No matter what your thoughts or feelings are about self-driving cars it seems the future is now, whether we are ready or not! In fact some experts predict autonomous cars outnumbering user driven cars in less than 4 years, and that could mean a big change to how people listen to radio when driving.

What sort of entertainment will listeners choose once the fear of distraction and concentration disappear? How will traveling change once the digital power of a laptop or iPhone becomes part of the car itself? Once we no longer have to control the car where will our attentions lie?

When considering entertainment in the autonomous car it helps to realize what it is exactly people find enjoyable about smart phones and tablets that they don’t get from traditional radio.

-Social media and connection with friends.

-Multi-format entertainment, games, chat, work and information.

-The ability to share back.

-They help the user work faster.

-Users choose the entertainment, no chaff all wheat.

-And most importantly visual content.

 

Laid out like this it’s apparent that this is simply going to be another hurdle that radio will have to overcome, never fear -we’ve done it before!

Here is no point denying the changing face of the radio industry, people can choose how they take in their entertainment, and make those choices they will. There will always be a place for traditional radio but the reality is the way we distribute content has to change.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking it will simply be enough to spread your content is far and wide as possible, the key will be the quality of what you are producing as well as where it’s available.

-There will have to be more attention focused on experiments with content and format.

-We will have to try new and exciting ways to find and foster talent.

-Our stations must to strive to be unique.

-More focus will have to be placed on research and audience targeted content to help them choose us over the multitude of other choices.

-Just as much attention will have to be paid to social media and video content.

 

What radio is has changed and we have got to change along with it, self-driving cars are only the beginning, so let’s get started!

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