Make Audio Great Again
By David Kidd, BPR
“Make Audio Great Again” might sound like a borrowed slogan, but the idea behind it is deadly serious. Audio – especially radio – is at risk of becoming the background noise of people’s lives, when at its best it should be the soundtrack.
As Steve Jobs once said:
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.”
Great audio has never been about technology first. It’s always been about craft, choice and taste.
Somewhere along the way, too many stations started confusing efficiency with excellence. Shorter songs. More automation. Less personality. Less risk. Less theatre of the mind. The result? A lot of stations that are perfectly fine… and completely forgettable.
If we really want to Make Audio Great Again, a few things have to change:
- Put Humans Back in the Centre
People don’t fall in love with playlists. They fall in love with voices, stories, opinions and companionship. The magic of radio has always been the feeling that someone is with you. Great audio is personal, imperfect, opinionated and warm. Bring personality back.
- Stop Programming for Spreadsheets
Data is a brilliant servant and a terrible master. Research should guide decisions, not replace judgement. If every choice is made to avoid risk, you end up with stations that are safe, bland and interchangeable. Great audio always has a point of view.
- Sweat the Craft Again
Great stations used to obsess over things like:
- How does this hour feel?
- Is there light and shade?
- Are we surprising people?
- Does this sound alive?
Too much audio today sounds assembled, not crafted.
- Remember the Job
The job isn’t to fill time. The job is to earn attention, keep it and make people feel something. Ask yourself this: if your station disappeared tomorrow, would anyone genuinely miss it?
That’s the real test.
- Be Brave Enough to Be Distinct
In a world of infinite choice, “pretty good” is invisible. The winners will be the stations and audio brands that stand for something, sound like nothing else and aren’t afraid to divide opinion a little.
Because nobody loves beige.
Making Audio Great Again doesn’t require new technology. It requires old-fashioned courage, taste and ambition.
In other words: less factory, more theatre. Less wallpaper, more presence. Less “it’ll do”… and a lot more wow
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