The definition of ‘advertising’ has been changing over the last few years, with the most exciting thing about 2011 from a radio perspective, no doubt being how radically the definition of ‘RADIO’ has changed in response to this shift.

Go back twenty four years ago and I remember Stan Katz lecturing a couple of us novices with the words; “There has never been a simpler business invented than Radio – we build a great audience and then we deliver that audience to advertisers”. This was the definition of ‘Radio’ and to an extent it still rings true today. The product is the key. The passion oozing from the speakers delivers the listeners and the listeners deliver the advertisers.

What has changed forever is that Radio stations have morphed into multi-media brands generating content and experiences on an extensive range of platforms. The radio presenter in 2011 bears little resemblance to the DJ of old. Today, that presenter is creating, ingesting and re-purposing content and distributing it through multiple channels, on-air, on the web, on mobile and on tablet products.

Programming Managers who were once slaves to format, formulas and audience research, are seeing themselves as content managers and advertising has found respect as part of the content.

The new breed of programmers are smart, strategic and tactical thinkers able to use the abundant creativity in their station to increase the value of the commercial space.

This fresh focus on creating quality and value and making Radio’s customers happy, is bringing new enjoyment and satisfaction to those of us lucky enough to work in this business. The best consequence will be even better results for our business partners.

Rivak Bunce

Managing Director, United Stations