All that happened and happening in our times tell us that, many impossible things are becoming possible. while the wheels of time are running to the joining point between 20th and 21st century, surviving condition and social structure of human being has enormous change, and then to information times. Standing on this new milestone and imaging what will happen in 21st century, we are very exciting to see that, the procession of creation of history is also the self-evolution of human being.
Since radio broadcast was invented early this century , today we have come over to a contradictory period which is full of excitement and pain. It is unprecedented prosperous but at the same time we also strongly feel the pressures of competition with other mediums. This seems to hint at a transmigration of broadcast people in the modern development - the future is only decided by ourselves, it is just the same as how broadcast was created in the world at the very beginning. As a new generation of broadcast people, in the meantime of facing surviving challenge and the question of development, we also have many favorable circumstances to make progress. We have no reason to hesitate to step our feet towards the gate of the 21st century.
Here we make our efforts to explore the way by which music broadcasting will go in the future, so as to testify again the possibility of forming a new radio broadcast atmosphere and to find out what it needs to survive and grow.
1. A New Concept of Music Broadcasting
The competition aspect of mediums in information times has changed obviously. A strong "enemy" - information highway of computer network, suddenly appear in front of traditional mediums like newspaper, radio broadcast and television broadcast. Information highway virtually provides boundless possible information and equally serves every people who need it. Information highway has vast uses, whenever your trade uses it, its new function will bring you an endless space for development. At present, the newspaper circle is looking into the future and turning their eyes on a new objective - electronic newspaper. Editing, publishing and information transmitting of newspaper can be finished at the same time through computer network. Thus, traditional concept of newspaper will be complemented and covered by this new way; furthermore, the developing space and vitality of picture medium especially wire television network, improved by the information highway, will have a more magnificent prospect.
Objectively, we should say that, radio broadcast has been reduced to inferiority comparing with newspaper and television broadcast in the competition of traditional mediums. An innovation for radio broadcast is extremely urgent in front of the new aspects of newspaper and picture medium. Today, radio broadcast has used suitable digital high fidelity techniques to ensure the receiving and listening quality as far as possible. But high techniques have not changed it enough to make people feel entirely fresh and new. Probably the big change will take place after the connecting of radio broadcast and information highway.
The developments of all kinds of material civilization are depended on the needs of human being. Music broadcasting has its superiority which other mediums do not have, such as providing longer frequency for choosing, but this is still far not enough for the aesthetic needs of the mass which is becoming more and more pluralistic. From now on, it is hard to imagine that one need to take several days or several hours to listen in to some pieces of music or one exact title of program, and do everything passively according to the arrangement of the radio music program. Listeners always have immediate requirement to enjoy something. (after several days he may probable change his needs of enjoyment.) But time is a major feature of radio broadcast as the sequence of enjoyment. This contradiction is hopefully to be solved by joining the network. Programs of special title can be stored permanently in computer, all programs stored in computer may be put into the network, one can enjoy any program inside the computer at any time. The music broadcasting in the air is going on one hand, meantime any individuals can get the program information by the information highway (as news information can be replaced by character expression, comparatively music broadcasting is more functional, beneficial and feasible to enter international network). This kind of dissemination may lead to any corner in the world where the network is connected. It has totally changed the way of strengthening the launch power to enlarge the area that the radio broadcast had covered. At present, those technically advanced countries has been using the network in helping people to select repertoires of various discs and helping the music fans to buy things by E-mail.
As every country of region has its own cultural and fold customs, this difference makes the music broadcasting network to be nationalized or regionalized, thus to be more varied and colorful.
A revolution of music broadcasting service is pounding the broadcast medium itself, traditional radio broadcasting will be developed to a new style. The radio broadcasting system that we keep in our minds today cannot resist the developed one coming in the future. So, fundamentally speaking, we should consider radio broadcasting (music broadcasting) in a developing way, those old senses that have been fixed in our minds will not be existing any more.
2. Group Managing Process of Music Broadcasting
Any forms of Art or matter will not exist long if they lose the space for development and stop constantly improving themselves. It is very hard to imagine if the broadcast medium has no way to keep expanding the extension of its survival concept, as it is facing a setup of keen competition. What we think ideally now "big" or "vast" may probably be "small" or "narrow" in the future, but the truly "big" and "vast" mean systematization of mediums. The multi-medium information age urges various kinds of range, combination and new system to appear. And industrialization of the medium will lead to the union of radio, television, newspaper and other kinds of medium which had once been fighting against each other.
It is very easy for us to see the advantage of the unionization and systematization of mediums. The benefit they get form each other is truly immense. At present, medium groups in developed countries in the world have become very big ones, with intention of running transnational corporation and reaching to a top monopolization. Those famous groups of medium like NHK, Luxembourg, NBC and ABC have become organic industrial magnates systematic-functioning with radio, television and newspaper. And medium industries in developing countries also have this kind of intention, even though the ideology in these countries is quite different from others.
Many observers in the west predict one after another that, the economic centre of the world in 21st century will be moved to Asia, especially the east Asia. According to the new economic structure, the Asian people will also aim to improve their culture and ideology. The medium of China in the future will surely play an important role on the stage of the world. So China will certainly go faster in the process of grouping their mediums. We must think about this trend during the developing of our radio broadcast as well as music broadcasting in the future.
As part of the cultural plan of Shanghai, we are constructing Shanghai to be one of the most effective radio and television broadcasting centre in the West Pacific area in the end of this century or early 21st century. Probably there is a program in this plan to join up radio and television broadcast and even to group and systematize the medium. The concept of grouping and joining up here means a kind of competitive mechanism with which different kinds of medium share the same benefit and the same sense of commodity brand.
Powerful medium of a nation means that it is strong as a whole, we will not allow to see the side-effects or harms suffered by any side of television, radio, newspaper and other mediums when they are competing freely against each other. So, even though radio broadcast in many places of our country is existing difficultly comparing with television and newspaper at present, but this is just a signal of the grouping and joining up of mediums in the near future. (For example, the joining up of films, radio broadcasts and television broadcasts in Shanghai and some other places has been finished, this brings a new life for film industries which had been facing dire straits.) We have sufficient reasons to see the bright future of Chinese radio broadcast confidently.
3. Perfections of Talent Structure of Music Broadcasting
No matter what level that modern science and technology are developed to, it is still based on the improvement of human quality and wisdom. As the purpose of music broadcasting is to provide programs for the mass after all, there is a high requirement of personnel quality. The people-computer working form of information times do not simply need personnel to have some skills of modern science and technology, it requires them to be "multi-functioned" professionals so as to be qualified with the network and systematization of information handling and the selecting, editing and broadcasting of the programs. This kind of professionals is being urgently and largely in need. On the other hand, we are especially lacking of managing and working personnel with creative thought. Music broadcasting should also concern about consciousness-leading, in the people-computer working times today, this is not enough by only lying on managing leaders of different grades, the more important thing is still the quality of the personnel of interviewing, editing and broadcasting. Especially when information of music programs are put into the network, they are largely received; even the broadcaster also need to produce and broadcast the programs by handling computer, and to be qualified with the multiple needs of systematization.
The entire quality of the new generation of radio broadcasts may directly affect the quality of our music broadcasting in 21st century.
Obviously, music broadcasting, as we have learnt so far, is also a matter of consciousness besides being a cultural and amusement facility. Thus, it is very necessary for them to guide the listeners properly in the field of consciousness civilization. This is also one of the titles of building socialist material civilization and consciousness civilization with Chinese characteristics. All these will become a distinguishing feature of Chinese music broadcasting in its future development.
Today we may be very cautious to predict the future music broadcasting, but the constantly developing world has been encouraging every people to open their minds and think in a developing way. If we look back what happened one hundred years ago, we will see how brilliant and splendid the things around us will be after tens of years ...