Digital Radio for Ireland: Competing Options, Public Expectations - BCI

3.4 Connectivity
and
Interactivity
Figure
3.10:
New
RTÉ
2fm
Website
Source:
http://2fm.RTÉ.ie/,
July
2009
Increasingly,
 a
 website’s
 attractiveness
 depends
 in
 large
 part
 on
 how
 much
 connectivity
 it
 can
accommodate.
People
want
to
be
connected
with
each
other
via
the
internet,
but
also,
they
want
a
connection
with
the
content
published
online
and,
in
the
case
of
media,
they
want
to
connect
with
broadcasters.
 That
 is
 what
 the
 interactive
 ‘fun’
 content
 on
 the
 website
 is
 for.
 It
 not
 only
 attracts
consumers’
attention
and
keeps
their
interest,
but
also
allows
them
to
get
more
information
about
shows
 and
 presenters,
 engages
 them
 in
 the
 creation
 of
 programmes
 and
 facilitates
 communication
with
 other
 listeners.
 
 Local
 and
 regional
 radios
 are
 the
 main
 providers
 of
 online
 entertainment,
focusing
mostly
on
polls
(14),
games
(12)
and
competitions
(15),
but
also
offering
links
to
Facebook
and
other
social
platforms
(6
stations).

Community
radio
stations
focus
mostly
on
the
social
aspect
–
four
 of
 them
 opened
 forums
 for
 their
 listeners,
 for
 example,
 facilitating
 communication
 between
people
within
the
same
area.
Chats,
trading
and
‘lost
and
found’
spaces
available
on
the
number
of
regional,
local,
and
community
stations’
sites
play
a
similar
role
of
providing
communication
platforms
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