Radio is the medium in which people have the most trust in, said Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre, in her keynote speech addressing the Radio Days Europe. When stations stay true to their brand values people love radio, agreed Alison Winter, Head of Audiences, BBC Radio and Music. But that kind of brand or quality filter does not apply to the digital environment. Radio stations accept cuts to their brands that they would allow on air. But the brand attributes, including being trustworthy, may be carried to social media. With this, people can be encouraged to coming back to radio, said Alison Winter.
When it comes to smart speakers, it becomes more difficult for listeners to find trust. Nicky Birch is a consultant at Rosina Sound and creates strategies for audio and technology companies. To her the important thing is that people keep listening to radio and just change the device on which they are listening to it. To keep radio trustworthy, big organisations like the European broadcasters might need to collaborate to work out the question of data ownership. Encouraging listeners to use smart devices from Amazon or Google might raise questions of trust. Her suggestion is that national broadcasters work out collaborations and make sure that they are not handing over too much information to the platforms.
Nicky Birch, Consultant and Creative Producer in Audio and Technology, Rosina Sound, UK
Although there is a lot of resistence to smart devices, particularly in Germany, many people don’t see that their smartness is already embedded in most current phones. Once that becomes a part of our lives, worries might disappear, says Nicky Birch. Smart speakers in a car will be obvious use cases for most concumers, for example.
By Raphael Unger, journalism student, FHWien
