Brussels, 29/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 27 June, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) published a study on public service radio and its relation to the social media, based on data on radio consumption from 31 EBU member organisations in 28 countries. It also features 28 case studies on radio programme formats, as well as social- and cross-media strategies in seven European countries plus the USA.
The study shows that public service broadcasters are successfully exploiting social media to reach new listeners and to respond to public expectation. One of the main conclusions is that while the consumption of traditional AM/FM radio is down, most public service radio broadcasters now provide online and mobile services. They are also exploiting the interactivity of social media and offering applications for smartphones, which will help to increase their audience. In all cases, radio has set in place social media strategies, to allow them to keep their listeners' attention even when their radios are switched off. The public service radio broadcasters are not only adapting to the new radio landscape, they are helping to shape it, by developing their cross-platform presence, which makes them more visible and their content more accessible. “In an increasingly competitive radio market, European public broadcasters maintained a strong average 37% share for their national radio channels in 2010, unchanged from the previous year, and this is also due to multi-platform distribution and social media”, said Alex Shulzycki, EBU Head of Research. Additionally, Mike Mullane, Head of News, Sports and New Radio at the EBU, stated that the public radio broadcasters were meeting head-on the challenge posed by music-on-demand websites. “When these services began to gain a foothold, some people were predicting the end of music-based public service radio. What this study shows is that listeners are still tuning in because they value the interactive human experience that radio offers, but which is not available from music streaming sites”, said Mullane. (I.L./transl.fl)