Quick insight into my very small survey of my followers radio habits on a Sunday Night

National Network Radio beats local & internet radio streams. Lyric & RTE Radio 1 gaining most listens (remember the sample size was tiny). So the long tail of radio is not in the Stations listened to, so where is it? It would seem to be in the mediums chosen to listen. FM DAB Online On Demand and radio via the TV (Saorview) were all mentioned, about the only things not mentioned were WorldSpace LW SW and digital satellite. Radio finds us where we are regardless of medium, and this has to be good for radio and its audience, except it must have duplicity of costs for stations to be on a growing list of platforms. It was Sunday night and nobody tweeted from their car or outdoor in anyway. And back to the sample size. ~10 replies of 2500 followers (twitter / facebook) not bad meme interaction but technically a very small sample. Thanks to all who responded – Happy Radio.

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What does it take to become a pop radio DJ?

Documentary on One – RTÉ Documentaries 

Four in a Row – Showcase on Disc Jockeys

What does it take to become a pop radio DJ? Almost 30yrs ago, four djs tried to answer that question – Simon Young and Larry Gogan from RTE Radio 2, Janice Long from BBC Radio 1 and Declan Meehan from Capital Radio London. Top tips….. (Broadcast 1985) 

RTE Extra Choice – land of confusion

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confused in Dublin writes: 

I’m confused, RTE Radio 1 Extra on DAB carries RTE Choice programmes. While RTE Radio 1 Extra (formerly RTE Europe) on satellite carries the same programmes as RTE Radio 1. 

On Digital Television RTE Radio 1 Extra carries RTE Choice programmes but has RTE Radio 1 EPG details for all programmes. 

Meanwhile the output on RTE Choice (DAB) is the same as RTE Radio 1 Extra and is ID’ed in audio as RTE Radio 1 Extra. 

Some confused questions: Does RTE Choice exist any more? Why is Radio 1 Extra not on digital satellite with the same programmes as the terrestrial broadcast? Why doesn’t RTE Radio 1 Extra (terrestrial) not carry RTE Radio 1 programmes until frequency splits? 

A possible fix to this mess, which was highlighted to RTE operations in 2008 (when medium wave was switched off and “second helpings” programmes were shifted to RTE LW / Extra) is the following. 

Swap RTE Radio 1 and RTE Radio 1 Extra on digital satellite. This would have RTE Radio 1 on the wider footprint transponder to more of Europe where weekend sport and weekday racing would be heard by the widest audience. RTE Radio 1 Extra could carry the frequency split / minority programmes to Ireland / UK on the Astra 2D footprint. RTE Choice programmes could be aired on Radio 1 Extra when frequency splits weren’t active (unless right holder issues exist). Such a move would end the RTE Radio 1 / RTE Radio 1 Extra simulcast on satellite and offer ‘EXTRA’ RTE programmes to our nearest neighbours where a large Irish diaspora lives. 

On DAB and DTT the identity crisis that is RTE Choice / RTE Radio 1 Extra demonstrates that there is really only one service on these two channels. This could free up a channel for something else. Any takers?  

And LW 252, as this is one service unlike the two transponders on satellite, RTE radio 1 and frequency split programmes are broadcast and this seems to do what is expected of it.

I won’t lose sleep over it but it is land of confusion. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpV1uz4AB_U?wmode=transparent]

Katzenjammer cover the Genesis song ‘Land of Confusion’

UPDATE Feb 2013 – RTE closed RTE Radio 1 Extra on Sky 0142 on the wider european footprint. Alternative content programmes are no longer available on satellite, and RTE Radio 1 is now only available on satellite on a UK / Ireland beam in Europe.

Kingston Regatta 1898 – a sports radio first.

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Marconi had been commissioned by the Dublin Daily Express to report the progress of the Kingston Regatta (July 20–22nd July 1898). He did this from a steam tug, sending ‘wireless’ messages back to the harbour where they were subsequently telephoned to Dublin. Becoming what many believe to be have been the first ‘live’ transmission of a sporting event in the world, in the process he gained immense publicity for the technology and his Company.

via http://www.northantrim.com/Marconi.htm

and from http://url.ie/fsj1

In July 1898 the first public presentation of wireless telegraphy took place. Marconi had been commissioned by the Dublin Express to send telegraphic reports from the Kingston Regatta to its editorial offices. From on board the tug, Flying Huntress he observed the yachts racing in the Irish Sea and telegraphed his impressions directly to the land base in Kingston. The Dublin Express was able to keep its readers informed with extra pages on the current progress of the Regatta. With hindsight it is tempting to assign symbolic value to this episode in technological history. There are early indications here of what already appears to have been accomplished in our fast-paced media age: events being followed by the mass media in ‘real time’ with their highly sophisticated telecommunications equipment. What Marconi could only strive for in 1898 has been achieved in our time: the period between the occurrence of an incident and its announcement elsewhere has been shrunk to a minimum and is almost tending to zero.

and from http://irishmediaman.wordpress.com/1278-2/

“We understand that Marconi is coming to Dublin with his apparatus.” (Freemans Journal, 1898) Some months earlier at the Kingston Regatta the communicative possibilities of Marconi’s apparatus quickly came to light; “…he was watched with interest by many gentlemen who had been invited to witness the novel application of Marconi’s discovery to the uses of journalism.” (Kildare Observer, 1898)

 

 

Radio Active set to return to radio

RadioActive International will start broadcasts in the coming weeks, it will also relay its shows via the internet in stream and on demand formats backed up by social media. European services will be heard on the 49 meterband shortwave and FM relays of the internet stream will be encouraged and sponsored in cities around the world.

RadioActive is looking for Presenters/DJs who can make shows in their own space and time and deliver it by electronic or postal service, where it will be placed in the schedule. There will be no formats or adverts and the open access policy has little rules, no fascists and no religions. And a common understanding that we are not going to break the law to do this only to play similar music to the legal stations.

Share this on, lets make radio better! reply by message if you want a show.

more details soon
facebook http://url.ie/fn7v
web http://RadioActive101.com

UPDATE September 2012 

Radioactive is back http://radioactiveinternational.org/

twitter @radioactiveint 

How To Make a Radio Station from seth gadsden on Vimeo.