Broadcast radio: technology, challenges and opportunities in the twenty-first century

This article focuses on the considerable scale and pace of change in broadcast radio over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, an on-going process showing little sign of abating. Developments in digital broadcasting, the increasing consumption of audio via internet protocol and the arrival of the smart speaker are all major factors impacting the future of radio broadcasting. No longer a stand-alone medium, this article argues that the future of broadcast radio rests on the way in which it addresses the various challenges and opportunities offered by its use of new technologies and multiple platforms. Change is not simply being driven by technological and regulatory developments within the industry (although there have been plenty of those over the past two decades). Equally importantly, change is also being driven by external factors and by wider societal pressures. Arguably, today, radio faces greater levels of challenge and competition than at any time in its century, or so, long history. Any process of change creates both winners and losers. In the medium term, which side of that equation radio broadcasting finds itself on will be determined by its response to the changes, challenges and opportunities encountered over the next few years.