Sirius Radio

In the article Only half the story: Radio drama, online audio and transmedia storytelling  the story is told of the domination of the BBC to broadcast radio. At the time the BBC held the monopoly of the radio drama, and broadcast department for over 60 years. The article written by author Lance Dann of Brighton University also explored the opportunities in the expansion of radio drama. The article explores the aspects of radio drama that extend to applications on portable devices such as iTunes and sound cloud as well as other dimensions that can be used to reach a large number of listeners quickly.

One example of the expansion or radio broadcast has been through the development of satellite radio. Sirius XM has more than 420 channels to listen to. These channels range from comedy, to storytelling, sports, news, and a number of different channels such as the gay and lesbian station, and a channel dedicated solely to Howard Stern. The main point is that with all of these stations and categories Sirius XM is providing to and supplying the listeners of all markets. The satellite radio providers are attacking the niche market that are under represented and do an amazing job of providing a diverse and desired category base.

Part of the appeal of audio drama according to Dann is that it does not necessitate the listeners need to be sitting at a computer. Sirius by being a radio broadcast system is most often used by listeners who are driving or on the go. Sirius even took it a step further by coming out with their own app for streaming their broadcast channels. The app allows the listener to detach from the mounted computer or laptop in order to make the listening portable and more available.

Being from California I grew fond of the radio station KIIS FM on 102.7 with host Ryan Secreast. They play all the new music and provide all the news and gossip in pop culture today. In his article Lance Dann states that live radio is so appealing because the broadcaster is connecting to the listener. The listener of the audio drama craves the suspense an intensity of the broadcast. Ryan Secreast and those at KIIS FM have done a fantastic job or realizing and actualizing this through the use of a segment called Ryan’s Roses.

In the segment a partner calls, most of the time thinking that the other is cheating. Ryan then calls the other partner and offers them a dozen roses to see who they send them too while the party that believes the other is cheating is muted on the other line until the end. This is all done on live radio, and the audience eats it up, it is one of the most beloved segments in the LA market, and with KIIS being the most listened to radio station this reaches a large scale of listeners.