In every sector, the digital era has forced massive disruption, demanding constant innovation and adaptation for survival. Hard pressed to keep pace with this evolution is the radio industry – one that has reinvented itself time and again and stood to tell the tale. From wireless telegraph radios to AM/FM, walkie talkies and everything in between – today the sector thrives on satellite, social, digital and internet radio. Progress that would make Nikola Tesla proud.
Busisiwe Phakathi is 5fm’s marketing manager. Source: Supplied.
Focus on engagement
Today, these modern forms of radio serve a function far beyond storytelling and music playing. It’s still entertainment, for sure, but the conversations have evolved from speaking to (or at) audiences, to engaging programmes that elicit deep, two way conversations.
This focus on engagement is critical to keeping youth connected. Radio should play an integral role in the lives of our youth. It offers information, entertainment, a community, a vessel for self-expression, a platform for youth to share their views. Modern producers must facilitate open, transparent communication. Our youths don’t respond to falsity. They demand a platform that involves them, rather than preaching to them; and rightly so.
How youth consume radio has drastically shifted. Gone are the days when youths had their earphones in, listening to radio all day, consuming without engaging. Further away still are evenings sat alongside a wireless listening to stories or music. The digital concentration span simply no longer allows for this.
Today’s youth consume radio programming in chunks. They listen to features and podcasts, they require programmes on demand. This places the onus on radio to ensure pertinent programming is available during those periods. To stay relevant in this era, radio must deliver a 360-degree approach – available on mobile, on demand, on various channels.
Cultivating experiential, interconnected and accessible radio is key to keeping youth interested in radio. It’s podcasting, activations, leveraging social media, and making radio available in more mediums than voice alone. It’s interaction, being on the ground where the youth are, asking them for their opinions, giving them opportunities to meet media personalities. It’s streaming, TikTok, YouTube. It’s the digital evolution of radio – making it available as an omni-channel vehicle for true participation.
Safe space
In a Youth Day media release, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) noted that “Radio has long been a source of shared experiences and enjoyment, and RAMS (2023) findings show how South African youth are continuing the tradition by consuming radio content in social settings. Radio is key to forging connections, and it allows for the exchange of ideas, information, and entertainment.”
This rings true today, as radio takes up its responsibility to give youth a place to belong. I passionately advocate for the role radio plays in the lives of youth, guiding them, starting poignant conversations. It’s a community where youth find an alignment of values, a safe space for the expression of goals, beliefs, and sexuality. It should serve as an information source and a connection to global audiences from a local viewpoint. Radio should affirm who our youth are and help them navigate this valuable – albeit sometimes tumultuous – time in their lives.
How can this be achieved? Involve them. Be on the ground, draw them in by allowing them to contribute, create ambassadors that share what’s happening in their communities, leverage social media to learn about what’s important to young listeners. Let them bring the entertainment, news, school happenings – let them tell their stories.
Dr. Frances Howard, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University wrote an insightful article entitled “Radio Is a Blank Canvas for Youth Work”. It emphasises that radio needs to provide an engaging space for youth to express themselves – fostering out of the box thinking, communication and compassion – and the importance of recognizing and supporting radio as a vital tool in future creativity and community-building.
From a CSI perspective, radio should give youth the stage, allowing them to publicise what is lacking in their communities and offering them an inclusive platform to participate in these conversations.
