Radio stations are facing more online competition than ever before. Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora provide music lovers with infinite options, and podcasts provide an inexhaustible number of talk shows on even the most niche of topics. And that doesn’t even include on-demand video services, news subscription sites, digital books and audiobooks, and all the stuff our friends post on social media. Channels abound, content abounds, and competition for audience attention is steep.
Some savvy stations are rising to the challenge by repurposing their traditional radio content into live online video content. By livestreaming their radio shows, stations are able to reach more people in a new medium and on new platforms — catering to audiences’ specific consumption preferences.
NPR, for instance, streams portions of their radio shows on Facebook Live nearly daily. They’ve used the platform to grow their audience, expand their storytelling skills, and interact with audiences in real time.
“Live, interactive video with live comments gives us an opportunity to connect our audience more deeply to our journalists and the stories we want to tell,” writes NPR video producer Kara Frame. “Live video puts faces to NPR voices and allows us to take audiences to locations with trusted guides. We’ve been able to listen to and learn from our audiences, and in this way, we think the live experience supports our public media mission.”
But live video isn’t just for enormous radio organizations like NPR and Corus. Local radio stations and shows like Black Country Radio and The Modern Eater have also embraced the medium as a way to expand their reach and their content.
For radio stations or hosts considering adopting live video, here are a few perks to consider:
In addition to repurposing existing content, live video gives you the opportunity to create engaging new content that builds familiarity with your hosts, show, or station. Here are a few types of live video content that work great for radio stations:
It’s worth mentioning that you need to take copyright into consideration before you start livestreaming. Having rights to play something over the airwaves does not necessarily mean having rights to play it in a Facebook video, which is one reason why live video is a better fit for talk shows than music. In their live video best practices, Facebook reminds streamers that their video content must comply with the site’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities:
“This includes only broadcasting content for which you own and/or control all rights (or have obtained all necessary licenses/permissions to such rights), globally, including rights in any sound recordings or musical compositions included in the video and any performers appearing in it.”
Facebook can cut your stream short if they detect that you’re streaming copyrighted content without permission, so do your homework ahead of time to make sure you’re not breaking any of their terms.
We’ve primarily discussed Facebook Live here because many radio personalities and stations already have existing Facebook pages and audiences, but there are numerous other platforms available for livestreaming, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, among others. Some radio stations also stream directly to their own websites, thereby increasing their traffic and retaining greater control over the user experience.
There’s no right or wrong place to livestream your radio show — it just depends on your goals and audience. For a more detailed breakdown of two of the biggest streaming platforms, check out our post on choosing between Facebook and YouTube for live video.
And for a more in-depth look at how several specific radio stations have implemented live video — producing more than 3,000 live videos in less than two years — check out our case study with Corus Radio.