Ben Cooper addressed the Radio Festival in Manchester on 15th October 2014 and in his capacity as Controller of BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Ben spoke of the 7 things that keep him awake at night which are : 
1. What does success look like?  Ben said that people in radio are obsessed with time spent listening and this is not always the best guage.  He asked the audience to look at the usefulness of this information and the accuracy of it.
2. What is the average age of Radio 1 listener?   do you take the average age of your online audience into account.  Radio 1's approach is now to Watch, Listen and Share.
3. Distribution? Radio needs to work out how to distribute its content to its audiences, radio must be train that pulls all the carriages.
4. Pipe v's Platform.  We need to work out radio's role with its audience, young audiences now expect their lives to be reflected with your brand.  Radio must lead the way in how to connect with youth audiences, show listeners content on your platforms.
5. Distinctiveness, be distinctive at what you do, the music you play, your content etc
6. The Radio Academy.  Ben is passionate about the industry and he is aware that the industry is changing dramatically and that there are amazing opportunities but there are also threats.  Ben believes that the Radio Academy must be as modern as the radio industry.
7.   and finally, My Children, future of the radio industry.

In conclusion, Ben said that if we are looking to where the future of the industry is, he said it is all around us, look to your children and how they consume media.

Source : Radio Festival 2014. Manchester




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