Ian Moss provides a commercial radio overview at Radio Festival

Radiocentre’s CEO Ian Moss spoke at the Radio Academy’s annual event, the Radio Festival, which took place live from London Bridge.

Ian stressed the importance of the radio industry continuing to work together to ensure that in a rapidly changing audio world, radio acts as an anchor for listening. Quoting Radiocentre research, Ian stated that “the frenzy of the modern media world offers every audio experience a person would wish for, but people are still opting for the experience radio has always given them. Keeping them in touch with the outside world, keeping them company, keeping them informed, delivering trusted news and making them feel happy.”

Ian pointed to the Mental Health Minute as an industry wide initiative that has brought together commercial radio, BBC stations and community radio to broadcast a unique, one-minute message on the importance of talking about mental health issues. Radio’s ability, Ian noted, is “to be incredibly intimate, whilst also being a shared experience” and that working together on projects like this, along with organisations like Radioplayer and DRUK are important for the sector’s future health.

Ian stressed the importance of the need to work together as neighbours in the radio community, and to ensure that we have open communication and transparency so that we do not fall into boundary disputes.

Equally, Ian stated that there will be a “focus over the next few years in the legislative and regulation framework that will shape and govern future opportunities for radio, across the sector.” With the recent Digital Radio and Audio Review highlighting the relative bargaining power between voice assistant platforms, and radio broadcasters, and how this may evolve in future.

Ian said:

“Regulation should safeguard the findability, discoverability and prominence of radio stations and other audio content that offers public value on these connected audio platforms. The Government understands the need to set the framework for radio for the coming years and we support them and urge them to move as quickly as the legislative timetable will allow.”

The Radio Festival session closed with a look to the future and the announcement of the return of the Young Audio Awards. The awards, that are open to 8 to 18 years olds with a passion for radio and podcasts, will launch a special award that will provide young people with an opportunity to reflect on the experience of the past year and half through the medium of audio.” More details will be revealed in the coming weeks.

If you want to hear more from Ian and from the commercial radio industry, you can sign up to Radiocentre’s free Tuning In event, taking place next Wednesday 10th.