In a room filled with people, the first question on everyone’s lips was, “How can we make more money from radio, audio, and digital?”. Matthias Pfaff, Huibert Scholtens, and Rob Timony shared their knowledge and experiences to answer this question.
“Agility is the key,” noted Huibert Scholtens, the Business Director at Business News Radio, while explaining that innovation is not just about technology, but also about what radio can become. BNR, one of the most famous radio stations in the Netherlands, made its transformation, but it wasn’t just about going digital, it was also about thinking beyond radio. BNR uses almost all available platforms to engage with its audience, promote its activities, and ensure it stands out. Innovation is a mindset, not just a strategy. However, that doesn’t mean that value should be neglected. As Scholtens highlighted, “monetization follows value, not the other way around.”
According to Rob Timony, SVP, Commercial Advisory at Bauer Media Audio, collaboration is integral to innovation. He also mentioned that audio is an extremely creative medium, or as he called it, “the new creative playground.”
Last but not least, what all three speakers highlighted was that audiences are at the core of what radio and audio producers do. “Always try to make a connection with the audience,” said Matthias Pfaff, Chief Digital Officer at REGIOCAST GmbH & CO KG. His main advice was for producers to focus on the existing audience, rather than wasting resources and attention on seeking new ones. For this to work, it’s essential that the audience has the opportunity to provide feedback and not just be passive listeners.
All in all, the large crowd that wanted to attend this session and the discussion that followed afterwards, led Rob Timony to the conclusion that “radio isn’t dying after all.”
image © Afroditi Zaggana
