The latest edition of Steve Ahern’s well known text book Making Radio has been released.

And it has an updated title to reflect the new dynamics of the audio industry.

Making Radio & Podcasts, 4^th Edition has updated the radio industry content to include podcasts, smart speakers and the latest developments in audio.

The book is now published by Routledge, reflecting the international status of the book, which has become a leading teaching text for training institutes, universities and schools across Australia, Asia and the Pacific.

“I wrote it in a way that a teacher could pick it up and assign the first couple of chapters for pre-reading, then work through the skills chapters as part of a core curriculum, then choose selected later chapters depending on how the cohort intended to specialise in their craft skills,” says Ahern.

The book is available in hard copy and paperback from the publisher’s website, or just ask your local book store or library to order it in.

All chapters have been updated and new chapters about The Future of Radio by James Cridland and Making Podcasts by Britta Jorgensen have been added.

Other new contributors include Richard Palmer, Triton Digital’s Director of Market Development for APAC, Fyona Smith from AFTRS, international sales expert Pat Bryson and ARN’s Barry Keohane, amongst others. The many other contributors from past editions have updated their comments.

In the introduction to this edition, Ahern writes:

‘Radio’ is a powerful word that has developed its brand values over more than a century. However the old definition of radio, based on free-to-air transmission and receiving of broadcast audio signals is no longer an accurate description of what we do.

If you work in radio now, you will also very likely be making audio content that will be delivered via online streams, catch up replays and podcasts. Or you may work in an audio content production company that is not a traditional radio business. The content you make may be heard on smartphones, watches, computers or requested by voice control on smart speakers. Your content may be integrated with music services and be played to you as a curated sequence based on your specific playlist requests or an AI algorithm that has learnt your listening preferences.

The on-demand nature of audio delivery, coupled with intelligent search and sophisticated playout systems is superseding the old norms of business and programming. World leading companies that have realised the extent of the changes are reinventing themselves and the industry as we find ourselves at yet another point of change. We don’t know all the answers yet, but there are some clear trends that this book will identify. There are also some things that don’t change, like the need to engage an audience, to connect using your personality, to gather and present quality audio, to tell compelling stories and to engage people at both the intellectual and emotional level, through audio.

Contents:

1. History of Radio
2. The Future of Radio Internationally
3. Making Podcasts
4. Broadcast Laws and Regulations
5. The Studio
6. Radio Announcing
7. Presentation
8. Interviewing
9. Researching and Producing
10. Talkback
11. Copywriting
12. Audio Production
13. News
14. Audience Research and Promotions
15. Radio Sales
16. Programming
17. Features and Comedy
18. Transmission

Order via any bookshop quoting the ISBN 9781032020723, or online here.