IBM Community Radio

Opportunity

IBMers needed a place to express themselves, whether a need for creative output or out of a need to articulate their emotions about the business unit they were in, or a place to learn. At the time, the current infrastructure of IBM was insufficient for these needs.

Solution

In the spirit of Pirate Radio, an audio stream was built that hosts & records content, along with providing several studio spaces globally for those purposes.
Randy's primary responsibilities involve the financing of the station, content guidance, providing tutorials/tech support, creative direction of the brand, speaking publicly about Radio, and occasional host/cohost.

Impact

Numbers:

2019 - 2020 Total User Count: 3,775 Listeners across IBM (0.9% total IBM population)

Community Impact:

IBM Community Radio is seen as a platform for IBMers to express themselves, through music or talk, regardless of location. We support a global network of 13 locations spread across 7 countries, with a diverse and inclusive network of hosts and content providers.

Business Impact:

Over 20+ voiceovers for Global Business Services clients
Voiceover services for Watson Health
Presented the story of IBM Radio at Seattle Interactive, 2019
Audio services for Patterns/Incubator (training program)
Home for Designline series (internal Design podcast)
Hosted talks/Audio for Artcenter/University of Texas/AIGA Austin
Prominent feature of Kid's Day every year in Austin
Provided a space for podcast recordings for IBM Cloud, IBM EDT, Watson, IBM CHQ, and IBM Marketing
SXSW 2017/2016 Audio Hosts for multiple talks from global CEOS, customers, and leaders within IBM (including Chairwoman Ginni Rometti)

IBM Community Radio was a response to the need for a place to focus and refresh from the hectic nature of the open studio environment. Started by some colleagues of mine, we started small, on a system that only worked when someone was operating the app, and generally out of a borrowed space.

The most prominent early iteration featured a gif upload system, the ability for the DJ to define their playlist, a display showing title of show, time of show, and a link to the schedule. It was very rudimentary, but it worked.

In the beginning, IBM Radio was as functional as it’s people were: when they were broadcasting. We used equipment borrowed from friends and our media room, and our content came from a dedicated group of friends. Shows about stars, how to code, nerd culture, psychedelic rock music permeated the airwaves.

In 2017, IBM Design was given the opportunity to host and create events for IBM's global presence at SXSW. Naturally, Radio was chosen to provide the audio needs, including content. We supported multiple shows, DJ sets, and a special version of a mentorship show I had co-created with some other designers, where we were granted permission to interview then IBM CEO, Ginni Rommety.

As IBM Radio has grown, so has our audience, the DJs, and the expressions they create. Here is a sample of artwork created by multiple members of the IBM Radio community from around the world.

We recently underwent a complete refactoring & rebuild of the webapp. We now feature a 24/7 radio stream, "set it and forget it" broadcasting, a fully functional player, and easy to understand guides for getting started and broadcasting.

We've built an incredible community that will continue to push Radio into the future.