It is interesting to note how
radio stations employ various communication media to engage listeners in a
dialog rather than a one-way broadcaster-to-listener monolog. As a listener, I have
attempted to rank the current communication media employed by the stations on four
parameters. There could be additional parameters (or even additional communication
media), which I might have missed in this post. I’ll be glad if you can point out
those.
It is important to define ‘dialog’.
I’ll stick to the definition contextual to the terrestrial radio broadcast: “Call for action solicited from the listener
on a linear timeline synchronous with the terrestrial broadcast of the radio
station”. This essentially means listener interaction sought on-air either by the Radio Jockey (RJ) or through an interactive advertisement with a
definite start and end time during the segment/program broadcast. For example, “Guess the Property Price”, a contesting segment. This does not include off-air
interaction such as listener comments on the social media or web presence of
the radio station.
Phone
Call
|
Short
Code
|
Long
Code
|
WhatsApp
|
|
Cost
|
Low
|
High
|
Low
|
Low
|
Immediacy
|
Low
|
High
|
High
|
High
|
Recall
|
Low
|
Medium
|
Low
|
High
|
Acknowledgement
|
Low (Nil)
|
High (Yes)
|
Low (Nil)
|
Low (Nil)
|
Example, the RJ requests the listeners
to share their happiest memories from school days by:
Phone Call: calling
(080)
4115 6943
Short Code: texting
on
53650
Long Code: texting
on 9986
104 104
WhatsApp: sending
their school photos on WhatsApp
Cost: Amongst
the four listed communication media, short code bears the maximum charge to the
listener as it is usually a premium priced SMS. Cost of other three depends on
the voice/data tariff plan listeners have with their communication service
provider.
Immediacy: Ability
provided by the communication medium to get across the listener’s response against
a call for action in the least number of attempts with minimum effort. My
personal experience as a listener is reaching the radio station over a phone
call is the most difficult.
Recall: Ability
of the listener to remember the number to call/message the radio station.
Acknowledgement:
The response text (Push SMS) received by the listener against the SMS
sent to a short code. For example, ‘Thanks for texting your favorite radio
station. Keep tuned in for great music’.
As I write
this paragraph, the above text seems obvious and elementary, for the simple reason
that terrestrial radio is the only broadcast medium that is still analog. Progressing
on its target to a complete switch over to digital mode by year 2017, on
September 24, 2013, the state broadcaster, All India Radio issued a tender to
acquire 800 Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) (a digital radio standard) General
Purpose Receivers. Will digital radio change the mode and manner of dialog
between the radio station and its listeners?
So what do you think? Please
share your valued experience and thoughts, the comments box is just below this
line :-)
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