If you listen carefully you will hear the sound of change. Don’t worry I am not getting all “guru” on you. The change I am talking about is a real thing. And a Monocle 24 thing.
It’s been three-and-a-half years since we launched our radio station and over that time we have grown a loyal listenership around the globe. Each month we have 600,000 listeners for our shows: live and as downloads. We, like you it seems, enjoy radio because it is intimate, allows us to have a discussion that can be deep or meandering but never needs to be shouty or limited to 140 characters. It’s a format that sits nicely with the core values of Monocle.
And radio, and quality podcasts, are having a very good moment around the globe as people engage with the likes of Serial. Millions and millions of us now get on the subway, pop on our earphones and get lost in the spoken word. And that’s why this week we are adding four new shows to our line up. The Big Interview, which does just what it says; The Sessions at Midori House, a 15-minute music show that will give you a great live set by a band we love; The Recap, a 30-minute show that each weekend delivers a wrap of the week that was in global affairs, and The Monocle Arts Review, a daily primer on the books, art shows and films that we think you’ll want to know about.
We are also moving some shows to shorter 30-minute formats to make them ideal listening lengths for a morning run or metro commute. And we have a host of new-season elements in our core shows. This Friday Marcus Hippi will launch the Monocle restaurant awards on his show The Menu, The Urbanist will be revealing its nominations for the best urban heroes and Culture with Robert Bound will be answering some of the big cultural questions such as – are there too many curators?
And we will be taking the shows on the road too: expect coverage from the Milan Furniture Fair and Art Basel in Hong Kong.
It’s a fascinating time for radio and we are excited to be on the dial, making waves. And let us know what you think of the new line up. Drop our executive producer Tom Edwards or me, Andrew Tuck, an email. We like to listen.
Andrew Tuck is editor of Monocle and presents 'The Urbanist' each week on Monocle 24.
