“Imagine a world with no sound, no noise, no crackle from your phone or radio when you turn it on to listen to the 7 O’Clock news in the morning; now imagine a world with no medium to spread audio information. No concept such as ‘on-air’, social media, or digital tools to help members of the human race to speak to each other from far-flung corners of the country – or even the world. The digital impact on the broadcasting sector has changed how we as a society interact with audio media as it has gradually divided its home between analogue frequency and an online presence.” So begins Fiona Keely’s insightful look at how the adoption of digital tools in the radio sector has changed how we engage with the broadcasting world – and whether these tools favour the flourishing of community radio over commercial radio.

In her final year project, Fiona speaks with a wide variety of stakeholders in Irish radio, considers the tools and policies that inform the radio broadcast industry, and offers insightful comment on where this digital revolution may go in the future.

Fiona’s project combines deep stakeholder analysis with extensive background research into the varied adoption of these digital tools exposing many of the pitfalls that have been encountered and how these have been surmounted or abandoned.