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JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Abstract

The digital transformation of media has reshaped audio consumption and challenged traditional radio to stay relevant, particularly among Generation Z, the digital-native cohort. This article examines how community and hyperlocal radio stations are adapting to shifting media dynamics by combining conventional broadcasting with digital innovations. The study employs qualitative methods. As Gen Z prefers flexible, personalized, and on-demand content, radio stations are repositioning broadcasters as multi-platform content creators and online community managers. Adaptation strategies include integrating radio with visually oriented social media platforms, offering curated playlists, and adopting participatory models such as digital tipping (saweran). Radio stations are also starting to utilize data analytics to enhance content personalization and audience relevance. The article argues that radio’s sustainability in the digital era depends not only on technological adaptation but also on its ability to maintain cultural resonance, emotional connection, and active engagement. By applying theoretical frameworks of Uses and Gratifications, Cultural Participation, and Cultural Memory, this study shows how radio can evolve into a hybrid media platform that blends spontaneity, personalization, and community-based interaction. Ultimately, this positions radio as both an innovative and culturally embedded medium capable of sustaining its relevance in the evolving media landscape of the digital generation.

Keywords: digital media consumption, digital native, generation Z, radio broadcasts, media transformation

Bahasa Abstract

Transformasi digital media telah mengubah pola konsumsi audio dan menghadirkan tantangan bagi radio tradisional untuk tetap relevan, khususnya di kalangan Generasi Z yang merupakan kelompok digital native. Artikel ini membahas bagaimana radio komunitas dan radio hiper-lokal beradaptasi terhadap dinamika media yang bergeser dengan menggabungkan siaran konvensional dan inovasi digital. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif. Generasi Z lebih menyukai konten yang fleksibel, personal, dan sesuai permintaan (on-demand), sehingga mendorong radio untuk memosisikan penyiar bukan hanya sebagai broadcaster, tetapi juga sebagai kreator multi-platform dan pengelola komunitas daring. Strategi adaptasi yang dilakukan antara lain mengintegrasikan radio dengan media sosial berbasis visual, menyediakan playlist terkurasi, serta menerapkan model partisipatif seperti digital tipping (saweran). Radio juga mulai memanfaatkan analitik data untuk meningkatkan personalisasi dan relevansi bagi audiens. Artikel ini berargumen bahwa keberlanjutan radio di era digital tidak hanya bergantung pada adaptasi teknologi, tetapi juga pada kemampuan menjaga resonansi budaya, membangun kedekatan emosional, serta mendorong keterlibatan aktif pendengar. Dengan menerapkan kerangka teoretis seperti Uses and Gratifications, Cultural Participation, dan Cultural Memory, artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa radio dapat berevolusi menjadi platform media hibrida yang memadukan spontanitas, personalisasi, dan interaksi berbasis komunitas. Pada akhirnya, radio diposisikan sebagai medium yang inovatif sekaligus berakar budaya, sehingga mampu mempertahankan perannya dalam lanskap media yang terus berkembang di era generasi digital.

Kata Kunci: konsumsi media digital, digital native, generasi Z, penyiaran radio, transformasi media

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