Article From the Antenna to the Display Devices: Transformation of the Colombian Radio Industry Andrés Barrios-Rubio Faculty of Communication and Arts, Nebrija University, 28240 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] Abstract: Consolidation of the digital environment has become an irreversible global reality and, for the Colombian radio industry, it implies not only assuming a process of transformation in its actions, but, above all, continuous learning. Technological innovation imposes new forms of consumption whose logic corresponds to new systems for the production, distribution and commercialization of information, culture, science and entertainment. Object of study. Adaptation of the radio medium to the digital ecosystem of audiences invites us to focus the attention of researchers on the media’s use of web-radio, app–radio and social media; the relevance of sound semiotics compared to other components of the message on users’ screens; and the alterations suffered by the business model and productive routines of the radio. Methodology. This research took as its focus of study three Colombian radio stations and their informative stations—Caracol Radio, W Radio, Blu Radio, RCN Radio and La FM—through a mixed methodology. Quantitative instruments—numerical data to monitor activities on social platforms—and qualitative instruments—interpretation of messages and visual composition of the message—allow for the monitoring and analyzing of the performance of the radio medium in the digital environment, and the tactical approach of radio agents to delineate the strategies that promote the expansion, positioning and participation of radio in the Colombian Citation: Barrios-Rubio, Andrés. media ecosystem. Results. Normalization of connectivity, ubiquity, timelessness and interactivity 2021. From the Antenna to the Display Devices: Transformation of are, today, inherent values of the content broadcast by the radio industry, which needs to appropriate the Colombian Radio Industry. the tastes and interests of the audience through multi-device, multi-tasking and multi-user devices. Journalism and Media 2: 208–224. Conclusion. Consumption actions of listeners: users are concentrated on the Smartphone screens, https://doi.org/10.3390/ which provides a habit of listening and monitoring that forces the media to incorporate the format— journalmedia2020012 and language—of video into their productive dynamics in order to attract and retain the attention of their audiences. Academic Editor: Andreu Casero-Ripollés Keywords: radio industry; business model; productive routines; digital ecosystem; digital applica- tions Received: 30 March 2021 Accepted: 1 May 2021 Published: 11 May 2021 1. Introduction Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral The history of the media in Colombia, as it happens in other countries, has its origins with regard to jurisdictional claims in in the 18th century, with the press. The media broadened its spectrum with radio at the published maps and institutional affil- beginning of the 19th century, was projected with television in the middle of the century iations. and globalized with the Internet in the twentieth century. Radio broadcasting arrived in Colombia with the HJN station on 7 August 1929; through the State, a public radio came into convergence with commercial alternatives that emerged from 8 December 1929, with the emergence of the station La Voz de Barranquilla (Barrios-Rubio 2011). Since its arrival, Copyright: © 2021 by the author. radio has evolved to become, due to its audience, social impact and industrial consolidation, Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. one of the most important mass media communication in the country. It went from being This article is an open access article seen as a scientific curiosity to positioning itself as a modern means of mass communication distributed under the terms and that, around music, news, sports, humor, events and contests, captures the attention of the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// Colombian public (Barrios-Rubio 2020). creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ Currently, radio adapts its actions to the demands of society and appropriates the 4.0/). advantages that technology brings to its broadcasting systems (Barrios-Rubio 2011). The Journal. Media 2021, 2, 208–224. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia2020012 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/journalmedia Journal. Media 2021, 2, FOR PEER REVIEW 2 Journal. Media 2021, 2 Currently, radio adapts its actions to the demands of society and appropriates the209 advantages that technology brings to its broadcasting systems (Barrios-Rubio 2011). 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TheThe internalization internalization of of the the environment environment in online,online, digitaldigital scenes scenes in in which which the the sound sound me- mediadia industry industry reinvents reinvents and and diversifies diversifies its its business business model model ( Barrios-Rubio(Barrios-Rubio 2020 2020),), productive produc- tiveroutines routines (Said (Said et al.et al.2013 2013),), content content distribution distribution systems systems (Marta-Lazo (Marta-Lazo and et Ortiz al. 2016) 2016 and) and narrativesnarratives (Martínez-Costa (Martínez-Costa 2015) 2015 in) inthe the digita digitall sonosphere