Lets look back, and look forward...

[producerpinnell]

Hello!

 

James: Wasn't sure which forum to put this in...

 

Firstly, I would like to wish everyone here at Broadcasting World a Happy New Year for Friday. I'll post it now, because I'll be traveling home on Friday and I'm not sure if I'll have the Internet, plus I have a bit of free time today!

 

I'll be posting everything below on my new blog, but am posting it here first, because you guys are the people who work in these different sectors, and I like to share!

 

Christmas is over and no doubt everyone will be eating turkey for the next month or so, and with New Years around the corner, we have to wonder what we can expect for the next year, and indeed decade.

 

 

Voiceovers

I'll start with voiceovers, as it links with radio imaging (below) which links to radio stations (below that!)

 

A competitive industry to get into, but for those of us already in this industry, whether we get the big clients or the small clients, the next decade of voiceovering will be a fun one indeed!

 

Already millions of voices have inspired people to purchase products, vote for contestants on reality TV shows, entertained us and given us interesting facts, and have been our friend in bed while listening to audio books and other oddities.

 

Voiceovers will continue to play a big part of people's lives, there's no doubt about that. If we didn't have someone telling us to mind the gap between the train and the platform edge, or how much "Now That's what I Call Music 88" is in your local supermarket, it would probably be very bland?

 

As technology advances, potential clients will look more towards the internet, and forums such as this to find the perfect voice for their client.

 

Everyone has a unique voice to them, and we should embrace that, and work together in this competitive industry.

 

 

Radio Imaging

I guess as more stations launch throughout the next year and decade, radio imaging will continue to change, not only to match with music scenes on particular stations, but also to match the mood and shifts in audiences. I'm sure many production companies, whether independent or in house will gain newer technologies to produce imaging of top quality standard, just like they have done for the past decade.

 

There are still times where I myself listen to old bits of imaging and comparing them to the imaging of today. The contrast is noticeable, but all in good form, using the imaging of yesterday on the stations of today, would sound disjointed, and probably not fit in with the sound and feel of stations.

 

As we go into the new year, and a new decade, it will be interesting to see how imaging changes, and this time in a decades time comparing the imaging of the naughties to the imaging of the..... whatever the 2010's are going to be called!

 

 

Radio Stations

Already in this decade we've seen big changes in the industry. Many more listeners are listening online than they were in the 90s, presenters have left, caused scandals, and big groups have taken over other groups, and stations have sadly closed.

 

With digital transmitters being turned on in the UK in the 2010+ era, it will be interesting to see how this affects listening figures, and how stations embrace the power of these new technologies. Already stations are embracing the use of Twitter and Facebook to attract and retain new audiences, and can interact with their audiences in a way they have never been able to before.

 

I can only speak for the UK when I say that many heritage stations over the past 12 months have been taken over by larger companies, some say it's a bad thing, some say it's a good thing, but this is the way the industry is going. However, saying that, this means local independent commercial stations can show their true colors and offer something different to local audiences, and perhaps could become heritage stations in their own right?

 

Either way, in the new year and the next decade, it will be interesting to see if takeovers have really worked, and see what other changes, whether big or small, take place in one of the most competitive markets in the media industry.

 

 

That's my little overview, who knows what will happen in the next year, or indeed the next decade, but whatever happens, let's make it one to remember!