On a day dedicated to radio, tech enthusiasts and young people here in Canada and around the world are being encouraged to spread the word, and share their voices online.
Podcast technology can be very simple to operate.
A global initiative has been launched to that effect, and by using #worldradioday and #spreaker over the next thirty days or so, free podcasting accounts are being offered as passports into a new territory for audio based programming.
Nowadays, radio may be heard and seen as an old medium – not just because it’s over 100 years old, but also due to the rather small amount of programming specifically produced by young people. There’s a lot of programs directed at young people, but not a lot by young people.
So, initiatives being launched today seek to connect people across the generations to participate in helping radio live up to its potential as a centrepiece of culture, education and information.
Social and digital media technologies are one way forward.
Today, radio is facing a number of technical and financial challenges, many presented by new digital platforms such as podcasting. Enthusiasts point to the Serial podcast phenomenon as an example of how simple yet powerful digital media tools and technologies can be used to bring attention to important issues and causes demanding justice.
The Serial podcast has reinvigorated enthusiasm for audio based programming.
That podcast series documented a famous – or infamous – legal case, and the subject Adnan Syed just had a crucial victory in his case due largely to the attention his case received from the podcast series.
Likewise, the amazing oral and audio archives at Storycore are a powerful example of the impact the spoken word can have, whether it is delivered online, over-the-air or on some other media platform.
(Canada, by the way, is in the Top Three countries worldwide for downloading podcasts – see the infographic below.)
Building on all that audio momentum, this year — it’s the fourth anniversary for the UNESCO initiative — is focussed on young broadcasters utilizing the power of radio and audio technology to share their stories to help foster change.
More elaborate podcasting set-ups can also be used.
“Radio not only has a rich and vibrant history to entertain and inform, but it is the mass media that reaches the widest audience in the world as the most inclusive and low-cost medium,” said Francesco Baschieri, founder and CEO. “Radio is currently in the throes of great transformation with the rise of podcasting and live audio streaming services, and it’s being reinvented by young people, not just as listeners but also as active producers and broadcasters of content. Spreaker’s mobile and web-based apps allow anyone to have their own radio show instantly.”
Spreaker, one of the leading companies that’s developed the tech platforms used to create and deliver podcasts, is supporting World Radio Day today, Friday, February 13, 2015, and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In support of World Radio Day, Spreaker is offering new users free accounts when they sign up using the promo-code: WORLDRADIODAY. Spreaker users can then broadly share personal audio stories instantly on the Web from their mobile device by getting into podcasting for free.
The company does offer other paid levels of service.
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