Radio Reimagined: Global Experts Chart a Digital-First, Inclusive Future at WAVES 2025

Jacqueline Bierhorst championed digital radio as the future owing to its superior sound quality, reliability, and multimedia capabilities.

At WAVES 2025, a premier media and broadcasting event, a groundbreaking panel discussion titled “Radio Reimagined: Thriving in the Digital Age” brought together global industry stalwarts, strategists, and innovators. The dialogue offered a comprehensive examination of how radio broadcasting can adapt, evolve, and flourish amidst the digital revolution while retaining the essence and outreach of traditional broadcasting.

Global Luminaries Lead the Conversation

The panel featured a rich blend of international and Indian voices shaping the radio industry's future. Among them were:

• Jacqueline Bierhorst – Renowned as a pioneer of commercial radio

• Ruxandra Obreja – Chairperson, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium

• Alexander Zink – Vice Group Leader, DRM

• Shashi Shekhar Vempatti – Ex-CEO, Prasar Bharati & Co-Founder, Deep Tech for Bharat

• Ted Laverty – Esteemed Broadcast Technology Expert

• Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO of Red FM, adeptly moderated the panel, weaving together a variety of technical, policy, and audience-centric perspectives.

The Digital Shift: Future-Ready Yet Inclusive

Jacqueline Bierhorst championed digital radio as the future owing to its superior sound quality, reliability, and multimedia capabilities. However, she and Alexander Zink acknowledged that analog broadcast holds indispensable value, especially in times of crisis, such as natural disasters or terror attacks when digital networks may fail. This point was emphasized by Ruxandra Obreja, who advocated for retaining analog radio in rural India, reaching approximately 600,000 villages.

Obreja warned against abrupt transitions. “The challenge is to introduce new technologies without disrupting the old ones,” she noted, pressing for a harmonized approach that integrates both analog and digital frameworks.

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From Old to New: Redefining the 5Cs of Radio

Bierhorst revisited the traditional 5Cs of effective communication—Conciseness, Clarity, Confidence, Control, and Capability—and mapped them onto a new digital-age paradigm:

• Coverage – Reaching listeners wherever they are

• Content – Delivering rich, varied, and quality programming

• Consumer Devices – Ensuring accessibility across gadgets

• Car – Promoting in-vehicle listening options

• Communication – Leveraging interactive and multimedia features

She emphasized strategic coverage planning and device readiness to ensure digital radio's smooth adoption.

Measuring Listenership: Apps, Data, and Insights

Technology expert Ted Laverty spotlighted apps like Radioplayer and Radio FM from Europe that monitor listenership patterns while respecting user privacy. He recommended India explore similar platforms, alongside surveys and listening diaries, to accurately map and engage with audience hotspots.

Such data-driven insights could lead to more informed programming, improved reach, and better monetization opportunities for broadcasters.

Content, Cost, and Creativity

A consensus emerged that "Content is King". However, private FM channels in India often face licensing fee barriers, limiting their content to popular music with lower copyright costs. Red FM’s Nisha Narayanan stressed the need for policy reforms to encourage content diversity across genres.

Bierhorst shared the success story of Absolute Radio in the UK, which, through educational and community-oriented content, built long-term audience loyalty across decades.

Zink further elaborated that digital radio offers more than audio, incorporating visuals and text, which enriches the listener experience and caters to modern, multimedia-savvy audiences.

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A Climate-Conscious Broadcasting Strategy

The panel highlighted the environmental benefits of digital radio, with its efficient energy consumption and support for single-frequency networks. Obreja cautioned, however, against assuming that digital alone could replace FM, noting that complete FM shutdowns in some European countries have proven problematic.

She emphasized the need for a pragmatic roadmap in India, involving stakeholder consultation, infrastructure audits, and sensitivity to both consumer and broadcaster needs.

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Building India's Digital Radio Ecosystem

Experts agreed that India holds tremendous potential as a global leader in radio broadcasting. With over a billion mobile users, a vast rural outreach via Prasar Bharati, and an enthusiastic listener base across demographics, the country is poised for digital radio dominance.

Obreja advocated the formation of a national digital radio consortium, comprising private and public stakeholders to synchronize infrastructure, content, and policy directions.

Vempatti labeled radio as "India’s original public good," calling for targeted policy interventions, such as mandating radios in all devices and incentivizing manufacturers under initiatives like ‘Make in India’. Both he and Laverty stressed the coexistence of AI-powered and passive devices for ensuring inclusivity and resilience.

Towards a Collaborative Future

The session concluded with a strong call for cooperative broadcasting ecosystems, especially in urban centers where common transmission infrastructure can help reduce costs and encourage diversity. Panelists also suggested exploring cross-platform collaborations, hybrid radio systems, and strategic alliances to keep radio competitive with modern digital media.

As WAVES 2025 set the tone for the radio industry's future, it became evident that the synergy of tradition and innovation will define the sector’s evolution in India and globally.