The world or radio has changed. According to research carried out by RAJAR more and more of us are listening to audio content online, via our smartphones, digital assistants and digital radios, in the home and in the car.
We now consume content in different ways, the podcast is now the accepted term for a piece of pre recorded speech audio content. Being able to pause, skip and rewind are now the norm whilst listening to audio content.
We are blessed in Wales with a number of excellent podcasts, you can check 12 of the most popular as chosen by readers of The National Wales here.
Talk radio has become the norm in the UK, and is a means of discussing, understanding and challenging the issues that affect our day to day lives.
The UK benefits from having a range of radio output that places news and current affairs at the top of the agenda. But how many of us have listened in frustration when a correspondent in London or Manchester has discussed the UK health service or education system? The situation may have improved slightly partly due to Covid highlighting the policy differences between Westminster and the devolved nations, but the fact remains that “national” broadcasters are catering, in the main, for the 83% of the UK population that reside in England.
There are no dedicated Welsh talk radio stations, none that have news at the top of their agenda, none that dedicate an adequate amount of airtime to matters political and news in Wales.
We haven’t got a 5 live, an LBC, TalkRadio or a Radio 4.
It doesn’t have to be that way, we have the ability, talent and now the platforms that would allow us to create a national radio station for Wales, serving a mixture of live broadcasts – that would be available as podcasts immediately post transmission – and pre-recorded content and podcasts that would make up a full schedule.
The beauty of developing a service like this is that it can start small and expand as content and demand increase.
The content won’t be restricted to just politics and current affairs, we want to create a space where Welsh culture, sport, history and a range of other topics can be discussed.