The expansion of WBUR onto the Internet allows for some interesting developments in how the station reaches viewers. Radio has the benefit of retaining its audience, since most listeners listen to radio in the car, and since the car is still the dominant mode of transportation, radio still has a ways to go before obsolescence. But expanding to the Internet will allow local radio stations - like WBUR, a chance to keep their customers interested in their product, so that even if some development in technology occurs and renders local radio obsolete, they still have a unique and viable product that causes viewers to stay engaged with WBUR.
Look at where WBUR has expanded to. They are on Twitter, bringing updates about news stories and chatting with listeners and followers. They have pages on Flickr and YouTube, expanding on their radio content with pictures and video pieces. They have pages on MySpace and Facebook to stay involved in the new social networking scene. And of course, they can be listened to live on the internet and on podcast. What will all these expansions do to keep WBUR afloat should a radio apocalypse occur?
Well, most importantly, it allows more people to find out exactly what WBUR offers as a news source to the city of Boston. NPR is a valuable national news source, and should the Internet expand so that it is easily accessible anywhere, then it will undoubtedly remain the stadrad bearer for national online radio. What WBUR should hope for, then, is to remain as a standard bearer for Boston local news. The audience may be smaller than the national circut that NPR has, but in this way, WBUR would still fulfill its obligation to be keep the people of Boston informed.
Expanding will also allow people who are away from the city to find out what is going on - say, for instance, someone on vaction wanted to hear about local news. Internet expansion allows WBUR to fill that role, even when the listener can't reach WBUR on radio, they can find out what is going on through the Internet. Obviously, this means that WBUR faces new challenges and new competition, as many news sources are expanding onto the internet as well. WBUR must then work hard to keep people interested in what the station is providing, so that their audience will stay with them.
Look at where WBUR has expanded to. They are on Twitter, bringing updates about news stories and chatting with listeners and followers. They have pages on Flickr and YouTube, expanding on their radio content with pictures and video pieces. They have pages on MySpace and Facebook to stay involved in the new social networking scene. And of course, they can be listened to live on the internet and on podcast. What will all these expansions do to keep WBUR afloat should a radio apocalypse occur?
Well, most importantly, it allows more people to find out exactly what WBUR offers as a news source to the city of Boston. NPR is a valuable national news source, and should the Internet expand so that it is easily accessible anywhere, then it will undoubtedly remain the stadrad bearer for national online radio. What WBUR should hope for, then, is to remain as a standard bearer for Boston local news. The audience may be smaller than the national circut that NPR has, but in this way, WBUR would still fulfill its obligation to be keep the people of Boston informed.
Expanding will also allow people who are away from the city to find out what is going on - say, for instance, someone on vaction wanted to hear about local news. Internet expansion allows WBUR to fill that role, even when the listener can't reach WBUR on radio, they can find out what is going on through the Internet. Obviously, this means that WBUR faces new challenges and new competition, as many news sources are expanding onto the internet as well. WBUR must then work hard to keep people interested in what the station is providing, so that their audience will stay with them.
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