Following the initial impact of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, people looked to 2021 as the year when things would start getting back to normal. Instead, 2021 brought a new set of challenges and a ‘new normal’ that radio stations couldn’t ignore.
One of the main effects of the pandemic for all businesses, radio included, has been the move to remote or home working. The technology has always been there for radio stations to operate remotely in the form of platforms such as Zetta2GO, but there wasn’t always the need (or the acceptance) for people to work from home. However, with lockdowns restricting travel and suspending office working around the world, companies soon realized how powerful tools such as these are.
In many ways, now that the metaphorical genie is out of the bottle when it comes to remote or home working, many people don’t want to go back to how things were previously. In fact, one survey conducted in the UK stated that following the pandemic and the lockdowns “over 88% of people stated their desire to work from home for at least part of the working week.”
As home working transitions to flexible working, tools such as Zetta2GO mean that users can access everything that they need to do their jobs using any internet-enabled device, even a smartphone or tablet. This means that, even with a broadcast team spread out remotely or working flexibly, you know that your radio station’s content won’t be adversely affected.
2021 has also highlighted another trend that radio stations can’t ignore and that’s the way people are now listening to their favorite stations. Back in March 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, Forbes reported a 12% increase in global internet traffic caused by higher consumption of online streaming – including online radio.
In a survey of core radio listeners in July 2021 in the United States and Canada, 50% of respondents stated that they consumed digital audio on a daily basis. In addition, another 18% said that they listened to audio digitally on a weekly basis.
By implementing a technology solution such as the RCS2GO suite, radio stations can learn from recent experiences, embrace remote working, and take the opportunity to provide closer support systems for teams. At the same time, remote teams can cut down on unnecessary office space and heighten environmental awareness.
While working from home is still the norm for many businesses, radio stations can still focus on improving their efficiencies and working operations, investing in communications and cloud storage to boost productivity among distributed teams.
As we move towards the end of 2021, there are a lot of things that radio station owners should take on board. With clever use of technology, broadcasters will have more time to streamline the quality of their programs and deliver the content that their listeners need the most. Meanwhile, listeners can expect more engagement and creativity through an offering of higher-quality broadcasts, as radio continues to bring even more engagement, comfort, and reassurance to their audiences.