Everyone who works in imaging is trying to find a new sound. But not everyone is able to find the right new sound.
Matt Fisher, from the BBC in the UK, talked to delegates about how the public service broadcaster has re-imaged their Dance Anthems Show. The BBC commissioned Wisebuddah, as well as UK producer Jacob Plant, to create the new package.
The resulting imaging became so popular with listeners that they decided to make it into a proper music track. The song was added to the BBC Radio 1 playlist, both as a regular track, and remixed to fit into areas of the schedule it wouldn’t normally fit. It was also used for idents and promo trails for Ibiza 2018.
But when imaging becomes so ubiquitous, listeners can switch off. Fearing it would become too gimmicky, BBC Radio 1 asked the producers to not mention Radio 1 at all.
Then Petri Alanko, Head of Sound at Yle in Finland, took delegates through a case study highlighting the challenges in re-imaging. Stations need to keep reinventing their sound but it is easy to make mistakes. Petri talked about the importance of focusing on different approaches for each of their four stations and how artificial intelligence helped create their final package.
Tastes are changing, technology is changing… and the radio industry must keep changing its imaging to keep up.
