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ocal radio stations are embracing social networking and new media tools to stay alive in Jakarta’s competitive market.

Station managers, producers and on-air announcers in Jakarta all reported the same problem: how to attract listeners who were distracted by the pace of life in the capital and had a choice of multiple media platforms.

Junas Miradiarsyah, general manager of Prambors Radio, said he was striving to anticipate developments in new social media by embracing change.

“Our strategy is to develop the radio station into several platforms,” he said.

Junas said he had developed a website for the station, in addition to a Facebook fan page, an Internet stream so fans could listen online without a radio, a Twitter feed and even a channel on YouTube.

“[It’s] what’s called the ‘content-on-demand’ concept to explain to listeners how to choose the content they want. It’s not in our hands anymore to determine what content will be broadcast,” he added.

DJ and announcer Tony Thamrin agreed, saying emerging social media should be perceived as a chance to create synergy and not as a threat.

“Requesting a song via a paid text message is now obsolete. Nowadays to request songs people just need to mention our Twitter account,” he said.

Tony, who is on air at UFM Jakarta, said that the station’s Twitter feed featured the usual announcements and song requests, in addition to hosting topical discussions.

“We had a radio program whose contents discussed people’s statuses on Facebook. We made categories such as the tackiest status or the most desperate and even the most irrational ones,” he said.

On internet streaming, Tony said the technology could ease how radio stations identified the number of people listening to their broadcasts.

“New social media tools also helps us make robust, low-budget advertisements about our programs,”
he added.

After working in radio for 21 years, Tony said he remained optimistic about the medium’s future.

“Radio is more personal than compared to other media. People listen to the radio all the time,” Tony said.

UFM Jakarta would still be on the air, despite a precipitous drop in the number of listeners, Tony said.

Sahil Mulachela, an on-air announcer at Global Radio Jakarta, said radio could still prosper in the current media environment.

“We usually adapt television or other media programs into radio shows. This is one of our strategies to cope with the changes,” he said.

“People feel lonely during traffic jams in jam-packed conditions. Those are the moments when radio plays a role to entertain people,” he added.

Radio would survive since companies still trusted the medium to deliver advertisements, Sahil said.

Intan Cinditiara, a producer at Cosmopolitan fm Jakarta, said that social media and radio had a mutual relationship.

“By using our Twitter account to discuss topics on the radio, people who miss the show can still open up the Twitter timeline to see what’s being discussed,” she said. (rpt)