The Sound of the Rising Sun
It’s been a rocky year for radio and for a couple of my favourite internet stations in particular. After a very promising start, Wight FM appears to have all but disappeared down the tubes, while multi-genre Play Radio UK has ditched its live output in order to prop up costly new FM services in Southampton and Winchester. On the other hand though, SunTalk sounds to me like it’s going from strength to strength.
On Tuesday morning at the Home of Free Speech, Jon Gaunt’s topics ranged from the teacher who’d been jailed for having sex with a pupil, to sterling’s latest slump against the Euro, and the paper’s own campaign to save the British pub. An impressive string of expert guests lined up to comment including Claude Knights from Kidscape, financial wizard David Kuo and Guinness boss Paul Walsh. All in all, a fascinating listen peppered with interesting calls that had me hooked right to the very finish. And yes, a far cry from White Van Man FM - as its sniffier critics have dubbed it.
The show is now also carried live by Bay Radio and Spectrum FM on the Spanish costas, so listeners from Catford to Calahonda can pitch in with opinions, questions and various pleas for help. One such caller rang in to say that First Choice had just announced plans to close its route to Mojacar, spelling disaster for the local economy and yet further misery for the region’s already cash-strapped ex-pats.
Within minutes, The Sun’s Travel Editor was in the studio with an official response from the tour operator and for the first time in what feels like forever, I felt that radio was once more doing what it does best - engaging with real people and responding to their needs.
The Sun clearly has the kind of resources that traditional broadcasters would kill for but it’s not just about the money or the editorial support. It’s also about the paper’s vision and its willingness to embrace convergence - deftly filling a gap in the radio market in the process.
I was chatting with Jon Gaunt a while back at an industry event and was immediately struck by his enthusiasm for online radio and his appreciation of its enormous potential.
Gaunty and I may argue about many things but on one issue we definitely agree. Smart phones, WiFi receivers and all those other new media devices coming over the horizon will totally transform listening habits across generations, just as transistor sets did back in the 60s. And those who continue to look the other way will ultimately be left to survey the wreckage.
Now, back to the records…
Tags: Internet, Internet Radio, Jon Gaunt, The Sun, Wi-Fi