5Live boss sees future in internet TV for radio

Adrian Van Klaveren says internet broadcasting will be "crucial" to the future of broadcasting.

Speaking to Salford News Network, as he overlooked the MediaCityUK site where his department will be moving later this year, the BBC Radio 5live controller revealed how he intends to embrace the new platform which uses broadband rather than traditional radio frequency or satellite to broadcast.

“IPTV has the potential to actually bring together what we have seen over the last few years as very different mediums,” said Van Klaveren.

“As you bring all of those together, and how you can actually exploit that in a world where people multi-task and look at two screens at once, there’s lots of potential for how you can actually do things differently.”

Klaveren is optimistic about IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and how 5live can utilise the new platform.

“If you look at the future, most radios are going to come with a screen," he said. 

"It’s really interesting when you start to think about it like that, how people will be listening to audio but there will always be some sort of visual display that you can use.

“What goes on that video display, how it fits together, and where does that fit into the overall pattern of people’s media consumption? There’s a lot there that could be really interesting.”

The chances of the technology having an impact were boosted last week when BT announced it is going to upgrade most of its network in preparation for IPTV. 

BT’s Head of Information Systems and Technology for IPTV Steve White said: “It’s too expensive renting DVB-T muliplex (freeview) space to deliver Sky Sports to BT Vision customers, so we want to send it multicast.”

If 5live are to use IPTV, they will do so from their new home at MediaCity, Klaveren confirmed he won’t be moving his family north, but is looking forward to leading his department at Salford Quays. 

“We get into our building from about June but, in terms of live broadcasting, from September,” he said. 

“From then, over a period of about 8 weeks, we will move all of the 5live programmes, starting with our late night programmes and then ending up with breakfast moving by the end of November. So certainly by Christmas the whole station should be in Salford.”

Now in his 27th year with BBC, Van Klaveren doesn’t anticipate any major changes to the 5live brand as a result of the move.

He said: “There won’t be any significant rebranding because it is important that we say to our audience, the audience who love 5live, that this is radio 5Live. 

“We do happen to be moving from the location that we broadcast from but we’re not fundamentally changing the radio station. 

“Bit by bit we want to make it better and take advantage of the move, but it’s not a case where our audience is saying ‘you need to tear it up and start again, you need to make it sound completely different.’ I don’t think they want that. What they want is a station that just keeps on developing.”

Dan Salisbury-Jones