Green Grows the Radio

Michael Hedges May 1, 2008

Global warming and the environment are hot topics for broadcasters. And broadcasters are taking environmental issues personally, adopting carbon-neutral initiatives, joining the rush within many business sectors to embrace an issue deemed increasingly important by listeners.

Becoming carbon-neutral means reducing a carbon footprint to zero. Air travel and personal automobiles are replaced by public transport, bicycles and foot power. It also means reducing energy usage in buildings and equipment. Electrical power can be obtained from renewable sources, such as solar panels on rooftops or switching to renewable energy providers.

One of the planet’s biggest media companies, News Corporation, announced its intention to become carbon-neutral by 2010. Though News Corporation no longer owns radio stations its initiative sends a clear message to all broadcasters: the public’s concern about the planet deserves attention.

“It is only a beginning,” said News Corporation Chief Executive James Murdoch. “The key to any company’s environmental program is to improve energy efficiency and we have a lot more to do in this area. As a major media company we reach a wide audience both in the UK and worldwide. It is important that we get the message across…that we are making good progress on an issue we, and they, care a great deal about.”

Passion for the Planet, a DAB and internet radio channel in the UK, has gone carbon-neutral, says co-owner Chantal Cooke.

“The first step is to reduce your carbon emissions,” she says. That means encouraging employees to walk or cycle to work. “When we travel we use public transport, which does produce emissions but is more efficient than each person going in a car.”

Air conditioning is reduced, lighting and PCs are turned off when not in use. “We also are converting to flat screen monitors (on PCs) as they are less energy hungry,” she added.

Public broadcasters have rallied to environmental initiatives. US public broadcaster KQED (San Francisco) claimed the title at the first carbon-neutral public broadcasters in 2007. Said station Vice President Don Derheim, “Being carbon neutral is another way of serving and better sharing the planet with KQED audiences, members, volunteers, and staff. Like everything we do at KQED, being green isn't prompted by popular opinion or short-term economic viability."

KQED runs a shuttle service for employees to and from the nearest subway stop. Direct mail promotional materials are printed on recycled paper and the station purchased next generation photocopy machines that provide direct email functions, limiting paper copies.

After its EarthFest promotion in May 2007, public station WBOS (Boston) went carbon-neutral. BBC DAB channel 6Music went carbon-neutral for a week in 2005.

Being completely carbon-neutral is virtually impossible. To correct the imbalance between energy in and energy out a system of off-sets has been developed in most countries. In the UK one carbon offsetting charity is Pure Trust, used by Passion for the Planet. “After all the reductions we’d put in place,” said Chantal Cooke, “we calculated our carbon footprint as a company at 16 tons per year.”

Fresh Air, an internet station run from studios at the University of Edinburgh, offsets its carbon footprint by contributing to an organization that plants trees.

Taking the extra step in environmental awareness to a carbon-neutral operation seems far more painless among Anglophone broadcasters, in the UK and the United States. Many broadcasters are tackling environmental issues through programming and event promotion.

Bangkok, Thailand, station Green Wave has been on the air since 1991, “geared toward adult listeners who are environmentally minded,” said CEO Saithip Montrikul Na Ayudhaya. The station is about more than “forest, mountain or sea, but all things surrounding humans. It's about the environment of the home, the office, even of other people,” he added in an interview with a local newspaper.

Irish public radio RTE produces “The Green Light” which tackles environment and sustainability issues in Ireland. Its podcast is one of the most popular in Ireland.

French internet station Frequence Terre produces a multitude of programs ranging from ecology, nature and food. The station claims 500,000 listeners through podcasts and 11 partner FM stations.

Passion for the Planet focuses its travel features on UK destinations, the carbon footprint for air travel being large.

Sweden’s public broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) has increased its programming addressing environmental issues. Communications Director Mikael Nilsson said it is “just one notable sign of the increasing interest in the Swedish society as a whole and in our company on these issues.”

“A couple of months ago we had a special, thematic day headlined ‘klimatfeber’, which means ‘climate fever’, on several of our national channels where a great number of our current affairs and news programs focused on climate and environmental issues,” he explained.  

Sweden has led all countries in the Climate Change Performance Index since 2006. The Swedish government announced plans recently for the entire country to become carbon-neutral by 2021.

Previously published in Radio World International, April 2008, in a slightly different form