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Cridland: Radio’s Future Might Have More to do With Transmitters Than You Think

Radio X's opening day crash opens online vs. transmitter debate

LOS ANGELES�James Cridland wrote an interesting piece recently published in allaccess.com entitled �Radio X�UK’s New Station Shows Future Is In Transmitters, Not Online.�� The article has a lot to do with the programming of this new station heard across the U.K. Radio X is a new, national rock/alternative radio station, heard on FM in London and Manchester, and DAB everywhere else.

I�m more interested in James� comments with regard to the technology in use.

�…It was both depressingly familiar and also heartening to hear that both the Radio X website, and the Radio X online streams, crashed during the first breakfast show due to too much traffic.

�As Chris (Moyles) said on-air: “Let’s be honest, it could have been two things – either we’re really, really popular, or they bought a really cheap streaming package.” In reality, Global’s one of the largest radio companies in Europe; and it’s surprising that the streaming and website both fell over.

�A lot of people point to the future of radio being purely online. Yet once more the reality falls short of the promised land. Yes, sure, you can fix it relatively quickly (and, being fair, they did). But online streaming and websites are no match for transmitters: transmitters that can deal with hundreds of thousands of people tuning in all at the same time without breaking out a sweat.

�The launch of a new, TV-advertised and much-promoted radio station was one that could have been planned for. However, one of radio’s primary jobs is to carry emergency information when it’s most needed: and you can’t plan for that.

�Radio’s future might have more to do with transmitters than you think.�

You can read the full article here.

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