There are more radio stations in the UK than ever before and that’s before you factor in the seemingly infinite choice of online streams from foreign broadcasters and internet only stations.
In this world of possibility, is it realistic to expect a small community or commercial station, perhaps in a broadcast area of only a few thousand people, to have relevance?
Last week, Global launched 12 new radio stations. At the time of writing, it’s not clear what form they will take and it’s likely that at least some will be little more than curated playlists, but at least two are launching on national DAB with the rest also on air in London. Bauer’s Greater Hits Radio will launch a 60s variant this week.
These stations will extend the range of stations being run – and promoted – by the UK’s two largest radio firms. They will be slick, professional, and targeted according to research that shows the gaps, and opportunities, for these broadcasters.
But for your station, this is also an opportunity and one that you must surely seize.
I run a podcasting business and this is a medium which has proven that super-serving a niche audience works. Magazines are an older example of how this works; just ask the team at British Potato Review!
I have been amazed at just how well the launch of the RADIO CREATORS podcast has gone but again, this is a niche within a niche. It’s not a ‘radio’ podcast or even a ‘community radio’ podcast, it’s a podcast to address a specific need (sharing ideas and best practice) in a targeted community.
You cannot be for everyone
As the crop of new stations shows, you cannot please all of the people all of the time.
By choosing who you are for, being clear about it in everything you do, and ensuring that you serve that audience to the best of your ability, you have the greatest chance to win and be sustainable.
I cannot give you a prescription for how that looks, because each station will be different because each community is different.
But this has to start with three key actions:
- Identify the need in your community – it could be an under-served group or a type of content that is missing.
- Find out everything you can about the potential audience based on the above. Is it a viable audience size? Can you encourage them to listen?
- Create a station that focuses on that target audience and ‘go deep’ in serving them
As a caveat, I believe that the days of people listening to one station are over. People are used to having and selecting choices and – just like in TV where we have always switched channels – and this is happening in radio.
That means that your whole station does not need to be for that one audience. If appropriate, you can serve multiple audiences across your schedule. People will tune in for the specific shows they need, and go back to their other stations outside that.
Radio people have egos and for a former programme manager it’s counter-intuitive for me to do something that does not aim to ensure people are listening to as much of the station as possible. But that’s outdated.
If you had a station made up of must-listen shows for niche audiences, even if they were all different from each other, you would still achieve an overall positive outcome for your station.
So who is not being served in your local community?
Basing this around lifestyle and activities is key. Do you have a lot of fishing in your area? Then can you do a fishing show? Are there lots of young parents? Could you do something aimed at them? Is there a heritage railway nearby? Can you partner with them? The list is endless.
Radio in 2024 has a strong place as a platform. Be the place that your community’s needs are met.
