The need for Open Source Radio Traffic/Scheduling Software
Why is is that the majority of radio specific software sucks? Also, why is is proprietary and closed-source? How is it that nothing has been done to fix this problem?
I say the majority of radio software sucks, because generally the interface of such software is clumsy, un-intuitive and generally not easy to work with. Sure, it may get the job done, but the learning curve is steep, and it can take too long to get the job done.
The rest of the world has beautiful web-based software, much of which is open-source/free. Why can’t our own industry have the same?
I suppose the reason we don’t have beautiful open source software for our industry is because there is too much money to be made. Why make something free, if you can make good money out of it? If someone made a beautiful-but-functional traffic/scheduling package, and open-sourced it, the whole industry of propriety software for radio could be wiped out. I’m serious!!
Well, when I say wiped out, I don’t mean gone completly, I just mean very very consolidated. A bit like the current market of Content Management Systems – are you aware of a single closed source CMS which is really popular? No? I didn’t think so.
A common misconception about open-source software is that you can’t make money out of it. This is just totally and utterly false. The real money in open source is in support. You have the software 100% free, and then develop a whole business around support, and training. You attract people to the system because it is free, but then you can charge for helping the less tech savvy people get your system running. You could even provide a hosted solution.
I am currently aware of one project which is currently developing a modular web-based system, as well as a desktop audio playout system to compliment it. The project is called Bentokit. However, they haven’t released any software yet. I’ve been in touch with the developers to see if I can help out, and so far I’m still waiting for them to send through some code so I can take a look and see what I can do to help.
The Bentokit project looks like it will specifically target community radio, but if what they have is decent, I hope it can start to reach the wider radio industry. However, as of yet, not many people know what’s happening with the project, so it’s a waiting game. With their website still saying “Downloads are slated for release around February 2009″, I don’t think they know when it will be ready for release, either.
Will Bentokit succeed in getting into community radio stations when it releases? Will it penetrate the market of radio software? I hope so.
If they don’t do it, I hope someone will. Hey, if someone dosen’t hurry up and get something released soon, I’ll do it myself. I desperatly want something like this to happen, so I’ll do whatever is necessary to get it happening – yes, that is a threat!