Even though radio is often seen as primarily an entertainment medium, helping lift people’s moods, another core benefit is the immediacy it has for listeners, connecting them to events in the outside world.
During the recent riots people were tuning into local radio to keep up-to-date with which areas had been affected. Not only was this invaluable to those wanting to know which places to avoid whilst driving, it also provided a way for people to consume the facts from the unfolding events without being subjected to the sensational and harrowing images of visual media.
Radio also gives the UK population a trusted and reliable platform to express themselves.
Britain’s love their radio because it gives them an instant voice to air their opinions with like minded communities of interest; whether through a traditional station phone in or increasingly, through the stations’ social media networks.
In the wake of the riots, scores of radio listeners, outraged at the mindless vandalism and looting, needed to be heard so they contacted their local radio stations. A great example is LBC, who received an unprecedented level of calls during one 24 hour period, in excess of 20,000.
Furthermore, as an adaptable medium, station schedules were changed with immediate effect to cover the latest news in full, giving the listeners everything they needed to stay safe, and informed. Listen below for an example of LBC’s coverage of the riots…
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