IRF Radio City Milano Conference
Thursday 7th April 2016
Green House, top floor at the
UniCredit Pavilion, Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milano
Conference starts: 09:30 – 16:00
Please use main entrance to the Pavilion
Doors open: 09:00 for coffee and tea
09:30 – 10:15
The fight for free radio
Tony Prince, 60’s Radio Caroline Pirate
Radio has encountered numerous enemies in its developing years. The famous pirate radio ships which surrounded the British Isles in the 1960’s would never have happened if radio had been allowed to develop. Tony Prince was a pirate DJ (Radio Caroline) and later broadcast for 16 years on Radio Luxembourg. “Why”, you may ask, did RTL’s English Service succeed for so many years broadcasting only in the evening on a poor AM frequency (208)? Was the fight worthwhile and how will radio pass the baton from generation to generation from now on?
Tony Prince is also the founder of the world’s first DJ magazine MixMag and disco mix club DMC.
dmcworld.com
10:15 – 10:45
The end of the world as we know it
Scott Cohen, Founder of The Orchard
The music industry has been going through massive changes in the 21st century. No segment has been unaffected. What does this mean for radio?
Scott started to digitalise music back in 1997 and founded the Orchard developing it to become the world’s first and largest music store.
theorchard.com/splash/
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:30
Real time traffic, a must for 21st century in-car radio listening
Andreas Erwig, TomTom International
In this session we will hear about the effects of congestion and why real-time traffic information is important for citizens in the 21st Century. How is the content created and how can it be used effectively to inform drivers and citizens? Andreas will also give you insights how the traffic data is distributed nowadays.
tomtom.com
11:30 – 12:00
Innovative web-radio revenue streams
Dan Jones, Founder of Hoxton FM
There are many ways to start and fund an independent online radio station. Dan Jones, founder of the online radio station Hoxton FM, has tried many of these and is here to share with you his findings.
hoxton.fm
12:00 – 12:30
Growing your audience using social media
Ed Hooper, Co-founder of Omny Media
Clearly, social-media content about radio programs is growing rapidly. What many broadcasters are still struggling with is how to use social media to proactively drive increased audience participation, dialogues and interactions, and then translate that increased engagement into new revenue streams. Ed Hooper will explain how broadcasters can grow their audience using on-demand and social media.
omnystudio.com/radio
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch Break on the Mezzanine Level
13:30 – 14:00
Commercial DAB+ Broadcasting
Herbert Visser, Founder of Radio 100%NL (and a few more!)
DAB+ is the most widely adopted digital radio standard worldwide, on-air in more than 40 countries allowing broadcasters to offer their popular analogue stations simulcast in digital quality, as well as new digital only stations. However, there are a number of limitations of the current DAB system. In this talk Herbert Visser will explain what the options for commercial broadcasters on DAB+ are.
100p.nl
14:00 – 14:30
Broadcasting in the Middle East
Rania Younes, Radio Producer and Host at StarFM Abu Dhabi
What does it mean to broadcast in the middle east? Are there any restrictions on the content, any regulations that you need to be aware of? What is the situation for women? Rania Younes will tell us about her experiences as a Radio and Tv producer and anchor in Abu Dhabi.
starfm.ae
14:30 – 15:15
The Future of Radio
with panelists:
Dan Formless, founder of Hoxton FM – hoxton.fm
Filippo Solibello, radio host on RAI2 – radio2.rai.it
Ed Hooper, co-founder at Omny Media – omnystudio.com/radio
Gordon Mac, Founder of 80’s KISS FM and CEO of London’s Mi-Soul radio – mi-soul.com
Tony Prince, Founder of DMC World – dmcworld.com
Host: Gabby Sanderson, radio host on iHeart ALT983, USA – alt983.com
A recent report by Nielsen found that traditional broadcast radio is still the preeminent means of consuming radio. According to its research, almost two-thirds (63%) of music fans say that (traditional) radio is their chief means of discovering new music. Of course, that’s not to say alternative means of consuming radio aren’t rising in demand too – it just means that your trusty ol’ FM/MW wireless remains a force to be reckoned with. For now, at least. Radio has been threatened by new and emerging technologies since, well, forever, but it seems somewhat resilient to change. But things are changing…just that little bit more slowly than some may have anticipated. From the dots-and-dashes of wireless telegraphy in the late 19th century, through the first public broadcasts of the early 20th century and on to the algorithm-driven, personalized music stations we see strewn across the Web today, ‘radio’ as a concept has evolved for sure. But what does the future hold for the age-old medium? This will be discussed in the session.
