Monday 8 January 2024

Why do we need a radio in 2024?

 Is Radio still relevant?

Do we need to a radio station in 2024?


There is no denying the technology has advanced beyond our imaginations in last few decades. Modes of communication which were considered significant milestones in early 2000s, are nothing compared to what we have today. 

Radio in some decades ago played such a pivotal part in communicating that one could not see our lives without it - similar to how we imagine the internet today.

News from around the world could be shared in an instant. You could reach countries far and wide if you had the right equipment. 

However, it would be wrong to think radios have become obsolete. Many people during their commute prefer radio over Spotify or Podcasts. Spontaneity of what radio airs is still far more enjoyable (and less stressful) than selecting something to play in the vehicles. 

Many of the stores across the globe, play radios in their background. Radios stations have certain standards in their programs which you do not expect from podcasters or even music. Hence playing music or other programs can be risky when playing at a store - however, radios stations ensure "clean" touch to everything, which makes it a safe option for businesses.

Is this the only two places where radios are useful?

Certainly not! Radio technology is much simpler when compared to internet or other modern modes of communication. In case of a global catastrophe, where communication between countries maybe severed, radio would be instrumental at that time. If anyone has seen I, Robot - you can understand. I obviously don't mean to say there would be zombies running around. However, in case of wars, storms and other disasters, which may break modern modes of communication, Radio would still be useful.

This is my take on future of radio. It is crucial and it will remain crucial. As paper and pencil will always remain with us in the future, so will humble technology of radio.

Saturday 4 February 2023

Using AI for Podcasts and Radio (Artificial Intelligence)

 Using Artificial Intelligence for Your Podcasts and Radio

How can AI Assist in Podcasts and Radio?

The future with AI

With all this talk of Artificial Intelligence, and popular sites like ChatGPT, everyone is curious how it can help them. There is no harm in utilizing the advantages of AI. Researchers around the globe are making grand predictions how AI is going to change landscape of workflow and life in general. 

Without a doubt it is going to affect podcasts and radio programs as well. Lucky for Radio industry, as long as people are commuting to workplaces, they will require something to listen to. Radios provide entertainment, news, educational materials (which can be turned into podcasts) and much more.

So naturally one wonders how can I use AI to benefit my podcasts or radio shows to improve the overall content quality.

This really depends on the niche of your radio station. But if you use AI creatively, you could use it to your advantage. Here are a few examples how AI can be used:

Using Artificial Intelligence or ChatGPT for your Podcasts

  • Finding suitable topics: For many people the hardest part of running a radio program is to find a suitable topic everyday. Hence, we are always looking for ideas. If we punch in the right keywords in AI websites out there, we can a get a list of ideas which can suffice us several days at a time. 
  • Using AI for scripts: One challenging aspect in every podcast or radio program is finding powerful opening or closing remarks; in this regard ChatGPT has proven excellent. If you write down your topic and ask for a welcome remark or closing remark on the subject, you would be astonished how a beautifully worded paragraph the machine will spew out. Though it would be best to modify the script to your taste, as their can be mistakes; and more importantly you don't want to be dishonest to your listeners by plagiarizing. 
  • Content research: we are accustomed to searching on google for our topics. We put in hundreds of queries when researching for our radio shows or podcasts. However, with AI much of this research can be done quicker. I don't say that one search will bring about everything you need (and that should not be our aim either, as that takes away all human creativity) but fewer searches via smarter AI engines will be required.
  • Podcasts with AI
    Questions for Podcast guests: when we invite to guests to our radio shows, it often requires a lot of planning as to what questions we will ask. I attempted with AI to see how good of questions it can give. I was astonished how great the questions were. An example of such a query in ChatGPT may look like: "5 questions for my podcast on how..."


I am finding AI extremely beneficial in various ways. I hope for your radio or podcast, it will be equally or more beneficial. You can also share your tips and tricks in the comments, so others can benefit.

Monday 16 November 2020

Turning My Radio Show into Podcast

Turning Radio Show into a Podcast

How can I turn my radio in to Podcast?

Chances are you have noticed that many radio shows these days have their own podcasts. The same program they air live, they upload it on for their podcast followers. Many of radio shows these days promote their own podcasts very regularly. And if you have reached here, you might be wondering how I can do this?

Advantages:

Episode Backup: There are many reasons you may want to switch from radio show to podcast. When I started my own podcast, I was already doing a live radio program. I was saving my recordings for my own record. For this purpose I had leased some cloud space (Google) and I was paying them to hold my radio programs. For me podcast provided a great benefit: I could simply let go of my cloud space and instead, upload my recordings to a podcast site. It served two benefits - first all my episodes became backed up, and secondly people could hear my show off-air as well. 

Off-air listenership: As I mentioned, now my show cannot only be heard live on the radio, but also at a time convenient to listeners.

World-wide audience: Interestingly, my own podcast has greater listenership from other countries than where my radio show is aired live. Hence, podcasts serve worldwide audience where radio is only targeting a smaller area.   

Detailed Statistics: Most radio stations do not provide how many people are listening to you. With podcasts you have a much better idea. You can see how many people have heard your program, how long they heard it (whole episode or few minutes), and where they came from. 

Disadvantages:

It comes at a cost. When I was paying Google cloud service, it was $27 per year. Whereas my podcast host charges me about $100 per year. So if you are looking for backup only, then its not worth it. But if you are interested in your episodes being heard off-air as well, this might be a good option. 

How to turn your Radio to Podcast?

Now this is quite easy. 

  1. You sign up with one of the popular Podcasting sites (such as Podbean, Podomatic etc). 
  2. Ask your radio station to provide you with your recordings (they usually record everything for various purposes)
    • if they do not have it, you can ask them to record it for future programs (or you can set up your own recording as well)
  3. Simply upload your recording to the podcast hosting site.
  4. Some of the sites allow you to submit your podcast to big podcasting directories (Google, Apple Music (iTunes), Spotify, Deezer etc.).
That's it. Your radio show can now be heard off-air as well. There are some other smaller steps along the way. If you think you are stuck at some place. Leave me a comment below and I will get back to you. 


Thursday 19 December 2019

What shows can I make for my online radio?

Preparing Shows for your Radio

The purpose of this blog is to help readers understand how they can start their online radio from scratch. I have been trying to answer many basic questions in regards to this. If there is something which you feel I have not explained, reach out to me via comments and I will certainly do so.

Recently, one thought came to my mind - it is possible that you have a theme to start a radio, but you are still unsure. You are not certain how you will produce enough content for your radio. What shows can you have? What kind of competitions you can utilize to boost your radio, which also matches your radio theme? How you can design your radio programs using social media? All these are valid questions (and also tips to start).

What kind of programs can I have on my radio (generally)?

Talk Shows 

Based on theme. you can invite guests on your radio and have detailed discussions, while making sure you don't put audience to sleep.

News/Recent Happenings

World, Local, Music, Sports etc. Whatever is the main theme of your radio station, you can deliver news on that. If it is sports, then provide latest update on it. If you like to talk about fashion, there is enough on that everyday. If you are talking about world news, this should be the most important show of your radio).

Public Opinion

Base a show on public opinion
This is an easy but very useful technique. Utilizing social media to pick up content and then discussing. An example of this would be: after a sports game, you could go online and read what people are saying on Twitter. You could share people's opinions and add your own two cents. If you are talking world politics, there is enough politicians that tweet. There are many vocal people on social media; if you pick the right content, you could produce wonderful programs each time.

Talk to your audience

Now a days this has gotten really easy. There is phone calls, WhatsApp calls, Tweets, Direct Messages etc. All these way you can allow your listeners to contact you directly and ask questions. This will make for an engaging program. For this type of show (just like any other), you have to decide on a topic ahead of time. You can publicize it using social media (or announcing it on your radio). This way people can send in their questions even before you go live.
Talk to your audience

Game Shows

You could think of a gameshow based on the theme of you radio station. For sports, it could be related to making predictions about a game. You could create an interesting quiz show for the audience.

Biography/History

This one is again open to all themes. You could provide biographies and life histories of celebrities, politicians, athletes and other well known figures. Most of the information is already available online. A quick research would bring enough information which you can share with your listeners. I have seen several popular shows that talk about history. This is such a subject that it always catches the attention of the audience.

Scenarios to get you started on your online Radio

Occasionally I will try to post along these lines also to provide help.  For example if you wish start an online radio on Soccer - what kind of talk shows can you produce? What type of news can you share? How you can invite guests on your radio to benefit from their input? So on and so forth. Pretty much all sports radios can use the same template (and of course think of your own ideas; my goal is to help you get started). If you wish to start a radio with focus on political talk shows, then what type of shows can you host there? If you were to play news, would it be a copyrights issue?

The suggestions I have provided above should be sufficient to get you started.

Conclusion

I hope this has been helpful in getting you started on your radio. I would also suggest to have a team if you are starting a radio. Starting a radio by your self is not a long term plan. 

Monday 16 December 2019

Do I need a license/copyrights to play music on my radio?

Can I play music on my Radio Stations?

Do I need Copyrights or License for my Online Music Radio Station?

There are thousands of online radio stations out there, broadcasting all different types of content. This makes you wonder if you can start your own radio, but if there is any legal issues you have to consider. Well, the answer is yes! You have to be cautious and follow the laws.
Here is a short guide on finding out if you can play the music or content you are planning to play on your online radio station. Read through the post to ensure your safety.

Copyrights for Talk Shows on Your Radio

Talk Shows on your online radio
If you are having a talk show where you are discussing anything - music, sports, movies or politics etc., you do not require a license. Because you are generating your own content. You have the right to have an opinion (in most places in the world). You do not need any license, given that you are not breaching freedom of speech through 'hate speech' etc. Some platforms have very strict guidelines when it comes to 'hate speech' - hence you have to be careful not to make racist or other ethnically charged remarks.

Even with the talk shows, you often require small clips of music or sound effects to engage the audience. When you pick this, make sure to pick clips which are free to use (royalty free music). Otherwise, you could accidentally fall in to trouble. 

If you have a talk show where you discuss sports or movies - and you want to play clips from the source (movie or sports game), you would have to be careful with the copyrights. Not every country and place has the same laws. It is best to check. In North America, it is often alright to play a small clip, as long as it is done for discussion/educational purposes.

Copyrights/Licensing for Playing Music on Your Radio

Unless, you know the music you are playing is 'royalty free', you would most likely require a license. To make it simple, realize that the music you are playing on your radio, it is not produced by you. The creator of that music has a right over it. Hence, using someone else's work to gain audience and generate money for yourself, would be completely wrong. 

If you want to play any music, make sure to acquire necessary licenses (from the recording company and/or the artist). 

Is there any copyright-free Music that I can play on my radio?

Look for Copyright-free music
Based on the US laws, anything that was published before 1922, it is public domain. Such songs that pass this criteria, are public domain. Hence they can be played on your online radio station without any issue. It is possible that there is a song which came out after 1922, and still be in public domain. You would have to find that out.

Other than the above case, there is royalty free music out there. Several sites that distribute such music. You can utilize it (particularly for talk shows sound effects or background music). Even these sites sometimes require a small payment. 

Conclusion:

If you are unsure about a particular content if it is copyrighted or not, don't use it. This can lead you to serious trouble where you might not be able to carry on with your radio. Hence, be safe and verify the licensing of whatever content you are planning to play. 

If you are still unsure about what you are playing, keep researching or leave me a comment to see if I can help you any further. 
If you have found some information which I have not mentioned, please do share for everyone's benefit in the comments!

Friday 13 December 2019

How to make your online radio popular?

8 Ways to Promote Your Online Radio Station 

How to increase listenership for your online radio station?

If you have already started a radio station by now, you must have realized that starting an online radio  is the easiest of steps. Producing programs with consistency and maintaining good standards is one of the first hurdles that you might run into. But one other and major obstacle that you might be facing is: promoting your radio and gain more listeners for your radio. Here are some basic tips that shall help you promote your radio.

1. Make Your Radio visible on Social Media

Using Social Media to promote your
Radio
If you have not already made Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for your online radio station, you should do so now. You should not only be using your personal accounts to be promoting your radio - but make dedicated accounts/pages for your radio station. Invite all your friends to Like/Follow your radio station on these platforms. Then you can promote your shows through these pages. If your content is good, and your friends start enjoying it - soon enough they will share it with their circle of friends, allowing your channel to grow quickly on social media. Though keep in mind one thing - this may take some time but it is a necessary step in allowing your radio station to grow.

2. Put Posters Around Town

Put posters on walls/boards
If you notice, even the most popular radio stations which are known to everyone, still place their ads on billboards, bus stops etc. Then why should we not be promoting our radio station by placing our posters around town? Fortunately there is many place that allow us to place posters. Most cafe's have small community bulletin boards. Many grocery stores also have such boards. In city centre there are often such boards available and open for public to promote their events. Hence make use of these opportunities and promote your radio throughout your town. There are several free apps/websites on the phone (or computer) that allow you to design excellent posters. (If anyone is interested I can share my personal favourite)

3. Give Out Flyers

Give flyers to promote your Radio
This is probably a bit more challenging because it might require more time. But it is well worth it. Prepare a small flyer and distribute it in the busiest spot in your town. The more often you do this, the more people will get to know your radio. If you know of any good events taking place in your town
Again, there are apps/websites that allow you to make good flyers/posters. Keep in mind if you are making poster as well as flyers, try to use similar theme or colour scheme for your design. This helps in branding your radio station. 

4. Advertise on Social Media

To get quick results, advertising on social media is not a bad idea. The ads are relatively cheaper than most other ways. Since your radio station is an online one, it is generally good to promote it on social media. This is even more effective than Posters & Flyers. Because if someone is interested in the ad, all they have to do is click/swipe-up and they are already listening to you live! 
I personally prefer Instagram & Facebook Ads because of the control they give to the advertisers. You can pick demographics, audience, interest and age group etc. If you have an online radio station where you discuss sports - but your ad is being delivered to someone who has no appetite for sports, your money is being wasted. Hence, place your ads smartly. For more details on writing smarter ads, see my post on that.

5. Have Guests on your Online Radio Station

Invite guests on your Radio Show
This is an excellent way to promote your radio station. If you are able to invite any popular guests, it will give credibility to your radio station. However if you invite even ordinary people, but those who have good opinions and can carry out a healthy conversation, that will give boost to your radio station in their circles. An example would be: if you talk about sports on your show, to discuss the injury of a player you could invite your family doctor to elaborate what it means. You could get really creative for this.

6. Making your Radio easy to find through search engines (SEO)

This one is really important. With thousands of radios with similar themes to your own, it might be challenging to have people listen to you. But if the website for your radio is designed well and it is optimized for search engines, it will rank higher when people search on Google or other search engines. I might do a detailed blogpost on this later. But there is enough content online to begin with.

7. Add Your Station to Radio Directories

There are many popular directories where you can add your radio station. Basically add the URL of your radio to these directories. This can result in people searching through those directories and landing at your radio station - but it also helps optimizing your online radio station for search engines. 

8. Produce Good Radio Content

Last but not least, produce good content and make high quality radio shows. If you do all the other steps to bring in listeners but your content is not good enough, the result is obvious. These people will not return to your radio. Read up on how to improve the quality of your radio show?


Using these tips and tricks, I am sure you can make your online radio station reach new heights. If you have some other ways which benefitted you, please share in the comments.
For frequently asked questions, visit our FAQ page.

Wednesday 11 December 2019

How to start an online radio?

How Can I start my own radio on the internet?

If you have reached this page, it means you are looking into starting your own radio station on the internet. Good news is that it is very easy to start your very own online radio station from the comfort of your home. It only takes a few steps and you could be managing your own station - from scheduling programs, to taking live calls on your show, playing favourite music and so on. However, you should be aware of the basics before you start your online radio station.

Pick a genre/theme for your radio station:

You must have an idea what your radio station will be about. It can be about sports, music, discussing movies, games, news, politics, and a variety of other topics. But its best to settle on one topic and start your radio station. If you plan on mixing too many themes into your radio, it would be a challenge to succeed in a competitive market. For this reason, whatever interests you the most - something you can talk about for hours, something that is your passion, should be the theme for your radio station.

Set a budget for online radio station:

Set your budget
There are many services out there which provide hosting or broadcasting. They differ in their features and streaming quality. For example how many listeners can you have concurrently - it differs based on the plan you purchase. For this reason, first decide your budget - then go out looking for the service/company that suits you the best.
You can start your radio for a few bucks a month to over hundred dollars a month. But if you are just starting out or experimenting, you should start small. If your radio station takes off (there are tips and tricks available on that) you can always purchase better service.

Purchase Radio broadcasting service:

There are several companies for radio broadcasting out there that provide various packages. They all provide radio station hosting (of course!). Some of them will design a website for you; others will even design a downloadable app for phones and tablets. Some services will limit the number of listeners. You have to compare the features of each website and decide. (If you need suggestions, I would be more than happy to help . Leave a comment if interested.).

Set up a Studio (at home or any peaceful place):

Don't need much High tech
radio equipment
This is the best part about setting up your own radio station. It can be done anywhere. All you really need is a computer, and a microphone. It would be ideal to spent some money on a good microphone. If you cannot deliver good sound to your listeners, very few will return (unless they are family of course!).
If you are planning to start a 24 hours radio with several shows throughout the day, you might be inviting guests (or your team members); therefore you should set up your radio station at a place where you can easily bring guests.


Check your copyright laws:

This one is particularly important if you are going to play music or content prepared by other people. If you are running entirely your own content, then its not much of a worry (though it is still best to be informed about country's laws).

Start Broadcasting:

Start broadcasting your own radio station
Final step of this guide is: start broadcasting your content via your online radio station.

I have kept this post very short and concise. If you are interested in learning more, choose another topic from FAQ.