UK’s Largest National Radio Company Joins UK Podcasters Association

Commercial radio giant, GCap Media, operators of radio stations such as Capital Radio, Xfm and Classic FM has joined UK Podcasters Association, in a move that spearheads the radio industry’s integration with digital and online media. GCap is the first radio/media company to join the UKPA, which has been attracting broadcast professionals since it started in April 2006.

The move by GCap Media, who produce more podcasts than any other media company in the UK, is recognition of the role podcasts are playing in the modern media landscape.

Speaking about GCap Media joining the UKPA, Chairman Dean Whitbread said:

"This is a major endorsement of the UKPA's work and status as the leading body to establish podcasters' rights. The UKPA represents its members’ interests to regulators and would-be legislators. We've done a lot of work to establish podcasting as a medium in itself and we are really pleased to welcome GCap as a prominent member from the radio industry. It shows that they recognise both the value of the Association and the importance of podcasting. This can only be good for all."

John Hirst, Head of GCap’s podcasting company, Creation, said:

“Over the past three years we have seen millions of consumers subscribing and downloading compelling podcasts from our radio stations and our customers’ websites. We create podcasts for our radio brands, our commercial clients and other third party customers, such as The Sun. It’s now part of our core business and content offering to consumers and commercial customers alike. We are delighted to join the UKPA as it’s a neutral body set-up to support all podcasters.”

Women and Oldies Top UK Web Users, Say Ofcom

"The net, mobile phones and MP3 players are revolutionising how Britons spend their time, says Ofcom's annual report. It reveals that older media such as TV, radio and even DVDs are being abandoned in favour of more modern technology.

Surprisingly, it also shows that women, in some age groups, are the dominant web users and older web users spend more time online than any group.

Among children it showed that web and mobile phone use is growing at the expense of video games.

The average Briton now spends 50 hours per week on the phone, using the net, watching TV or listening to the radio. However, the mix of how much time is spent on each one has changed radically over the last few years.

Daily mobile phone use is up 58% on 2002 and, over the same period, net use has grown 158%. By contrast Britons spend far less time watching TV, listening to the radio or chatting on a fixed line phone.

The report revealed big differences in the technologies that different sectors of the population prefer.

For instance, among Britons aged 25-34, women account for 55% of the time this group spends online, said the report.

The 16% of the over-65s that use the web spend 42 hours per month online - more than any other age group.

Children are in the vanguard of the move to make more of new media. The report said that 75% of 11 year olds have their own TV, games console and mobile phone." - BBC News Online.

Podcast Figures Rise With Digital Radio

BBC News reports extensively on the growing numbers of people using digital and online sources to access their radio output, with the number of podcast listeners up from 1.9m to 2.7m.

Rajar the industry analysts say that radio listenership as a whole is up, with 91% of the UK population listening. Mobile usage is also up by 27% since the end of 2006. Commercial radio has its highest listening figures for four years with a regular audience of 32m, and the BBC's digital-only radio networks, including 6 Music and 1Xtra, now have a combined listenership of 3m people.

New UK Video Podcast Channel To Launch

Wil Harris, known widely as the UK tech writer who also co-hosts of Leo Laporte's weekly podcast This Week In Tech (TWiT) is to launch a new video podcast channel in September 2007, called Channel Flip.

The network will focus on the 18-35 male demographic with shows covering technology, video games, indie music, DVD releases, skateboarding and men's fashion.

Channel Flip shows will be offered via a combination of online (one platform named was Blip.tv) and downloadable formats. The hosts are all British, but Harris says this venture isn't meant to be UK-specific in any way. After the initial launch, Channel Flip's plans include launching shows covering fitness, food, and digital photography. - Wired.