Radio is instant and local, but will new innovations in technology enable mobile applications to usurp the benefits this traditional broadcast medium offers? 

This was the topic of discussion at a session titled ‘Is Radio Relevant in a Mobile World’ at the annual India Radio Forum Conference on Friday.

The panel discussion was moderated by Suman Srivastava, Vice Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, FCB Ulka.

Other panelists included Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM, Sanjay Tripathy, Sr. EVP – Marketing, Product, Digital & E-Commerce, HDFC Life and Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network.

The panel said that though streaming media is giving serious competition to radio, it is possible for both to coexist and grow.

While discussing changes in music formats, Dias said: “Radio is no longer just a source of music but the power of sound that can be manifested in many ways.”

One important distinction about radio which granted it an upper hand was that radio can be a friend with a voice and without a face.

It must try to expand everywhere as moving to one end of the spectrum leads to loss of customers, the panel concluded.