Hello there. I’m James Cridland, and I’ve been working in radio and new media for the last fifteen years or so. This website kindly links to my blog, and you’ll see the odd blog posting too from me here.

Last week, the great and good from the radio industry met in Westminster, London, for a conference run by the Radio Academy, which I was responsible for chairing.

The conference, Radio at the Edge, has been running for some time now, but it’s difficult to explain quite what it discusses. Its tagline, “What’s next, now”, goes a little way towards suggesting that it’s to do with new technology that makes radio programming better. Yes, things like new forms of broadcasting radio, but mainly what happens, to quote my own blog’s byline, “where radio and new platforms collide”.

I wrote up the event, while sitting at the back, in a long and somewhat badly thrown-together live blog. But if you don’t have the patience to read it (I certainly don’t), here’s what we learnt:

• Absolute Radio used their social media network to perform the UK’s largest radio rebrand in a really interesting and open way; giving unprecedented control to the listener.
• DAB Digital Radio, while suffering from some commercial pressures, is still alive and well within the UK, and can coexist well with internet broadcasting
• The BBC World Service uses the internet in a clever tactical way – from online questionnaires, to innovative broadcasting and mobile use.
• Blogs, Twitter, etc, can strengthen radio presenters’ connections with their audience, to a degree that almost means that if they change radio station, their audience will mostly follow them
• Music personalisation services like last.fm might not be the killer to radio that some people think
• Adding visuals to radio can make for a really interesting proposition, and Global Radio launched an iPhone app during the event
• Leo Laporte spoke about podcasting and radio in the US – seeing podcasting as being a useful addition to radio, but not a total replacement. And he also spoke about how he’s earning revenue from the podcasts he does.
• Andrew Collins and Richard Herring performed a live podcast in front of us, and gave us some interesting statistics about what their audience thought about their programme.

Radio conferences are sometimes a hit and miss affair. But I hope that this year, it was rather more ‘hit’ than ‘miss’. What are your thoughts on radio conferences? What are the good ones you’ve been to? Do let me know in the comments.

Yes! I couldn’t agree with him more.

At its essence, radio is about the communication between the listener and the person on the other side of the mike. That person plays the music the listener wants to hear and provides information about the songs and the artists that keeps the listener plugged in. Additionally, that person provides a sense of companionship and community for the listener. Radio is the social network with a voice.

So as I sat there thinking a bit about radio and the definition of radio and of how radio is evolving, I began thinking about satellite radio. I listen to a lot of satellite radio here in the U.S. and I must say that there are many things I either hear for myself, or hear about through cross-promotion, that get me excited about listening. Things that give me the sense that the “true mission” of radio is being fulfilled there. I’ve written a few times before – here, here and here – about my fascination with and fondness for these “micro-channels” that both XM and Sirius do. To me, these channels kind of sum up what the benefits of satellite radio are for the listener, providing a snapshot of the best that satellite radio can offer.

The other day while I was driving home I tuned into one of Sirius’ such channels, the all-Springsteen “E Street Radio” channel. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon the beginning of an hour that featured a guest DJ, something that the channel regularly does. However this hour wasn’t featuring just any guest DJ, it was none other than long time member of the E Street Band, pianist Roy Bittan. I sat there in my car captivated as Bittan not only played songs that featured his playing – songs in Springsteen’s catalog as well as those by other artists – but also as he discussed in depth the particulars about each track and why it was so special to him. It was pretty incredible radio – hearing Bittan introducing “Born To Run” as he spoke about his first ever gig with the E Street Band back in 1974; about how the classic piano-outro on “Backstreets” came about; how the sessions for Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” album came to be and his experiences in the making of that classic album; how he came to record with David Bowie and his experiences with recording the “TVC 15″ track; about how the band recorded many of the tracks on “The River” in a live fashion and many others. Now keep in mind that each of the songs he played during the hour I’ve heard a thousand times – but hearing them with the context he provided enabled me to hear each song in a different way. Powerful stuff.

As I was driving along and listening to this incredible hour of radio, I was thinking to myself, “This is exactly why I subscribe to Sirius. I couldn’t hear this type of radio anywhere else.” And yes, it’s just one small example, for I don’t pay $13/month so I can hear Roy Bittan do one hour of radio. The fact of the matter is that the hour of radio I just described above is representative of not only what is happening on the “E Street Radio” channel, but what is happening on many other channels on the Sirius platform not to mention with what’s going on across the XM platform.

NPR calls them “car moments” – radio programming that is so compelling that you sit in your car to keep listening even after you reached your destination. The Roy Bittan guest DJ program provided me with a “car moment” as I sat in my driveway to listen Bittan introduce the last of the songs he was to play for the hour. And truth be told, I would have sat there in the car for another hour if he had kept on going – and that is the true testament to the power of great radio.

I’ve written about these satellite radio micro-channels before here and here and I hate to sound like a broken record, but I will.

Investing in creative, compelling programming pays off.

Sirius just announced that Coldplay will take over one of their channels (Alt Nation) for ten days beginning Friday, June 13th. The launch of the channel, Coldplay Nation, coincides (shockingly!) with the release of the band’s “Viva La Vida” album which will be during the channel’s 10-day run. As is stated on the Sirius website, Coldplay Nation “celebrates the June 17 release of Coldplay’s new Viva La Vida with Chris Martin and the band’s personal introductions to songs from the new album. You’ll also hear music from throughout their career, artists who influenced the Coldplay sound and current favorites.”

This cuts to the heart of what radio has to do to succeed – create programming that is unique, compelling and exclusive. If listeners are given a compelling reason, they will listen and become fans of a radio station or in the case of the satellite radio providers, subscribe to their service.

Coldplay is one of the biggest bands today with one of the most anticipated new releases on the horizon. If you’re a Coldplay fan, the channel is great news for you because you get to listen to a channel that is running what you consider compelling content. Those who aren’t Coldplay fans may not listen, but they will hear about it (thanks to cross-promotion) and they will get the message. The message being that one of the globe’s biggest artists is doing something big and something exclusive for the service that they subscribe to. Sure, it may not be an artist that they’re particularly interested in, but nonetheless they are once again reminded of the fact that “cool things are always happening here” thus subtly giving them additional justification for subscribing to Sirius – which is critical during this time where every cent of discretionary household spending is analyzed for potential reductions.

With Viva La Vida being their 4th studio album, Coldplay doesn’t have the catalog to support a channel for an extended period of time like Sirius’ other micro-channels, such as Springsteen’s E Street Radio, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margariville, Elvis Radio, Siriusly Sinatra or The Grateful Dead channel, but that’s hardly the point. With the announcement and imminent launch of Coldplay Nation, Sirius has scored a coup and like George Bush can proudly say “Mission Accomplished,” although without the irony. They’ve sent the message to fans of Coldplay, to non-fans of Coldplay, to subscribers of Sirius and to potential subscribers of Sirius.

This is nothing earth shattering, in fact it’s extraordinarily simple. But then again, most things are. Invest in programming. Be creative in the programming. Offer something compelling and unique and people will respond, even in this day and age of changing consumer habits, declining radio listenership and of serious questions regarding the relevance of radio to people’s lives.

After the phone rang I took a look at the caller ID and saw by the number that it was yet another telemarketer. Instead of ignoring it or picking up and then immediately hanging up as I usually do, I decided to answer it up and see what they wanted.

This is where the surprise came in.

The person on the other end of the phone simply said, “Hi Mr. Sabatini this is (name) calling from Verizon Wireless. We just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being a customer.”

Hmmmm…Okay. The classic setup. Good telemarketing technique – thanking me for my patronage and then coming in for the hard sell. I was ready. Ready to hear the pitch so that I could quickly cut her off by issuing my terse, “no thank you” followed by me hanging up.

I waited for her to continue with her pitch. But there was nothing. I waited for her to continue but the silence became deafening. “Uh, thanks” I mumbled semi-coherently. She thanked me again and then hung up. I stood there a bit dumbfounded. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

So what does this have to do with radio? Everything. Don’t worry, keep reading and I’ll get there.

Sure, that phone call was just another telemarketing technique – but damn was it a good one. They didn’t actually want anything. Well, that is not entirely true, as they obviously want my business. But at that moment they didn’t want me to do anything, sign up for anything or think about spending more money with them for services I probably didn’t need.

It got me thinking about customer service and the value of GREAT customer service. There are companies that are renowned for their customer service but many, many more who are not.

And here’s where the radio part comes in. In the radio business customer service can mean many things, but no matter the definition, I think you could safely say that many radio stations do NOT give great customer service.

In the radio world, great customer service means delivering MORE to the listeners than they expect. It’s being bigger, better, stronger, faster. It’s surprising them (in a good way!). It’s giving them a reason to listen to your station rather than a direct competitor or a non-radio competitor like their iPod. It’s providing them with a difference – a difference that matters to them. A difference that tells them you care about them. That you understand what they want and that your goal is to meet their needs, and then some. They can rely on you.

In the satellite radio world, customer service has more of a traditional meaning as people actually have to pay a monthly subscription fee to listen, therefore they are the classic “customer.” But the bottom line is still the same – customers have to be not only completely satisfied with the product and service that they are receiving, they should be overwhelmed.

The customers (subscribers) should be constantly reminded why they subscribe. They should be reminded by hearing great programming; creative programming; compelling programming. They should be reminded by coming across all of the unique channels. If the satellite radio business, subscribers have to be constantly reminded why the paid option is a better option than their local and free FM stations. The listeners have to be reminded why you’re better than their iPod. When the monthly bill comes in they shouldn’t even have to think about whether they should keep subscribing or not. It should be like the utility bill. They should feel like they can’t live without it. GREAT customer service can do that. In the radio business, GREAT customer service equates to GREAT programming.

I suspect that this will only work in the UK – but I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on it.

As he pointed out, now that social engagement is moving from being a destination to a feature, it’s a big opportunity for radio.

Indeed.

Terrestrial radio has done a lot of things wrong in recent years but a way for them to get back in the game and re-establish their relevance is to make sure this is not an opportunity lost. Radio ain’t dead, but it’s broken. It’s critical for radio to re-engage listeners in new (and old!) ways.

And the whole ‘social thing’ is a big opportunity to re-engage.

Back in the day, the great state of New Jersey had an advertising campaign designed to promote tourism (and if there was any U.S. State that needed a campaign to promote tourism, it was New Jersey – Bruce Springsteen and the Jersey Shore not withstanding). The tagline of the campaign was New Jersey and You – Perfect Together! Taking creative license from the Garden State, I propose a slogan which applies to the topic at hand: Radio and Social Networks – Perfect Together!

So let’s get right to it – why are they perfect together? The fact is, at their core radio stations are and have always been social networks. In fact, they are the oldest mass-media social networks. (I’m sure the cavemen had their own version of a social network, but it probably involved cave drawings or something and sure wasn’t powered by technology!). Bound by music, lifestyle or point of view, a good radio station identifies, captures, becomes a source of entertainment and information for, and provides a voice and identity for specific communities of people. They do this by providing these communities of people with content that is important to them. Content that is relevant, interesting and exciting. Listeners to a great radio station feel like they are part of something – something bigger than themselves. They feel like they are part of a larger community of people who like what they like, who feel what they feel and who have similar experiences as they do. They feel connected.

It is about the power of the collective experience.

You know how a song always sounds better when you hear it on the radio as opposed to hearing it off a CD? There are a number of reasons for this, one being due to the serendipitous nature of it; but another is because of that sense of having a common or collective experience. It’s because as you sit there in your car listening to the song, you know that thousands of others – other members of this community – are hearing the exact same thing at the exact same time.

The sense of community is a powerful thing.

Great radio stations are community builders and community leaders. The essence of a station’s community (assuming the station is a music-oriented one) is the music, but it’s more than that. It’s the lifestyle the station portrays, it’s the language, it’s the imaging, and it’s the jocks – their attitude, the things they talk about, the way they talk about them and the points of reference they provide. It’s the whole deal.

Radio stations ain’t supposed to be jukeboxes. In fact there is probably an inverse relationship between the “jukebox-iness” of a station and its relevance and importance to people and how much “connection” they feel towards it. Call it the “sucky” equation.

Great radio stations – those with a low “sucky quotient” – get members of their target communities to place their trust in them by holding up their end of the bargain. Among other things, their end of the bargain consists of the following: providing creative and compelling programming; hiring jocks who know how to relate to and connect with people; creating ways for the listeners to directly interact with the radio station and by becoming vibrant members of the community. The members of the community look towards the great radio stations to be a guide for the community – a guide on musical tastes, on lifestyle on opinions, on trends.

When I think of great radio stations, I think of KROQ in Los Angeles. KROQ plays what would generally be termed as ‘alternative rock’ music, but defining them as purely an ‘alternative rock’ radio station doesn’t do them justice. They’re bigger than that. They’re the self-proclaimed “World Famous KROQ.” KROQ sets trends. KROQ oozes a lifestyle. They reflect the interests of the KROQ community while at the same time leading it. They have street cred. If KROQ says it’s so, it’s so. I remember a day back in the late 90’s when the Kevin and Bean morning show had Snoop on as an in-studio guest. Snoop? On an ‘alternative’ station? Yeah. The thing is, KROQ defines itself by a lifestyle rather than by a ‘format’. There’s a difference. A big one. KROQ understands who their core listeners are and then creates programming that group would appreciate, regardless of any traditional format boundary. That pertains to the music; it pertains to the jocks; it pertains to the imaging and it pertains to the guests they have on the air. Simple. Would the skateboarder kids in Huntington Beach think having Snoop on was cool? Yeah.

The point is, KROQ has made themselves the center of a vibrant community. They have served, led and engaged this community of people remarkably well. Sadly, most terrestrial radio stations aren’t doing this. But they can start. And for their own sake, they better start. The online social media revolution can serve as their wake-up call. The power of the online social networks is undeniable – and as pointed out by Dubber, it’s still evolving. So for radio stations to regain their relevance and importance to people’s lives, they have to figure out their strategy for riding this new media wave. First and foremost they can start by realizing that by having an existing broadcast signal and presumably a great deal of listeners, they already are social networks. Maybe they’re not strong, effective ones at this point, but that’s because their on-air product isn’t engaging their listener base. To improve the strength of the network they have to fix their on-air product. Invest in it, be creative in the programming, and all the rest. Once that is done and the station has an engaged listener base, they can further engage them by utilizing the web. This will require a lot of thinking. And a lot of work. But it has to be done. It’s show time.

Ah, variety. The “v” word.

Somewhere along the way the concept of a radio station “playing the hits” has gotten an unfair rap. Yes, everybody has a variety of tastes. Yes everybody’s iPod has a tremendous variety demonstrating they have discerning and a broad range of tastes. However here’s the tricky part: everybody’s definition of “good” variety differs. Let’s say that my iPod is loaded with Barry Manilow, Edith Piaf and Godsmack along with everything in between. Damn, do I have variety! And it also illustrates my great knowledge and broad spectrum of taste in music!! And let’s say that on your iPod I can listen to Fats Domino, the New York Philharmonic, Marilyn Manson, Bruce Springsteen and everything in between. Well, you have pretty great variety too. But if you programmed a radio station based on your definition of variety I’d hate it. And vice versa.

In the U.S. it’s been shouted from all corners that terrestrial radio isn’t doing a good job of serving its audiences because of, among other things, small playlists. In other words, lack of variety. It’s a lack of variety because many stations simply “play the hits.” And again, apparently that’s a bad thing.

But terrestrial radio has developed this way over the years for certain reasons – competitive reasons. A radio station that is dependent on advertising revenues has to attract a large amount of people in order to support itself. And since it has to attract a mass audience, it has to choose a format and program it so that it has mass appeal. A single terrestrial station has no choice but to “play the hits” to attract this mass audience. It plays the hits within the parameters of its format of course, but none the less it plays the hits.
If it doesn’t play the hits, rather choosing to play a wider variety and deeper choice of music, they may end up with a more passionate audience, but it will be a smaller one. The station may “sound better” to certain ears, but those ears will be fewer. And if they do that, the station now has to play the game of selling a smaller, but more passionate audience to the radio-buying community. This is tricky. To a radio buyer the qualitative stuff only goes so far. Radio sales people and radio buyers don’t do qualitative well. They are trained to sell and buy quantitative – they like having numbers, big numbers, to base their decisions on. It makes it easier to defend their decisions to their bosses if the numbers are on their side.

But blah, blah, blah…here’s the point: On a platform such as satellite radio there’s no need to choose between playing the hits and not playing the hits; or playing a broader range of hits; or playing tunes that are a hits of a different definition. Because when you have a platform, there’s room for all kinds of channels. And not only is there room, it’s critical to have all these types of channels! Again, here’s a little secret: there’s nothing inherently wrong with channels “playing the hits.” Really.

On XM there’s a channel called Top 20 on 20. You know what that channel does? Shockingly, it counts down the top-20 hits of the week in order, from number 20 right down to number 1. Then they do it again. And again. And again. And you know what? It’s a great channel and it’s always one of the higher ranked channels on XM. You know why? Cause people like the hits. And you know what else? When people want to hear something else – something that has more variety – they can go to a number of other channels on the platform to satisfy their needs. You like Folk music? Good, there’s a channel that plays nothing but folk music. Opera? Fantastico! There’s a channel dedicated to it. You in the mood for rock music, but don’t want to hear the same old rock hits? Great – there’s a channel that plays nothing but the album cuts. Think “Backstreets” instead of “Born to Run.”

And in fact, the hit-based channels actually give the platform freedom. For by having the hit-based channels the provider now has the ability to create channels that have a broader or different mandate. The platform operators can now provide their subscribers with channels that would never fly in an FM environment where attracting advertising revenue is the main goal. Having the platform gives them the freedom to deliver it all to the consumer. Hits, non-hits, hits by hair bands (I’m not kidding – Hair Nation on Sirius) channels dedicated to one artist (E Street Radio, Rolling Stones Radio on Sirius) or channels dedicated to one theme (the 2008 Presidential Race – the POTUS channel on XM). It’s all there and more.

Hits – it’s not a four-letter word.

There, I’ve said it.

Though I’m guessing if you’re reading this post on a site named “New Radio Strategies” then you already knew that.

But the fact that radio is alive and well runs contrary to the belief in some corners of the universe.

Because what they’re really saying – the infamous “they” – is that the old way of doing radio is dead. It’s “out with the old in with the new.” They tell us that people don’t want to listen to radio that is one directional, with playlists that are dictated to them and filled with other “stupid radio stuff” like inane DJ’s, contests and the like. They want control, dammit! And yes, it’s true – people have demonstrated that they want to control or influence over what they hear, how they hear it, when they hear it, where they hear it and of course, how much they’ll pay for it.

But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

While all of the new technologies and ways people are choosing to listen to audio are tremendously exciting, innovative and “tip of the iceberg” stuff, let’s not get crazy.

Because the “new” way of receiving audio entertainment can co-exist with the “old” way. In fact, it’s important that they do co-exist.

Remove the technology out of the equation for a second. Radio has always been about identifying communities and providing the people in those communities with the types of content that appeals to them – content that keeps them satisfied. People in these communities (whether they are defined by a common interest, lifestyle, culture, musical taste, or geographical location) just want to be entertained, educated, informed. They want to feel plugged-in and have the feeling that they are sharing a common experience with the larger whole. (Sounds like a social network, no?)

And radio did that for them. Radio was really good at serving those communities – serving them with good programming. Creative programming. Programming that was complemented by cool production and on-air personalities that provided the listeners with the tangible sense of community and of being “connected.”

And another thing that radio traditionally did for people was that it served as their filter. Their musical guide. Their sorting mechanism. Their favorite radio stations did the dirty work of filtering the good from the bad. I know, I know. That is exactlythe point. It’s exactly why this kind of radio is going the way of the dinosaur. The whole control thing. But I beg to differ – I actually think it’s the complete opposite. I think the whole “control thing” will be one of the things that continue to keep the “old way” of doing radio relevant.

A lot of people simply want other people doing the heavy lifting for them. They need guidance. They want it to be easy. They just want to be able to turn on the radio and be entertained, informed or educated about new music. They want the personality and companionship of the DJ, the common experience of listening to their favorite songs or the latest music. You know how a song always sounds better when you hear it on the radio than when you hear it coming off a CD or from another canned source? Yeah, that. It sounds “better” when it’s on the radio because, well, it just does.

So I think we will be headed “back to the future.” In this era of “new radio” the emphasis will be on some of the old things – the basic fundamentals of radio. There will be a renewed emphasis on creating innovative, compelling programming that connects radio stations with their audiences. And there will be a new recognition that good talent makes a difference and is worth investing in. So while there will be many people who choose only to keep the control, there will be many who choose to simply turn on the radio. And then there will be many of us who do both.

The radio stations that will remain successful will combine the “old” radio with the new. They will be the ones smart enough to understand how to unleash the power of the Internet – utilizing podcasts, blogs, and various other mechanisms – to make it work for them. It will not only complement their on-air presentation it will enhance it. And to top it all off, it will become the biggest part of their revenue stream.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

I’ve never been very good at predicting the future. Witness all the failed lottery tickets for a start, never mind all the old technology and pieces of kit that litter the loft, supposedly both cutting edge and future proof.

But now I need some assistance in predicting life in 2012.

Over the next few months I will begin to re-appraise our current Media Production Professional Practice degree here at the University of Teesside. The current degree has served its purpose well with strands in radio and television, but it is coming to the end and a new one must be written for an autumn 2009 start.

The new degree will still have radio and television in it, but it’s the area where these two sometimes meet – we’ll call it new media for want of a better term – where I need help.

What skills will students graduating in 2012 need? Clearly they will need to know one end of a microphone from the other; they’ll have ideas on editing, packages, documentaries, news bulletins, music, podcasts, commercial production and all the other myriad programming and technical aspects of radio. But how will this interface with the internet? Will graduates seeking radio jobs need a variety of web skills? Will the software simply do it for them? Will there be new ways of listening to radio that will influence what they need to know in their undergraduate years? How will this connect with television?

Or, as some people have said to me, radio is radio is radio – why worry? The skills remain the same; it’s just the platforms that differ.

I’m not worried about programming and production styles that might go in and out of fashion – if you’ve observed the industry any length of time you’ll know what goes around comes around and this month’s flavour is last month’s bad taste. But that aside, it’s important to get this right for any number of reasons.

I was at a conference in January and in one of the workshops a senior BBC editor was asked what skills she wanted graduates to have. “Just give me people who can think,“ she replied. This was less than helpful. All our graduates can think. It’s impossible to graduate without being able to think, despite what you might read in the popular press.

So what do 2012’s graduates need to know?

Any ideas, anyone?

Lottery ticket, anyone?

I recently attended the annual IBS Conference in New York. (You’ll be pleased to know my digestion’s fine – it actually stands for Intercollegiate Broadcasting System). I was surprised to hear representatives from University Radio across America sharing the common concern that many students no longer own a radio. What!? No radio? At first I couldn’t believe it… but of course why should they? They’re all ipod’ed and wifi’ed with more than enough music and can find out what’s happening on campus from Facebook etc.

I guess this is one of the main reasons why development radio appeals to me. There are still huge regions across the world where traditional AM/FM/SW broadcasting is still very much king. While many western kids are turning their old radios into landfill – traditional broadcasting is still highly valued in the so called “third world”. Everyday, development radio imparts messages of real substance to millions of receptive, appreciative listeners.

There’s been quite a bit of debate for and against the fabled “$100.00 computer” that’s being designed by MIT for educational use in developing countries. The intention is to create a super-cheap Linux-based, full-screen, full-colour laptop with WiFi capabilities, USB ports, a 500MHz processor, and one gigabyte storage.

A noble enough concept – but how about a “$5.00 wind-up radio” to accompany it?

In terms of education, radio represents a far more practical method of distributing information – especially to highly illiterate populations. It affordably reaches across huge distances and follows the tradition of oral learning that’s fundamental to many African nations. Besides, a radio set doesn’t represent the same risk of theft that a snazzy new computer does.

Sure, wifi-computers and cellular phones open up many exciting new possibilities, but in my opinion the most interesting technological advancements in terms of development are not in new methods of transmitting information, but new ways of receiving old formats. Sir Trevor Baylis should be canonised as well as Knighted for his wind-up radio. What a fantastically simple – yet powerful invention. In regions where electricity is scarce and batteries are often prohibitively expensive, wind-up / solar powered radio sets provide an almost infinite means of communication where it’s needed most. (Green techno-geeks should check out the new “Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player” www.ecomediaplayer.com )

Although it’s easy to get carried away with all the latest radio gizmos and bolted-on extras we shouldn’t forget that all we’re ever really going to do is deliver sound to a pair of ears. (That is, until Apple plugs directly into your temporal lobes – and I’ll be first in line for that upgrade). Good old fashion radio is already a superb conveyer of informative messages and not necessarily in a didactic, “teacher to student” style. There are many examples of NGO’s delivering entertaining and educational radio dramas and programmes in developing nations across the world. However, the radios needed to hear these excellent productions are often in short supply. So, although the “$100.00 computer” is certainly a worthwhile endeavour – wouldn’t it be great to also have wind-up radio’s produced at a low enough cost to enable mass distribution to where they’re needed most?

For more information about wind-up radio in developing regions, check out the The Freeplay Foundation at; http://www.freeplayfoundation.org