promise? "La Mejor Musica", which means "The Best Music". When you play the best music, shouldn’t you also play the best jingles? So Kiss FM came to SOB to create a brand new custom made package that would perfectly reflect the Soft AC station’s musical focus. The jingles have a smooth and yet very contemporary sound, just like the great pop songs that gave the station its popularity.

Alfredo Arense, Program Director Kiss FM:
When working on a delicate project like our new station ID jingles, the distance and language could have easily been a barrier. I am glad to say that this was not the case at all! Hans and the SOB crew's work was beyond our expectations. They understood our needs and met our tight deadlines with ease. The crew worked with us on every detail, with great flexibility to our requests, and the final product is brilliant!
SOB has definitely won us over with their professionalism and their talent!

For Kiss FM we composed a jingle package with lots of different versions. Every jingle has a basic version and a shotgun version, and most jingles are also produced as a ramp. As an extra service, we also supplied the station with special instrumental versions of all jingles that they’re using for their spoken station IDs.
Listen to a preview of the new Kiss FM jingles here!

Radio Center in Slovenia is an AC station that targets a broad audience, including younger demographics. So there’s a fine balance: the music is not too soft, not too pushy, and there’s a great flow. To further distinguish the sound of the station from its competition, they decided to make a big leap and come to SOB for their new jingle package.

Fedja Juvan, Production Director at Radio Center:
For an AC station like Radio Center, the flow in the music programming is crucial. So the musical feel and the production values of the jingles should be at least equal to the songs we're playing - or better! Without a doubt, that is the case with our new jingles from SOB.

The day we spent together recording the Radio Center 2009 Jingles was proceeding as smooth as butter. It was a pleasure to be there and witness the magic happen. Hans and the guys know their job and, obviously - that EVERYTHING counts.

Thank you SOB for a great experience and a highly professional service!

Listen here to the Radio Center version of our Los 40 Principales jingles!