Author: jamesstodd

Bank Holiday In-Car listening.

| jamesstodd

As the first of 2 mega, “phew whatta scorcher” bank holiday weekends drew to a close, there stretched in front of me a massive drive from the Southwest tip of Cornwall back home to London. To accompany the children’s cries of “are we there yet?”, the entertainment provider: the car radio. But what delights did it provide…?

Porthleven to Bodmin:
First up – Radio 1. They were featuring the 1Xtra takeover – great way of showcasing BBC Radio – but not many singalong songs for the 4 and 7 year old. So on came Pirate FM – seemingly playing a whole day of ” nothing but number ones”. Pirate FM certainly delivered on “more music variety” – this included Bucks Fizz “Makin’ Your Mind Up”, The Jam “A town called Malice” and loads more. And enough singalong songs for the kids.

Bodmin to Exeter:
As we lost Pirate Fm, a request from the back for “Times Table Challenge”. Those of you not to have yet had the pleasure of this or similar offerings from the Early Learning Centre have a treat in store. 30 minutes if repetitive educational “songs”. Note to self: get in car DAB fitted quickly – at least that way I could offer up Fun Kids.

Exeter to Ilminster A303:
It’s 5pm so time for PM on Radio 4. Sadly not Eddie Mair but informative as always.

Tea stop:
Little Chef. Yes really. It’s one of the new ones with a Heston Blumenthal inspired menu. I had fish and chips since you ask – but NO LOLLIPOPS – this is a #FAIL

Ilminster to M3
Back in the car, radio back on and on comes of comedy from BBC Radio 4. Then The Archers. Then a fascinating programme on Andy Wharhol’s week in London from the Front Row team.

Megan (7) now asleep. Daniel (4) is still wide awake. Switch to BBC Radio 2. It’s Jo Whiley tonight. Haven’t heard her since she had the free transfer – and the music was great for an early evening drive. There were a couple if tracks that I’d loved to find out more about – but u was driving. Maybe my car radio needs a button that let’s me bookmark sings for further research or enquiry.

Stonehenge:
Daniel needs the toilet. Quick stop, then he requests “Old McDonald” to be sung. For 20 minutes. He ended up with a lion on the farm…

M3
Megan is now awake. She wants some songs she knows and asks for Capital FM. Thank god for disposable pop. If only there was more Capital in the West Country. There’s Heart. But 7 year olds

Talking directly to the listener – an opportunity for apps?

| jamesstodd

20110824-223936.jpg

I’m a bit of a fair-weather listener to Absolute Radio. I listen to Christian O’Connell as the mood takes me but I don’t tune in every day. I tend to listen to the offshoots of AbsoluteRadio90s and Absolute80s more. I also have their OC Alarm Clock app and the Rock and Roll football app on my phone. And it’s the latter that has sparked an idea..

When I installed that app, I was asked to nominate the team I support. I’m not really a footy fan but my father in law is a season ticket holding life long Manchester United fan so I selected them. Then I forgot about it.

Now, every time they play a match and score a goal – whether or not the app is being used – my phone flashes up a goal update. I might be watching Tv. I might be surfing online. It flashes me a message. It interacts with me.

Is this an opportunity for other radio station apps? Could the Capital FM app do this? Could it ask you to input your favourite artists. Or the sort of things you are into. Or your lifestyle interests?

Then, when The Wanted were in for a chat – could it directly notify me? (I’m not a fan but my 8 year old daughter is). Or when tickets for the Summertime Ball went on sale, could they send me (her) a reminder..?

As the technology of mobile listening changes – are you thinking beyond linear listening..?

Torchwood – The Lost Files

Torchwood
| jamesstodd
Torchwood
Image (C) BBC

Having been a Torchwood fan since the series first started (as a spin off from the BBC’s long running Doctor Who), I’m really looking forward to the new series which starts this week.

Before the last series – Children of Earth – BBC Radio 4 commissioned a couple of radio plays to bridge the gap between the series. They have done it again with a 3 story run of Torchwood: The Lost Files. The series is running this week in the Afternoon Play slot in BBC Radio 4. And they’ve handily made all 3 stories available as downloads.

I listened to the first file – “The Devil and Miss Carew” this morning on my commute in to work. It’s all standard Torchwood stuff – though the “alien” seems to be called Fitzroy – and seems to live within the Radio 4 Shipping Forecast (played by Radio 4 drama stalwart Martin Jarvis).

If you’ve never listened to a radio drama, this could be your ideal stepping off point. It’s nicely acted, pretty close to the feel of the Tv series, and has fun performances from the main Torchwood cast.

You can download it here

And the new TV series starts this Thursday night (July 14th) on BBC 1

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Scottish Is.. The Longest Promo Ever?

| jamesstodd

 

Deep Fried mars Bars
Having worked as a radio promo producer for many years, it’s not often that I hear a bit of production that really  grabs me and makes me sit glued listening to the radio. This morning, I think I heard it.

BBC Radio 1 are currently promoting their coverage of the T in The Park Festival in Scotland.

 

15 hours of television coverage for BBC Three and BBC One and Two Scotland, featuring on the HD channel, 115 hours streaming on the red button across the three days and almost 90 hours on the catch-up service. All that plus highlights for BBC Two and BBC Scotland plus 12 hours of radio on Radio One and Radio Scotland.  Starting on Three at 8pm on Friday 8th July, Edith Bowman and Reggie Yates will be in the tree house studio overlooking a newly designed site, Greg James will be out and about soaking up the atmosphere and local lads Ally McRae from Radio One and Vic Galloway from Radio Scotland will be bringing expert local knowledge

Radio 1 are running standard trails for this – including music from the artists performing and listeners talking about their passion for the event. That works really well .

But then between 2 songs on the Chris Moyles Show this morning, I heard the audio version of this between 2 other songs.

 

It’s a 3 minute promo. With one simple call to action. But it has created a huge buzz. It’s been produced by Matt Fisher, one of the station sound team at Radio 1 along with his colleague Rob Lewis. Matt told me:

We asked the Scottish listeners via our facebook page what being Scottish meant to them. Their replies inspired and fed into the script. Track is Biffy Clyro – God & Satan, VO is Louis Mellis – Scottish VO and Actor. 

It’s a stunningly simple piece of production. It’s under-produced. There hasn’t been a temptation to fill it with unnecessary sound effects. I really hope it wins some awards – it certainly deserves to.

 

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Torchwood Miracle Day – USA v UK Trailers

| jamesstodd
C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). (C) BBC

The new series of Torchwood hits screens in the UK soon July 14th.This time, Captain Jack is out in L.A., and the series has a distinctly US feel – with some Welsh bits too to tie it back to the show’s origins. It’s as if the programme’s origins as a Doctor Who spin off have finally disappeared.

One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep ageing – they get hurt and sick – but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight.

The marketing phrase “nobody dies” does however remind me of this sketch from The Day Today.

The trailers for the show have just started airing in the UK. Here’s the launch trail from the BBC website:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

And the American versions are online too.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

It’s interesting to see how the US versions go all out for action, whereas the UK version has a nice feeling of suspense, drama and then a huge hit of action too. True, the US version is doing a job to fill in the back story – and it is a web trail rather than a true TV trail. But even so, it’s not necessarily subtle. Then again – it’s not meant to be.

And the US version has a nice hint of sonic  branding at the end – with a sting from the original series’ theme tune. The use of audio branding in TV trails can always be powerful, particular when it’s long established. On radio, we know it works too, but builds it’s effectiveness with repetition.

As a Torchwood fan, I’m hugely looking forward to this new series. Camp, yes. But then how could anything with John Barrowman be anything but…?

UPDATE:

I’ve just heard that, like the last series, there will also be be a radio prequel to the series.

BBC Radio 2 – Radio2Day

| jamesstodd
Broadcasting House Sunset - James Stodd

Here in the UK today (June 22 2011), BBC Radio 2 is trying out a clever marketing trick.

They are pairing up all of the presenters from different shows and genres to present in different parts of the day. It’s being described as “a-12 hour on air celebration of everything the station has to offer”.

For a station like Radio 2, 2DAY gives a great opportunity to showcase the range of what they offer to listeners who may only tune in for certain parts of the day. Of course, there’s a danger that having hooked people in, they’ll come back expecting the same every day. But at least they’ll have heard a sample of everything else that the station offers. And that will hopefully make them want to sample more. For the people who complain that the BBC wastes resources promoting the mainstream offerings from their radio stations, this is a nice example of using the mainstream presenters to help showcase the outer parts of the schedule.

I really like the style of the TV trail that they have created to promote it too. It’s a bit like one of those children’s puzzles where you slide the pieces around to finally get the full picture. It’s a nice visual metaphor and resolves with all the presenters on it as well.

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Bringing the Summertime Ball Alive

| jamesstodd
Image (c) Global Radio

Yesterday, Capital FM hosted its Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium for 75,000 rain-soaked fans with acts ranging from JLS and Nicole Scherzinger to The Wanted and Jennifer Lopez.

I spent the weekend in Cardiff, once home to another similar event when Red Dragon FM was around. Cardiff is now one of the cities that has Capital FM as its own radio station. And this weekend in Cardiff it was all about the Ball. And even though the event was over 2 hours away in London – it still sort of felt local. All the local shows talked about was the fact that they had last-minute tickets to give away. All the news bulletins led with the Ball – with a reporter backstage and loads of quick relevant scene setting. And on Sunday morning when Cardiff was being soaked in a torrential downpour, the local host had upbeat, excited callers on, getting ready for “South Wales’ road trip to the Ball”.

In fact, the weekend served as a warm up for Take That’s arrival in Cardiff – an event that it seems is so anticipated that one local fashion advertiser has themed their local campaign around the band’s arrival.

My personal road trip home from Cardiff joined coverage of the Ball at about 4, and it was good to hear Capital throwing everything at it – from backstage reporters to “live” interviews along with (somewhat surprisingly) live tracks too. Live performances are hardly ever as good as recorded ones , so this felt a bit of a brave move for Capital. But as a passive listener, it made me feel part if the show. They were also making much of the HD photos available online along with video interviews. And I’m sure they will be hammering home the amount of online content (both photos and video) available for listeners to check out in the next few days.

Little is made of the backstage effort made to make this sort of thing happen. I know there will have been a fairly small team of hugely dedicated people working long hours to make this happen from engineers to online editors to producers. Maybe Global should shout publicly about this a little more – they should be proud of the team.

But, the moment I heard Capital FM’s Greg Burns link to someone high above London in the Flying Eye describing the sight of the stadium and the bands arriving, it felt like Capital had really nailed it. I’m uncertain whether the Flying Eye is still even in existence on air on Capital. But it is radio shorthand to Capital’s past that still exists in the collective memory (certainly for the older part of the audience). It’s a simple device to paint pictures and create context. And it was a nice subtle link to Capital’s past heritage too.

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I want it all (and maybe iCloud will give it to me now) UPDATE

| jamesstodd

Back in 2009, I wondered whether one day I’d be able to listen to what I wanted, when I wanted it on my commute to work. I wondered whether I’d be able to switch on my portable device and get the latest news, the latest weather and maybe a selection of content alongside the music I wanted.

Yesterday’s announcement by Apple of the new iOS and also iCloud made me think that maybe this idea could be getting nearer. It looks like, along with allowing me to sync up anything I’ve bought from iTunes, by using iTunes Match, I’ll be able to (at a small cost) match up what I already have on iTunes and sync it with the cloud.

But, surely, there’s more to it than that. From what I understand, and I may be wrong), I’ll be able to sync my iphone up wirelessly with my library. So I’m hoping that since my library not only contains music but also podcasts, that they will sync as well.

If this is the case, this surely offers some interesting options for radio broadcasters.

In a post yesterday, Radio Intelligence asked “is podcasting radio’s enemy?“. The conclusion is that it’s not – but there are some broadcasters who still disagree.

It would be oh so nice if the radio trades spilled some digital ink on these types of broadcasters rather than creating the impression that radio can simply step into a tricked out DeLorean where it’s always 1999.

There has been much discussion of how radio still has a place within the music industry. One of these roles is that of Music Curation. This could be as diverse as new music from Radio 1, or Capital FM bringing you the latest hit record first. Does this always-synced future from Apple now mean that Capital FM should be publishing Smart iTunes playlists that contain the weeks new releases? If you are a Capital fan, you could have this on your iTunes account. Each week, as it syncs, it would show you the new songs that Capital has added – and that you could then buy (maybe with a nice partnership deal for Capital and Apple to get a share of revenues).

But there’s more. If my iPhone now syncs podcasts, couldn’t Capital FM produce a daily podcast that is in effect a topical call to action, a setup of an online-only contest entry or quick excerpt of that days big guest from the breakfast show. Maybe there could be a series of short “blipcasts” – no longer than 60 secs – that have a showbiz update or maybe a daily contest. If there were a way to combine this into a smart playlist with the biggest songs from the Capital playlist – then maybe there’s a way of reaching potential Capital listeners who don’t listen on the move.

And, (thanks to Radio Intelligence for the Twitter suggestion), I’d call it Capital Fm On Demand

Now whilst this may not be possible yet – and indeed the iCloud may not yet offer this – maybe my hoped for future is starting to get nearer.

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