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Audio and Radio Futures Forum

The annual Audio and Radio Futures Forum brings together professionals working in innovation across the EBU. This community of radio geeks and audio nerds — in the best possible sense — explores and creates the future together.

The Forum blends a traditional conference with an 'unconference', offering open spaces for deeper conversations around trending topics, and greater flexibility for networking and learning.

Register now for an exciting two-day event diving into radio and audio innovation.

The EBU Audio and Radio Futures Forum is a productive and inspiring meeting point for anyone passionate about radio and audio innovation.

ARD will kindly host the 2026 edition at the new SWR Media Center in Baden-Baden, Germany.

To help you plan your trip, please find the venue address and a list of recommended hotels below.

Wednesday 14 October: Afternoon featuring an inspiring keynote and a spotlight on audio platforms, followed by a guided tour of the SWR Media Center and a networking barbecue to wrap up Day 1.

Thursday 15 October: Full day of unconference sessions, workshops, and innovation showcases.

Friday 16 October: Breakfast and a Futures Forum retrospective walk in the Black Forest.

Schedule Overview

The Audio and Radio Futures Forum combines traditional conference sessions with unconference discussions, creating space for inspiring presentations, in-depth conversations, brainstorming, and networking. Participants are also invited to propose ideas, projects, or experiments they’d like to share or explore with others.

What is unconference?

Find out more and start brainstorming! Check out reports from previous editions and propose your own unconference topics on the workspace!

Audio & Radio Futures Group Workspace

Venue

SWR Funkhaus Baden-Baden

Hans-Bredow-Straße
76530 Baden-Baden
Germany

Recommended Hotels

Here are some hotel suggestions from our host, SWR, where you can book your stay in Baden-Baden:

Leonardo Royal Hotel Baden-Baden

Hotel Merkur Baden-Baden

Atlantic Park Hotel Baden-Baden

Der Kleine Prinz Baden-Baden

Hotel Haus Reichert

Speakers

Michael Reichert

Senior Consultant, ARD/BR (Germany)

Wouter Quartier

Head of Radio, EBU

Maxi-Josephine Rauch

Researcher, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (Germany)

Read biography

Eoghan O’Sullivan

Moderator

Communications consultant and Facilitator (Switzerland)

Read biography

Documents

Schedule Overview Members Only

New Radio Day 2018

18 - 19 Oct 2018

The annual New Radio Day is the meeting point for those working in radio innovation across EBU organizations.

Members come together to share projects, describe best practices, and learn from each others’ innovations and approach. This event unites programme-making and technology expertise, given that successful public service media needs both great content and attractive presentation and delivery.

Keeping close to the audience, understanding their changing needs and preferences, is key to the future success of public media.

Building on the Values of Radio: Trusted, everywhere, communal, live, flexible

The radio medium remains enormously popular in Europe and beyond, despite occasional talk of disaster. But we must also develop and progress to create the radio of the future. As internet giants are challenged over trust and data, how can public media, public radio refresh its offer to audiences? The organizations we represent have a unique role in supporting democratic, open societies and public debate. How can we build on the new technological opportunities, aligning them with our content strengths to create a vibrant future? How can we develop the deep connection of trust that radio has with its public? During the meeting, we will look at these important qualities of radio: how we maintain trust, remain universally available, bring communities together, create live experiences, and embrace change.

Our colleagues at RTÉ, the Irish public broadcaster, have kindly invited us to Dublin for the next New Radio Day on Thursday and Friday, 18-19 October to share insights with colleagues and to hear how others are responding to the new opportunities of technology, new platforms and audience insights.

The New Radio Day will start with a sandwich lunch around midday on Thursday, October 18, and conclude around 15:00 on the Friday. On the morning of the Thursday, there will be a meeting of the VOX Group at 09:00, the EBU Group which specializes in voice-activated devices, smart speakers. From 11:00 the VOX Group will be presenting some case studies showcasing developments and innovations; everyone is welcome to attend this part of the meeting. As the agenda develops, details will be added here.

We would like to encourage the widest attendance, so as many EBU organizations as possible are represented. This is a unique opportunity to gather great ideas to take home, and learn about the latest developments in public radio. Even if your organization is not normally represented, do consider Dublin – the airport is a major hub of reasonably priced flights to destinations around Europe, and we hope this will open opportunities for some of you.

A note from the Chair of the New Radio Group, JP Coakley

Colleagues, I am thrilled and delighted, on behalf of RTÉ, to invite you to my home town of Dublin for our New Radio Day. It's long been an ambition of mine to bring the event to Ireland, and I know we will have a stimulating conference and perhaps a pint or two. Please don't forget also to consider extending your stay. October is mild and our island is green, welcoming and peaceful then.

Documents

SR's Vision - Current situation and plans for the future - Tomas GranrydMembers Only

Certification Process for Radio Skills - Ludovic GustinMembers Only

SWR MIX - Designing SWR's next-gen radio experiences - Christian HufnagelMembers Only

Learn German with DW - New formats for smart speakers - Andreas GieferMembers Only

Welcome and Introduction - Developments and Challenges - JP CoakleyMembers Only

Audio is Coming Home: BBC, the Audience and the World Cup - Brett SpencerMembers Only

Tagesticket - The Day Ticket, a daily podcast briefing - Philipp GrammesMembers Only

Open.radio - Ben PoorMembers Only

Digital Transformation Initiative - Ezra EemanMembers Only

The Radio Trust Paradox - Carina HauptMembers Only

Seeking Scientific Truth - Lucas MengetMembers Only

Using Apps for the Czech Presidential Election - Jiří ŠpačekMembers Only

Czech Radio 1968 Project - Edita Kudláčová - Damien MachajMembers Only

Channel Planning after DAB Implementation - Line Gevelt AndersenMembers Only

Radio is Community - Joseph HobanMembers Only

Getting in Shape for Digital: New services, new structures - Adeline BevingMembers Only

Getting in Shape for Digital: New services, new structures - Jim JenningsMembers Only

Getting in Shape for Digital: New services, new structures - Bakel WaldenMembers Only

Getting in Shape for Digital: New services, new structures - Piotr WawrowskiMembers Only

Atomized News: Choose and Mix Your News - Tomas GranrydMembers Only

Orpheus - Object-based Audio - Werner BleisteinerMembers Only

Tarmac - Visual Radio RTBF New Studio - Laurent FinetMembers Only

Voice Control on Broadcast Radio - Ben PoorMembers Only

ARD Audiothek - Julia GresförderMembers Only

New BBC iPlayer Product: BBC Sounds - Eli SessionsMembers Only

Audience Measurement in the Digital Age - Neal CantleMembers Only

Topics

Resources

About

Languages

Audio and Radio Futures Forum

Venue

SWR Funkhaus Baden-Baden

Recommended Hotels

Speakers

Michael Reichert

Wouter Quartier

Maxi-Josephine Rauch

Eoghan O’Sullivan

Documents

Previous editions

New Radio Day 2018

18 - 19 Oct 2018

A note from the Chair of the New Radio Group, JP Coakley

Documents

Music