Live8 Organiser Praises Power Of Radio
The importance of radio as a means of communication was raised yesterday by musician and organiser of Live 8, Midge Ure, with the rock and roll legend urging broadcasters to use their platforms to spread the message surrounding Africa and the G8 summit, held in Gleneagles this week.
Amidst a week of charity marches and protests, Ure took time out to address the delegates at the Edinburgh Radio Festival and speak to a small press gathering, asserting the power of radio in getting the message across.
Explaining how the medium can be used, Ure said: “Radio’s got that platform, its streamed, accessible through the internet and has an amazing access and reach.”
“In the UK we have an amazing infrastructure, I don’t mean to downgrade America, but it’s so vast, it doesn’t communicate. We have an amazing communications network.”
“The BBC platforms feed us information,” he continued. “We’ve got the British radio industry, thank god its there – use it.”
Ure added: “The effect of the coverage has already started, there is no doubt that [the G8 leaders] have been influenced by what’s going on. They see this stuff. We have to keep our fingers crossed that something happens.”
When asked about the new technology appearing within the radio industry and the effect it is having on younger listeners, the charity organiser said: “Mobile phones, MP3s, podcasting, its all available. Eventually the youth will come round to thinking, I missed that – I can get it.”
“With radio its all there for you, people just have to access it.”
Figures released yesterday showed a surge of interest in Live8 reflected by visits to its official website. Statistics from Nielsen//NetRatings showed web visitors numbering 707,365 from the UK alone on the day of the concert itself.
The internet also proved invaluable in broadcasting the concert to as wide an audience as possible, with over five million people watched the Live8 events via sponsor AOL’s online service, with 175,000 simultaneous video streams demanded from the company’s servers at any one time (see Live8 Sparks Surge Of Online Interest).
Live8: www.live8live.com Radio Academy: 020 7255 2010 www.radioacademy.org