10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
The Clock is Ticking
To contact us Click HERE
First quarter revenues for the radio industry are UP. UP big time. Depending on whom you ask, advertising revenues are up close to 10% and the rest of the year is looking just as good!
Time to celebrate, right?
Not so fast.
Just think about this for a moment.
"Comps" or comparisons to last year's revenue are out of whack, i.e., 2009's growth percentages were in negative territory right out of the gate with double-digit numbers in negative territory. So comparing this year's revenue gains to last year's horror movie is deceptive, if anything.
Then there's the aura that was pervasive at this year's National Association of Broadcasters annual meeting in Las Vegas in April. The mood was light and there were smiles and optimism all around.
That's a good thing. Traditional radio took it on the chin mightily in 2009 and it wasn't that great for several years prior to that.
Yet, the good natured radio broadcasters were not only pleased with advertising 'traction' thus far this year, but the implication that a large political advertising revenue windfall was forthcoming for this fall's elections.
It may still happen. And should it be so, that is also a good thing.
But then what?
2011 is only a few months away and if 2010 ends up with double-digit revenue growth what will happen when the 2011 "comps" don't live up to 2010's growth?
Here's a straight-forward note to radio operators: THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
Your industry is still facing stiff competition for both audience and revenue. Digital appeal for both is accelerating while you read this.
A recent Bridge Ratings study called "Device Usage", shows traditional radio making some inroads into the digital landscape and capturing some lost AM/FM listening on their digital streams.
It isn't nearly enough.
The time is now for radio companies to significantly increase their investments into their digital businesses.
Time cannot be wasted. The year is already rapidly moving along.
Reinvest while Dr. Feelgood is dispensing his positive revenue growth.
Because it is likely to be short-lived and if it is, radio operators will not feel in the mood to invest next year or even the year after.
And if there is no significant investment this year, radio's ability to compete will be deflated and the industry will be sequestered to the fringes.
Left behind.
And in a world of rapidly expanding technology and digital capability where millions can create entertaining content in their bedrooms far cheaper than corporations can, if traditional radio loses one step more, it will be extremely difficult to keep up.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
Save your industry now while you have the resources, the know-how and the audience.
Hire a vice president to oversee digital operations. Let them do their job. Give them time to make it work.
Times seem to be good right now. Terrestrial radio cannot afford to let this opportunity - perhaps its last - to slip away.
First quarter revenues for the radio industry are UP. UP big time. Depending on whom you ask, advertising revenues are up close to 10% and the rest of the year is looking just as good!
Time to celebrate, right?
Not so fast.
Just think about this for a moment.
"Comps" or comparisons to last year's revenue are out of whack, i.e., 2009's growth percentages were in negative territory right out of the gate with double-digit numbers in negative territory. So comparing this year's revenue gains to last year's horror movie is deceptive, if anything.
Then there's the aura that was pervasive at this year's National Association of Broadcasters annual meeting in Las Vegas in April. The mood was light and there were smiles and optimism all around.
That's a good thing. Traditional radio took it on the chin mightily in 2009 and it wasn't that great for several years prior to that.
Yet, the good natured radio broadcasters were not only pleased with advertising 'traction' thus far this year, but the implication that a large political advertising revenue windfall was forthcoming for this fall's elections.
It may still happen. And should it be so, that is also a good thing.
But then what?
2011 is only a few months away and if 2010 ends up with double-digit revenue growth what will happen when the 2011 "comps" don't live up to 2010's growth?
Here's a straight-forward note to radio operators: THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
Your industry is still facing stiff competition for both audience and revenue. Digital appeal for both is accelerating while you read this.
A recent Bridge Ratings study called "Device Usage", shows traditional radio making some inroads into the digital landscape and capturing some lost AM/FM listening on their digital streams.
It isn't nearly enough.
The time is now for radio companies to significantly increase their investments into their digital businesses.
Time cannot be wasted. The year is already rapidly moving along.
Reinvest while Dr. Feelgood is dispensing his positive revenue growth.
Because it is likely to be short-lived and if it is, radio operators will not feel in the mood to invest next year or even the year after.
And if there is no significant investment this year, radio's ability to compete will be deflated and the industry will be sequestered to the fringes.
Left behind.
And in a world of rapidly expanding technology and digital capability where millions can create entertaining content in their bedrooms far cheaper than corporations can, if traditional radio loses one step more, it will be extremely difficult to keep up.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
Save your industry now while you have the resources, the know-how and the audience.
Hire a vice president to oversee digital operations. Let them do their job. Give them time to make it work.
Times seem to be good right now. Terrestrial radio cannot afford to let this opportunity - perhaps its last - to slip away.
Microsoft cancels Zune HD leaving one last portable HD radio on the market
To contact us Click HERE
Microsoft cancels Zune HD leaving one last portable HD radio on the market
This week Bloomberg reported that Microsoft will introduce no new versions of its Zune HD portable music device. Conceived as a competitor to Apple’s market-dominating iPod line, the Zune added an HD Radio receiver in 2009, making it one of only two portable HD radios available. The other comes from the Best Buy Insignia house brand, which has a touch-screen making it look like an MP3 player, even though it’s only a radio.It appears that Microsoft will retain the Zune brand which includes a music store platform accessible on the XBox games system and Windows smartphones. But none of those devices includes HD Radio reception.
While iBiquity, owner of the HD Radio technology, cheered the technology’s inclusion in the Zune, it’s doubtful that any significant number of consumers chose a Zune specifically for its HD Radio. Similarly, I doubt many people bought an iPod Nano because of the radio. I’m certain that a small segment of buyers are won over to a model in order to get a radio, but other features are likely a bigger determinant.
This week Bloomberg reported that Microsoft will introduce no new versions of its Zune HD portable music device. Conceived as a competitor to Apple’s market-dominating iPod line, the Zune added an HD Radio receiver in 2009, making it one of only two portable HD radios available. The other comes from the Best Buy Insignia house brand, which has a touch-screen making it look like an MP3 player, even though it’s only a radio.It appears that Microsoft will retain the Zune brand which includes a music store platform accessible on the XBox games system and Windows smartphones. But none of those devices includes HD Radio reception.
While iBiquity, owner of the HD Radio technology, cheered the technology’s inclusion in the Zune, it’s doubtful that any significant number of consumers chose a Zune specifically for its HD Radio. Similarly, I doubt many people bought an iPod Nano because of the radio. I’m certain that a small segment of buyers are won over to a model in order to get a radio, but other features are likely a bigger determinant.
More Heartache on HD
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Literally, that's the first tag line on the flash page that welcomed me when I went to the newly re-done hdradio.com website: "More Heartache on HD" (along with "more music on HD...more chill on HD...more relaxing on HD..."). How fitting an admission!
Also, now that the Zune HD has been discontinued, the number of portable HD-capable players available is exactly... two - both Best Buy Insignia house brand models. Remember the old days when you'd see industry leaders like Sony followed by other companies like Panasonic, Sharp, etc. fielding quality portable radios? Not for this turkey of a technology, I guess.
http://www.hdradio.com/buyers-guide/hd-radio-player
The NSHD-01 gets respectable feedback but the NSHD-02 has reviews calling it a "joke", saying "don't bother" - both for the user interface and the reception, it seems.
Also, now that the Zune HD has been discontinued, the number of portable HD-capable players available is exactly... two - both Best Buy Insignia house brand models. Remember the old days when you'd see industry leaders like Sony followed by other companies like Panasonic, Sharp, etc. fielding quality portable radios? Not for this turkey of a technology, I guess.
http://www.hdradio.com/buyers-guide/hd-radio-player
The NSHD-01 gets respectable feedback but the NSHD-02 has reviews calling it a "joke", saying "don't bother" - both for the user interface and the reception, it seems.
Study: Americans Still Unfamiliar With HD Radio
To contact us Click HERE
Nearly five years into this grand experiment, and most of the public still doesn't know what HD radio really is ("zero progress") and the numbers are shrinking...
Study: Americans Still Unfamiliar With HD Radio
Research and strategy firm Mark Kassof & Co. has conducted a new survey that shows a continued "knowledge gap" among consumers when it comes to HD Radio. The research findings, based on 670 telephone interviews in the U.S., show that 54 percent of 18- to 64-year-olds have "heard of" HD Radio, which is down from 67 percent in a 2008 study. Included in that 54 percent, however, are 16 percent who have only heard of HD Radio and don't know anything about it.
The #1 image of HD Radio is that it delivers better audio quality. Twenty percent of respondents express that view, which is essentially flat from 2008 (21 percent). But for many, better quality sound is not something they actually know about HD Radio. Rather, it's something they infer based on their knowledge of HDTV. Other findings show that only 8 percent understand that HD Radio delivers more channels and choices, which also is identical to the 2008 survey. And 6 percent have the misconception that HD Radio is satellite radio.
Firm President Mark Kassof states, "The results show a decline in awareness and zero progress in listeners' understanding of HD radio. The industry still has much work to do promoting HD radio and selling its benefits."
Study: Americans Still Unfamiliar With HD Radio
Research and strategy firm Mark Kassof & Co. has conducted a new survey that shows a continued "knowledge gap" among consumers when it comes to HD Radio. The research findings, based on 670 telephone interviews in the U.S., show that 54 percent of 18- to 64-year-olds have "heard of" HD Radio, which is down from 67 percent in a 2008 study. Included in that 54 percent, however, are 16 percent who have only heard of HD Radio and don't know anything about it.
The #1 image of HD Radio is that it delivers better audio quality. Twenty percent of respondents express that view, which is essentially flat from 2008 (21 percent). But for many, better quality sound is not something they actually know about HD Radio. Rather, it's something they infer based on their knowledge of HDTV. Other findings show that only 8 percent understand that HD Radio delivers more channels and choices, which also is identical to the 2008 survey. And 6 percent have the misconception that HD Radio is satellite radio.
Firm President Mark Kassof states, "The results show a decline in awareness and zero progress in listeners' understanding of HD radio. The industry still has much work to do promoting HD radio and selling its benefits."
After 13 years, inventor waits for HD radio to break out
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http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/article831033.ece
Hybrid Digital radio, with its superior sound and reception -- and the ability to squeeze more channels into one frequency -- should be an obvious part of this digital media age. Yet after 13 years, HD radio has failed to match its expectations -- for many reasons.
"I don't think the industry has done a good job promoting it," said Joseph Puma, vice president, engineering and technology, for WNED broadcasting. "And I don't think IBiquity is getting manufacturers to make receivers for it. Table radios have not gone below $100, and most people don't want to pay that for a clock radio. If you were a classical music aficionado, you may be more apt to buy it."
Hybrid Digital radio, with its superior sound and reception -- and the ability to squeeze more channels into one frequency -- should be an obvious part of this digital media age. Yet after 13 years, HD radio has failed to match its expectations -- for many reasons.
"I don't think the industry has done a good job promoting it," said Joseph Puma, vice president, engineering and technology, for WNED broadcasting. "And I don't think IBiquity is getting manufacturers to make receivers for it. Table radios have not gone below $100, and most people don't want to pay that for a clock radio. If you were a classical music aficionado, you may be more apt to buy it."
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Selling HD Radio: Building value perception and driving early adoption
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Well I ended up ranting about this again on PDXRadio. After all was said and done, it's a rant worthy of some clarification and expansion.
Checking in with HD radio means learning that early adoption is still flat-lined. People are buying them slowly, but not for any real solid reasons. Some like new toys, some need a new radio and have heard the (boring) promos, a few are checking out the "hidden stations", etc... The takeaway here is that radio still has no overall compelling value proposition that will drive HD forward. This post is the third one in an attempt to put some ideas out there I believe have the potential to change this.
Disclaimer: I feel as strongly about what you are about to read as I do about knifing the baby that is HD AM. HD FM needs to build first for there to be a pool of new radios from which HD AM might see some new listeners. Better to use AM-Stereo right now, today to capture those 15 percent of car listeners who can take advantage of the higher quality today.
IMHO, the biggest problem HD faces today is content. It has to be compelling if it is to get people to buy new radios. A secondary issue is the branding. Right now, we've got stations using their existing brand, combined with this whole HD2, HD3 mess. Additionally, those extra streams contain content that may or may not be relevant to the listener base attracted to the brand in the first place. This is stupid from a value perception standpoint. It's also a mess where managing expectations is concerned.
Let me suggest some changes then:
Brand the stations with one identity. KXXX becomes KXXX and KXXX-HD. Two streams, that's it. One is either listening to the mainstream on whatever radio or the new HD stream on an HD radio. Clean and simple. Going forward it's easy to manage expectations and add value to one brand, instead of devaluing it with other choices that do not reinforce it. Think about it for a moment. If the existing stations are so cool, why bother with the new HD ones?
One station identity, with two streams opens the door for a whole set of really new programming and presentation ideas. If there is one constant in radio, the shuffle type stations have taught us, it's that new does get some attention. Having it last is another issue involving people and another rant, but let's just take the new = attention bit and run with it for now.
Copy becomes easy and clear. Now the term HD means both new and reinforces the main station identity all in one nice and easy to understand package. We did this HD thing so existing broadcasters could maintain their existing brands and stature. If this were not the case, DAB would be playing here right now and we would be listening to CBS-4 or some goofy new thing. Why not leverage the effort then and see where it leads?
eg: "Coming up on KXXX-HD, a mini concert series that explores the history of U2", "You are listening to KXXX-HD, where the new music is always first.", "This special programming segment was first aired on KXXX-HD earlier in the week. Take a moment to listen and explore what you too can hear on an HD radio today."
Having two streams under one brand provides a vehicle for more clearly differentiating that which is new content that adds value and that which is anchor content listeners return for. Both streams reinforce the station identity and together add value and provide additional choice for existing listeners, thus you will have a higher chance at keeping them. We may also find they switch to the HD stream before tuning off to another station. That can only be a good thing right? Finally, new listeners might be attracted by the new presentation options the two stream approach brings to the table.
If you are the first station in your market to actually do this, you get to claim the high-ground forever! Promo after promo can be aired, from time to time, letting people know their favorite station was the first on the dial to bring you the best in class HD radio programming! Gentlemen, start your engines!
Radio is best done as a venue. Having the two streams gives you a venue --go use it!
Some examples of what becomes possible, with a little out of the box thinking: (If you find yourself wanting more, contact me and let's talk!)
Play special events, interviews, live in-studio band sessions, DJ hour long spins, new music, contests and other things on the secondary stream first. Promo these on the legacy stream and play some of them while taking a bit of time to let the analog only listener not only get a taste of what they are missing, but also slowly get the idea they are behind the times. Done right, this not only builds awareness for HD radio, but also builds strong value perception and the idea of "newness" at the same time. This also provides a shot at earning some revenue from the HD programming efforts, in that properly re-purposed content can attract all listeners, not just HD enabled ones.
Once the new branding begins, the legacy stream is delayed where new content is concerned.
Mini-concert multi-casts! Choose an artist that has appeal across both young and old demos. Then play to both demos at the same time, letting the listener pick and choose! Before the commercial free set begins, take a moment to plug the HD and explain what's going to happen. The beauty of this is that when somebody hears the intro for a tune they don't like, they can check out the other stream first, maintain program continuity, and check out the other selection, all before tuning to some other station!
A station here locally has a program where listeners provide contact information that is announced and tied to Internet content and offers delivered to them by the station. (Yes, I'm a KNRK Nation supporter.) So, announce these early on the HD stream and tie that to a biggie prize. Then follow up with the normal announcement and the usual prize.
live DJ chat sessions, during long sets. On the HD stream, people can choose to hear the music, or participate in the chatter / shout-outs, etc... This is a very interesting way to combine music and talk. More to explore here for sure.
Pre-concert band interviews, special tracks, etc... On the day of a concert, promoted by the station, air extra goodies on the HD stream. Band member chats, mini-concerts, etc...
Make time limited podcasts avaliable to HD listeners. Put an HD radio ad into the podcast, and allow access to it via a keyword, heard only on the HD stream. Watch as HD listeners e-mail, IM, and phone a friend to say "I heard it on HD, check this special thing out!"
Actually play requests on the HD stream, during request hour while your bland and totally researched day parts grind away. Listeners can then contribute to the research in a way that mitagates the risk associated with playing some requests. You will find your next local market signature hit that way. Promo the hell out of it on the legacy stream, once it happens.
Extended listener composed sets, with dedication or message of the day. "Here's a set from sally that speak to global warming..." "From Weyland to Marissa with "Expresso Love". This is an hour of the best trance local DJ freaky has to offer, live and in studio coming up in the next hour on the KXXX-HD.
Which is more compelling?
Additional stations between the ones already on the dial that may or may not have anything to do with one's station of choice, or more of your favorite content first on HD?
There it is. Do this, so I've actually got a reason to buy an HD radio please?
Want more? hd@opengeek.org
Checking in with HD radio means learning that early adoption is still flat-lined. People are buying them slowly, but not for any real solid reasons. Some like new toys, some need a new radio and have heard the (boring) promos, a few are checking out the "hidden stations", etc... The takeaway here is that radio still has no overall compelling value proposition that will drive HD forward. This post is the third one in an attempt to put some ideas out there I believe have the potential to change this.
Disclaimer: I feel as strongly about what you are about to read as I do about knifing the baby that is HD AM. HD FM needs to build first for there to be a pool of new radios from which HD AM might see some new listeners. Better to use AM-Stereo right now, today to capture those 15 percent of car listeners who can take advantage of the higher quality today.
IMHO, the biggest problem HD faces today is content. It has to be compelling if it is to get people to buy new radios. A secondary issue is the branding. Right now, we've got stations using their existing brand, combined with this whole HD2, HD3 mess. Additionally, those extra streams contain content that may or may not be relevant to the listener base attracted to the brand in the first place. This is stupid from a value perception standpoint. It's also a mess where managing expectations is concerned.
Let me suggest some changes then:
Brand the stations with one identity. KXXX becomes KXXX and KXXX-HD. Two streams, that's it. One is either listening to the mainstream on whatever radio or the new HD stream on an HD radio. Clean and simple. Going forward it's easy to manage expectations and add value to one brand, instead of devaluing it with other choices that do not reinforce it. Think about it for a moment. If the existing stations are so cool, why bother with the new HD ones?
One station identity, with two streams opens the door for a whole set of really new programming and presentation ideas. If there is one constant in radio, the shuffle type stations have taught us, it's that new does get some attention. Having it last is another issue involving people and another rant, but let's just take the new = attention bit and run with it for now.
Copy becomes easy and clear. Now the term HD means both new and reinforces the main station identity all in one nice and easy to understand package. We did this HD thing so existing broadcasters could maintain their existing brands and stature. If this were not the case, DAB would be playing here right now and we would be listening to CBS-4 or some goofy new thing. Why not leverage the effort then and see where it leads?
eg: "Coming up on KXXX-HD, a mini concert series that explores the history of U2", "You are listening to KXXX-HD, where the new music is always first.", "This special programming segment was first aired on KXXX-HD earlier in the week. Take a moment to listen and explore what you too can hear on an HD radio today."
Having two streams under one brand provides a vehicle for more clearly differentiating that which is new content that adds value and that which is anchor content listeners return for. Both streams reinforce the station identity and together add value and provide additional choice for existing listeners, thus you will have a higher chance at keeping them. We may also find they switch to the HD stream before tuning off to another station. That can only be a good thing right? Finally, new listeners might be attracted by the new presentation options the two stream approach brings to the table.
If you are the first station in your market to actually do this, you get to claim the high-ground forever! Promo after promo can be aired, from time to time, letting people know their favorite station was the first on the dial to bring you the best in class HD radio programming! Gentlemen, start your engines!
Radio is best done as a venue. Having the two streams gives you a venue --go use it!
Some examples of what becomes possible, with a little out of the box thinking: (If you find yourself wanting more, contact me and let's talk!)
Play special events, interviews, live in-studio band sessions, DJ hour long spins, new music, contests and other things on the secondary stream first. Promo these on the legacy stream and play some of them while taking a bit of time to let the analog only listener not only get a taste of what they are missing, but also slowly get the idea they are behind the times. Done right, this not only builds awareness for HD radio, but also builds strong value perception and the idea of "newness" at the same time. This also provides a shot at earning some revenue from the HD programming efforts, in that properly re-purposed content can attract all listeners, not just HD enabled ones.
Once the new branding begins, the legacy stream is delayed where new content is concerned.
Mini-concert multi-casts! Choose an artist that has appeal across both young and old demos. Then play to both demos at the same time, letting the listener pick and choose! Before the commercial free set begins, take a moment to plug the HD and explain what's going to happen. The beauty of this is that when somebody hears the intro for a tune they don't like, they can check out the other stream first, maintain program continuity, and check out the other selection, all before tuning to some other station!
A station here locally has a program where listeners provide contact information that is announced and tied to Internet content and offers delivered to them by the station. (Yes, I'm a KNRK Nation supporter.) So, announce these early on the HD stream and tie that to a biggie prize. Then follow up with the normal announcement and the usual prize.
live DJ chat sessions, during long sets. On the HD stream, people can choose to hear the music, or participate in the chatter / shout-outs, etc... This is a very interesting way to combine music and talk. More to explore here for sure.
Pre-concert band interviews, special tracks, etc... On the day of a concert, promoted by the station, air extra goodies on the HD stream. Band member chats, mini-concerts, etc...
Make time limited podcasts avaliable to HD listeners. Put an HD radio ad into the podcast, and allow access to it via a keyword, heard only on the HD stream. Watch as HD listeners e-mail, IM, and phone a friend to say "I heard it on HD, check this special thing out!"
Actually play requests on the HD stream, during request hour while your bland and totally researched day parts grind away. Listeners can then contribute to the research in a way that mitagates the risk associated with playing some requests. You will find your next local market signature hit that way. Promo the hell out of it on the legacy stream, once it happens.
Extended listener composed sets, with dedication or message of the day. "Here's a set from sally that speak to global warming..." "From Weyland to Marissa with "Expresso Love". This is an hour of the best trance local DJ freaky has to offer, live and in studio coming up in the next hour on the KXXX-HD.
Which is more compelling?
Additional stations between the ones already on the dial that may or may not have anything to do with one's station of choice, or more of your favorite content first on HD?
There it is. Do this, so I've actually got a reason to buy an HD radio please?
Want more? hd@opengeek.org
Computing is fun again!
To contact us Click HERE
Ok folks, I've gone off the deep end. Here's the deal. I've come to the realization that I really enjoy either big computing or small computing. The average run of the mill PC computing scene is pretty stale where my interests are concerned.
I've already blabbed enough here about Unix, X and all the neato stuff that brings to the table. Nothing has changed really --still love that stuff and always will. Having said that, I've also been getting back into classic computing through the wonderful community at AtariAge. Wonderful bit banging, right to the hardware stuff. Great homebrew scene as well. It's hard to point to a core group with more talent than the movers and shakers at AtariAge have combined.
For me however, the focus is a bit narrow. I want to get to the metal, but also want some relevance too. Enter Parallax, stage whatever!
These guys produce a fine set of products that are both educational and very practical to boot. Just the thing to start off on some new directions, while feeding that down and dirty to the metal urge coming on strong right now. Please visit them at http://www.parallax.com.
I've jumped in and purchased a Propeller Demo Board. In a 3 inch square package that's just a shade over half an inch high, you get the following goodies:
-propeller CPU 8 32 bit multi-processing core @ 80Mhz for a total of ~160MIPS parallel thoughtput
-ps2 keyboard and mouse input
-audio input from on board mic
-composite (baseband) video output NTSC or PAL
-VGA output with resolutions up to 1024x768 (and that may not be the end of it)
-onboard 32Kb EEprom for program storage
-USB programming interface for use with your standard win32 PC
-8 free i/o pins, ground clamp and two power sources 3.3v & 5v
Aside from the small memory footprint, this little system is a very capable general purpose hobby computer. The included software tools feature an assembler and SPIN higher level language, along with a collection of core hardware drivers and source code.
Parallax has just released a DYI game system, called the Hydra, that is based on the demo board I've been learning on. It has Nintendo compatable game connectors, a controller included, 128K memory expansion and a host of other hardware elements that are more specific to gaming. I fully expect a thriving demo and home brew gaming and project scene to evolve around these two products within a year.
The tech is accessable, supported by a fun community of like minded people to be found at: http://forums.parallax.com. The necessary software tools are free for the download and open where it makes sense to boot. What's not to like?
Needless to say, I'm basically stoked! Plenty of speed, lots of hardware options in a small and portable package. I'll have more to say later on, but it's gonna be a fun ride.
I've already blabbed enough here about Unix, X and all the neato stuff that brings to the table. Nothing has changed really --still love that stuff and always will. Having said that, I've also been getting back into classic computing through the wonderful community at AtariAge. Wonderful bit banging, right to the hardware stuff. Great homebrew scene as well. It's hard to point to a core group with more talent than the movers and shakers at AtariAge have combined.
For me however, the focus is a bit narrow. I want to get to the metal, but also want some relevance too. Enter Parallax, stage whatever!
These guys produce a fine set of products that are both educational and very practical to boot. Just the thing to start off on some new directions, while feeding that down and dirty to the metal urge coming on strong right now. Please visit them at http://www.parallax.com.
I've jumped in and purchased a Propeller Demo Board. In a 3 inch square package that's just a shade over half an inch high, you get the following goodies:
-propeller CPU 8 32 bit multi-processing core @ 80Mhz for a total of ~160MIPS parallel thoughtput
-ps2 keyboard and mouse input
-audio input from on board mic
-composite (baseband) video output NTSC or PAL
-VGA output with resolutions up to 1024x768 (and that may not be the end of it)
-onboard 32Kb EEprom for program storage
-USB programming interface for use with your standard win32 PC
-8 free i/o pins, ground clamp and two power sources 3.3v & 5v
Aside from the small memory footprint, this little system is a very capable general purpose hobby computer. The included software tools feature an assembler and SPIN higher level language, along with a collection of core hardware drivers and source code.
Parallax has just released a DYI game system, called the Hydra, that is based on the demo board I've been learning on. It has Nintendo compatable game connectors, a controller included, 128K memory expansion and a host of other hardware elements that are more specific to gaming. I fully expect a thriving demo and home brew gaming and project scene to evolve around these two products within a year.
The tech is accessable, supported by a fun community of like minded people to be found at: http://forums.parallax.com. The necessary software tools are free for the download and open where it makes sense to boot. What's not to like?
Needless to say, I'm basically stoked! Plenty of speed, lots of hardware options in a small and portable package. I'll have more to say later on, but it's gonna be a fun ride.
How to save your cat!
To contact us Click HERE
Well, this is how I saved mine at least.
Coupla things about cats, I didn't know:
-if your cat has a plugged nose, it will not swallow. They will breathe through their mouth when this happens. If you see this, your cat is in danger.
-if your cat cannot smell it's food, it won't eat it. The food must be known good food and this happens by smell and taste for a cat. Smell is obvious, but taste can be problematic as the cat must actually try the food in order to taste it. This is a chicken and egg type problem your cat will need your assistance with.
-cats can only go a coupla days without food and water before critical systems begin to shut down, causing other problems.
-Afrin type nose drops work well on cats. One to two small drops per day, one nostril only. Alternate nostrils daily.
Essentially what happened to me was my cat ended up with a very bad cold. Completely plugged it's nose and sinus. Some fever, but all in all, it really was just a stuffed head. I tried vapor, cleaning the nose, etc... Nothing worked until I tried the Afrin. (And I did look up the toxicity before. Just so you know, most human cold remedies contain highly toxic elements for cats. In many cases, the toxicity level is many times that for us humans.)
Life circumstances did not permit a big vet bill. Sometimes you gotta make choices and this was one of those times. So, it was up to me and the cat to see how this was all going to go.
BTW: I should put the standard disclaimer that by reading this, you agree to hold me harmless for anything that should happen. I'm relating a life story only, and I could not see a VET for a lotta reasons. Go see your vet if at all possible.
So I started reading about cats, and their picky nature. That's where I got the info tidbits above. One other thing is that the mechanical problems caused by disease that affects their head usually is what does them in, due to the fact they won't consume the water and food necessary for the other healing processes to work properly. If they can eat and drink, you've a high percentage chance of their body being able to fight off the disease itself. That's where the cat and I were at. Not pretty, but not impossible either. Better than nothing and a certian death for sure.
By the time I reached this understanding, it had been a coupla days. Clearly getting into the danger zone. I started with the Afrin, then had to give the cat water drop by drop, using a small syringe with a pointed nozzle. If you surround the cat, then nudge the nozzle in to the side of their mouth, you can do a small squirt and let the cat struggle through getting it down. I did this a lot, many times per day, for a couple of days. Sometimes I would take some broth and use that for protein. Watch the broth though, it can get sticky and cause other problems. Best alternate with water, then broth, etc... always end with water.
A great check for overall cat hydration is to scrunch up the skin at the back of their neck. When you release it, you learn something about how hydrated your cat really is. If it snaps back quickly, you are in good shape. If it comes back slowly and does not regain it's usual shape, then the cat is not properly hydrated.
After a few days of this, we managed to hold our ground on hydration, but were losing big on protein. I was puzzled after getting her nose clear enough to breathe. Thought I was largely home free, but the cat would not eat! I tried a lot of things, but nothing worked. She would look at it, noze it, lick it, and that's it.
So, time to really annoy the cat. Time to force feed. Another Internet search led me to a great technique that worked very well. The bottom line is the cat wants to eat, but needs to be convinced that it can eat and that the food is something it should eat. Not an easy task.
Surround the cat again. I did this by crouching over the cat, trapping it between my legs. Then put some baby food, on one forefinger. With your other free hand, squeeze where the jaw hinge is and the cat will open it's mouth. Quickly (and I mean quick!) scrape a small amount of the food onto the roof of it's mouth.
Too slow and you get chomped! Too fast and you don't get the food in. Good luck!
What's going to happen is the cat will taste the food. It's gonna be very upset at you putting it there, but it will eventually figure out that either:
-you are gonna keep putting food in and it realizes it is just gonna have to deal,
-it knows the food is good from taste,
-it realizes it can actually eat the food!
Eventually it will try to eat on it's own as that is much better than dealing with you doing the feeding. Sounds brutal, but it works fast! That's something positive at least. Trust me on the feeding, it's largely negative. Took my cat two times through this whole affair and it licked the food off my finger the third time, then tried the food on it's own the fourth time. Each time though I had to go the distance. Crouch 'n trap, get the food ready, squeeze the jaw, etc... The cat has gotta know this is just going to absolutely happen.
Amazing! Just fricking amazing how picky cats really are. Everything else I tried failed totally and completely.
Texture seems to play a big role. Anything gritty won't fly, so don't bother mashing up cat food. After working the baby food for a day or so, I tried various things. The winner ended up being frozen shrimp. Put a few of these on a plate and nuke 'em for long enough to melt the water off and or nicely warm the shrimp. Leave the water on the plate as it's tasty to the cat. Strip the tails, if there are any and chop the meat up into nice little bits. Mine would work though the shrimp slowly, then lap up all the water, then sleep for a long time.
It took a few days of the shrimp diet for the cat to recover enough to start just drinking and eating on it's own, but it did and is just fine today. If you reach this point, just keep offering moist food and watch your cat for signs of improvement. Make sure water is fresh and take it to the bowl often to see if it's ready to do it's own thing.
Ideally, you can see a vet. If you can, do! Of course, that goes without saying, but this is the Internet and you never know...
Hope you don't end up in this situation, but if you do, maybe some of this will prove helpful!
Coupla things about cats, I didn't know:
-if your cat has a plugged nose, it will not swallow. They will breathe through their mouth when this happens. If you see this, your cat is in danger.
-if your cat cannot smell it's food, it won't eat it. The food must be known good food and this happens by smell and taste for a cat. Smell is obvious, but taste can be problematic as the cat must actually try the food in order to taste it. This is a chicken and egg type problem your cat will need your assistance with.
-cats can only go a coupla days without food and water before critical systems begin to shut down, causing other problems.
-Afrin type nose drops work well on cats. One to two small drops per day, one nostril only. Alternate nostrils daily.
Essentially what happened to me was my cat ended up with a very bad cold. Completely plugged it's nose and sinus. Some fever, but all in all, it really was just a stuffed head. I tried vapor, cleaning the nose, etc... Nothing worked until I tried the Afrin. (And I did look up the toxicity before. Just so you know, most human cold remedies contain highly toxic elements for cats. In many cases, the toxicity level is many times that for us humans.)
Life circumstances did not permit a big vet bill. Sometimes you gotta make choices and this was one of those times. So, it was up to me and the cat to see how this was all going to go.
BTW: I should put the standard disclaimer that by reading this, you agree to hold me harmless for anything that should happen. I'm relating a life story only, and I could not see a VET for a lotta reasons. Go see your vet if at all possible.
So I started reading about cats, and their picky nature. That's where I got the info tidbits above. One other thing is that the mechanical problems caused by disease that affects their head usually is what does them in, due to the fact they won't consume the water and food necessary for the other healing processes to work properly. If they can eat and drink, you've a high percentage chance of their body being able to fight off the disease itself. That's where the cat and I were at. Not pretty, but not impossible either. Better than nothing and a certian death for sure.
By the time I reached this understanding, it had been a coupla days. Clearly getting into the danger zone. I started with the Afrin, then had to give the cat water drop by drop, using a small syringe with a pointed nozzle. If you surround the cat, then nudge the nozzle in to the side of their mouth, you can do a small squirt and let the cat struggle through getting it down. I did this a lot, many times per day, for a couple of days. Sometimes I would take some broth and use that for protein. Watch the broth though, it can get sticky and cause other problems. Best alternate with water, then broth, etc... always end with water.
A great check for overall cat hydration is to scrunch up the skin at the back of their neck. When you release it, you learn something about how hydrated your cat really is. If it snaps back quickly, you are in good shape. If it comes back slowly and does not regain it's usual shape, then the cat is not properly hydrated.
After a few days of this, we managed to hold our ground on hydration, but were losing big on protein. I was puzzled after getting her nose clear enough to breathe. Thought I was largely home free, but the cat would not eat! I tried a lot of things, but nothing worked. She would look at it, noze it, lick it, and that's it.
So, time to really annoy the cat. Time to force feed. Another Internet search led me to a great technique that worked very well. The bottom line is the cat wants to eat, but needs to be convinced that it can eat and that the food is something it should eat. Not an easy task.
Surround the cat again. I did this by crouching over the cat, trapping it between my legs. Then put some baby food, on one forefinger. With your other free hand, squeeze where the jaw hinge is and the cat will open it's mouth. Quickly (and I mean quick!) scrape a small amount of the food onto the roof of it's mouth.
Too slow and you get chomped! Too fast and you don't get the food in. Good luck!
What's going to happen is the cat will taste the food. It's gonna be very upset at you putting it there, but it will eventually figure out that either:
-you are gonna keep putting food in and it realizes it is just gonna have to deal,
-it knows the food is good from taste,
-it realizes it can actually eat the food!
Eventually it will try to eat on it's own as that is much better than dealing with you doing the feeding. Sounds brutal, but it works fast! That's something positive at least. Trust me on the feeding, it's largely negative. Took my cat two times through this whole affair and it licked the food off my finger the third time, then tried the food on it's own the fourth time. Each time though I had to go the distance. Crouch 'n trap, get the food ready, squeeze the jaw, etc... The cat has gotta know this is just going to absolutely happen.
Amazing! Just fricking amazing how picky cats really are. Everything else I tried failed totally and completely.
Texture seems to play a big role. Anything gritty won't fly, so don't bother mashing up cat food. After working the baby food for a day or so, I tried various things. The winner ended up being frozen shrimp. Put a few of these on a plate and nuke 'em for long enough to melt the water off and or nicely warm the shrimp. Leave the water on the plate as it's tasty to the cat. Strip the tails, if there are any and chop the meat up into nice little bits. Mine would work though the shrimp slowly, then lap up all the water, then sleep for a long time.
It took a few days of the shrimp diet for the cat to recover enough to start just drinking and eating on it's own, but it did and is just fine today. If you reach this point, just keep offering moist food and watch your cat for signs of improvement. Make sure water is fresh and take it to the bowl often to see if it's ready to do it's own thing.
Ideally, you can see a vet. If you can, do! Of course, that goes without saying, but this is the Internet and you never know...
Hope you don't end up in this situation, but if you do, maybe some of this will prove helpful!
Blog Against Theocracy
To contact us Click HERE
I like this idea. So, here I am on a quiet Saturday afternoon. There is rain, and there is rain. What better time, than right now, to put up a few quick thoughts? Have thoughts of your own?
Great, use the comment form below, post on your own blog today, or maybe just to talk to a friend. That's what this little movement is all about. Do visit Freedom First on your way through this exercise as well.
Right out of the gate, I think it's important to note we all take some things on faith. That's everybody! As a race, we do not know our origins, nor do we have enough fundemental known absolute truths to be able to call the shots on beliefs in an authoritative way. In this, we are all equally ignorant. This, for me, is the core justification for our equality under the law, and for our government to be neutral on matters of faith.
If we lack these core truths, we also lack authority, thus placing our various beliefs on par with one another. It's perfectly ok to not share beliefs, advocate for specific ones, and act on our beliefs, provided we do not cause one another harm. This is freedom and it's a very good thing.
The tradeoff for this freedom to believe what we will, make our choices as we will and engage others as we will is tolerance. Without it, we cannot exercise our freedom as we would otherwise. We also then lack the means to have the debates necessary for all of us to benefit from greater truths as they are revealed through frequent and passionate discourse.
I believe this is what the founders wanted. I believe it is the only just and true way to govern because I do not believe living a lie is defensible.
Truth is, our freedom here has made us a very religious people! More Americans believe in a higher power than almost anywhere else! Those without this belief also exist here on par with those that do and all is good right?
Wrong.
Over the years, I've seen a strong movement toward defining what our official belief system should be. Many of the larger religious groups want their beliefs codified into the law --endorsed by government somehow thinking this will validate them, lend them credence, or maybe just suppress competiting ones. All of this is wrong, unless we've got some known truths from which to derive the authority for it --and we just don't right now.
If anything is true, it is that we just don't know where we came from, nor how it all happened.
Again, this demands tolerance, if we are to get along at all, and avoid having to live lives filled with lies.
It does not matter what you believe. When advocating it to others, it should be defensible however. My personal view is that your beliefs should also be consistant with your actions, but that's just me. YMMV.
Take this holiday and consider your beliefs. Better, take some time and consider somebody elses. Find out what drives them, where you might have common ground and let them know you both are able to have the discussion because of the freedom you both have. Think about the difference between conviction and real --absolutely known solid truth! Having more numbers on your side, or a law that favors your beliefs does not make them more true does it?
Why bother then? Why not consider advocacy and live by your beliefs, secure in the freedom to do so? If they are defensible, just and true, others will see this and want to share. If not... no amount of law, advocacy or anything else will change that. These things might make you feel better at the end of the day, but that will come at the cost of somebody else not being able to feel good about themselves too. This cuts both ways, and I see a lot of people not so worried about that, and they really should be, if they have the strength of character to be honest with themselves and others.
Think about your freedom and what it really means, then commit to preserving it for our greater good. Future Americans will thank you for it. Heck, your neighbor might just thank you for it. If nothing else, I thank you for it!
Great, use the comment form below, post on your own blog today, or maybe just to talk to a friend. That's what this little movement is all about. Do visit Freedom First on your way through this exercise as well.
Right out of the gate, I think it's important to note we all take some things on faith. That's everybody! As a race, we do not know our origins, nor do we have enough fundemental known absolute truths to be able to call the shots on beliefs in an authoritative way. In this, we are all equally ignorant. This, for me, is the core justification for our equality under the law, and for our government to be neutral on matters of faith.
If we lack these core truths, we also lack authority, thus placing our various beliefs on par with one another. It's perfectly ok to not share beliefs, advocate for specific ones, and act on our beliefs, provided we do not cause one another harm. This is freedom and it's a very good thing.
The tradeoff for this freedom to believe what we will, make our choices as we will and engage others as we will is tolerance. Without it, we cannot exercise our freedom as we would otherwise. We also then lack the means to have the debates necessary for all of us to benefit from greater truths as they are revealed through frequent and passionate discourse.
I believe this is what the founders wanted. I believe it is the only just and true way to govern because I do not believe living a lie is defensible.
Truth is, our freedom here has made us a very religious people! More Americans believe in a higher power than almost anywhere else! Those without this belief also exist here on par with those that do and all is good right?
Wrong.
Over the years, I've seen a strong movement toward defining what our official belief system should be. Many of the larger religious groups want their beliefs codified into the law --endorsed by government somehow thinking this will validate them, lend them credence, or maybe just suppress competiting ones. All of this is wrong, unless we've got some known truths from which to derive the authority for it --and we just don't right now.
If anything is true, it is that we just don't know where we came from, nor how it all happened.
Again, this demands tolerance, if we are to get along at all, and avoid having to live lives filled with lies.
It does not matter what you believe. When advocating it to others, it should be defensible however. My personal view is that your beliefs should also be consistant with your actions, but that's just me. YMMV.
Take this holiday and consider your beliefs. Better, take some time and consider somebody elses. Find out what drives them, where you might have common ground and let them know you both are able to have the discussion because of the freedom you both have. Think about the difference between conviction and real --absolutely known solid truth! Having more numbers on your side, or a law that favors your beliefs does not make them more true does it?
Why bother then? Why not consider advocacy and live by your beliefs, secure in the freedom to do so? If they are defensible, just and true, others will see this and want to share. If not... no amount of law, advocacy or anything else will change that. These things might make you feel better at the end of the day, but that will come at the cost of somebody else not being able to feel good about themselves too. This cuts both ways, and I see a lot of people not so worried about that, and they really should be, if they have the strength of character to be honest with themselves and others.
Think about your freedom and what it really means, then commit to preserving it for our greater good. Future Americans will thank you for it. Heck, your neighbor might just thank you for it. If nothing else, I thank you for it!
Blogworks! (and some other stuff)
To contact us Click HERE
This is kind of a dual post. First, I want to comment about a significant evolution in blogging that's become a factor. I first noticed this with "Blog Against Theoracy". Excellent effort, spearheaded by Blue Gal (and she does appear to rock), this was your usual blogswarm, and was fairly successful. I participated in this and met some very interesting people. Good stuff all around.
Blog Against Theoracy is happening again this holiday weekend, with a topic surrounding the idea that seperation of church and state is patriotic. (it clearly is) I've some stuff to write, so I'll be there with my post along with a lot of others. Again all good.
Doing some digging on blogswarms, I find they are led by a few very active hub blogs. A hub is where significant attention has been cultivated. I've also noted a few that are starting to use mailing lists for notification. Sometimes people don't check back. I strongly suspect these two ideas are either being combined right now, or are about to be, resulting in kind of a subject based topical, recurring network of blogs all posting on topics at regular times.
Call this the Blogwork, and you probably read that here first! If so, please do spread it around. I don't get to coin terms anywhere near as much as I would like! (c'mon people, it's cool! You know it is, and I'm not ashamed.)
The blogwork is going to act like something like a TV network does. From one source, links, supporting information, framing, assets, etc... will be posted on a given subject, with said subject loosely following a more general topical bias. Examples could be, the environment, a political party, theoracy, geek matters, electronic voting, etc...
Instead of just aggragating all the content into a mega portal blog, like Kos, the content will remain distributed with the idea of introducing more people to more blogs, and of course, bloggers to bloggers. I think this is just cool enough to happen.
A blogwork is also significant in that it can resonate with the traditional media news cycle, yet can grab the attention of many people of different ideologies. For example, someone who is not religious could be following the members of a given blogwork that have that same bent, or bias, yet still be engaged in the topic as a whole. Someone who is deeply religious could do the same.
The key here is that the greater message is being heard on a regular basis; therefore, the central source can engage in some general advocacy through framing and focus on the topic at hand. IMHO, this is quite a powerful idea and one that is likely to continue to grow.
One other key thing is that passers by get snagged into the network via the very wide net cast. You here might be reading OpenGeek, and I thank you if you are, and decide to explore the Blog Against Theocracy blogwork more fully, or perhaps just look forward to regular updates.
To maximize this, participants really should preface their posts with an icon, tagline, etc... that differentiates their blogwork content from their ordinary blogging content that would have otherwise have been written for other reasons.
Lastly, this also encourages people to write on a regular basis. I like this too and think it might encourage more blogging that is focused and relevant. At the very least, taking a moment to gather one's thoughts on a regular basis just isn't a bad thing overall.
That's it. Google around a little. I didn't include links this time because I want to you just go look at a forming blogwork that's gonna have some impact. Have others? Do I have it wrong? You know where the comment button is, by all means use it!
Blog Against Theoracy is happening again this holiday weekend, with a topic surrounding the idea that seperation of church and state is patriotic. (it clearly is) I've some stuff to write, so I'll be there with my post along with a lot of others. Again all good.
Doing some digging on blogswarms, I find they are led by a few very active hub blogs. A hub is where significant attention has been cultivated. I've also noted a few that are starting to use mailing lists for notification. Sometimes people don't check back. I strongly suspect these two ideas are either being combined right now, or are about to be, resulting in kind of a subject based topical, recurring network of blogs all posting on topics at regular times.
Call this the Blogwork, and you probably read that here first! If so, please do spread it around. I don't get to coin terms anywhere near as much as I would like! (c'mon people, it's cool! You know it is, and I'm not ashamed.)
The blogwork is going to act like something like a TV network does. From one source, links, supporting information, framing, assets, etc... will be posted on a given subject, with said subject loosely following a more general topical bias. Examples could be, the environment, a political party, theoracy, geek matters, electronic voting, etc...
Instead of just aggragating all the content into a mega portal blog, like Kos, the content will remain distributed with the idea of introducing more people to more blogs, and of course, bloggers to bloggers. I think this is just cool enough to happen.
A blogwork is also significant in that it can resonate with the traditional media news cycle, yet can grab the attention of many people of different ideologies. For example, someone who is not religious could be following the members of a given blogwork that have that same bent, or bias, yet still be engaged in the topic as a whole. Someone who is deeply religious could do the same.
The key here is that the greater message is being heard on a regular basis; therefore, the central source can engage in some general advocacy through framing and focus on the topic at hand. IMHO, this is quite a powerful idea and one that is likely to continue to grow.
One other key thing is that passers by get snagged into the network via the very wide net cast. You here might be reading OpenGeek, and I thank you if you are, and decide to explore the Blog Against Theocracy blogwork more fully, or perhaps just look forward to regular updates.
To maximize this, participants really should preface their posts with an icon, tagline, etc... that differentiates their blogwork content from their ordinary blogging content that would have otherwise have been written for other reasons.
Lastly, this also encourages people to write on a regular basis. I like this too and think it might encourage more blogging that is focused and relevant. At the very least, taking a moment to gather one's thoughts on a regular basis just isn't a bad thing overall.
That's it. Google around a little. I didn't include links this time because I want to you just go look at a forming blogwork that's gonna have some impact. Have others? Do I have it wrong? You know where the comment button is, by all means use it!
7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi
Can somebody explain to me how granting a few of us the ability to discriminate traffic creates a free market?
To contact us Click HERE
Seriously!
This is a big regression that is gonna impact all of us in serious ways. Goddammit I hate --really just hate this administration!
Since we've had the Resident President, absolutely nothing that matters has been preserved or even improved. Guess the growing people powered politics movement has gotten some attention and needs to be neutered.
With this action, goes my broadband, you can count on it. It won't really be worth it, if I cannot engage in the communication that matters.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/06/ftc-abandons-net-neutrality/
DO make your phone calls. It might help.
They are gonna dangle faster movie downloads, video, etc... They will grant business whatever it thinks it needs, regardless of what we actually need or want.
IMHO, what is being done here is not creating a free market, but a market where large, established interests are free to do what they want, the rest of us be dammed.
Very Orwellian --just like the rest of the shit happening right now.
This is a big regression that is gonna impact all of us in serious ways. Goddammit I hate --really just hate this administration!
Since we've had the Resident President, absolutely nothing that matters has been preserved or even improved. Guess the growing people powered politics movement has gotten some attention and needs to be neutered.
With this action, goes my broadband, you can count on it. It won't really be worth it, if I cannot engage in the communication that matters.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/06/ftc-abandons-net-neutrality/
DO make your phone calls. It might help.
They are gonna dangle faster movie downloads, video, etc... They will grant business whatever it thinks it needs, regardless of what we actually need or want.
IMHO, what is being done here is not creating a free market, but a market where large, established interests are free to do what they want, the rest of us be dammed.
Very Orwellian --just like the rest of the shit happening right now.
Radio Needs a Re-mix
To contact us Click HERE
I was recently listening to the soundtrack to the Beatles' Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show called "Love". In-person, it's a fantastic buffet of lights, sound and images in the typical Cirque way coupled with an amazing soundtrack of Beatles tracks remixed by the genious of George Martin and his son Giles.
The soundtrack to this show is available on CD and when turned up, the music reminds you of how great this band was/is, but the remixes which took pieces of other Beatles songs in the same keys added to basic tracks we've heard hundreds of times, leaves the listener with a revitalized listening experience.
This leads me to why I named this blog "Radio Needs a Re-mix".
Traditional radio, like the Beatles, has been around for a great many years. And like the Beatles radio is a comfortable place for its millions of listeners to visit. According to many research studies, 93% of Americans still visit, but they just aren't spending as much time as they used to.
So, why not a Radio re-mix?
Like the Beatles "Love" soundtrack, radio's inspiration needs to be a few sessions of revitalization. I'm not suggesting, like the Martins did, to bring back some of the great old radio wisdoms of the past and insert them into today's programming.
What I am suggesting is that radio owners, operators, managers - all of its employees, should shake themselves out of the creative quicksand of the last ten years.
It's about time that radio leadership discontinue its sense of dread and investigate the creative juices that each company most surely has locked up in each of their employees. I believe that for most of them, the creative outlet may have been a part of the reason they are in the business.
Creative brainstorming sessions used to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the radio industry.
Egos were left at the door, people got into a room with other people they liked, and they started talking...about anything. Then someone in the room known for their 'crazy' view of things, allowed their stream of consciousness take over from the conversation and suddenly there was an idea on the table for a new promotion. People would start laughing at some of the more extreme ideas, but that laughter spawned further discussion until an hour or two later, the group emerged from the meeting with several new ideas and a sense of team effort which only created a more enjoyable working environment. And they'd do it again the next day, next week or next month.
There's no reason this cannot happen today. In fact, it does happen today just not nearly in enough cities. Some of the greatest call letters in the land go through exactly this process weekly and their success and low personnel turnover reflect this culture.
So, a remix is in order.
The radio industry's potential is tied to its past in many ways.
By overdubbing the technology and what we know about today's consumers on top of radio's foundation just might produce a renewed compelling listening experience listeners would never have expected until they listened to it again in a slightly new light.
The soundtrack to this show is available on CD and when turned up, the music reminds you of how great this band was/is, but the remixes which took pieces of other Beatles songs in the same keys added to basic tracks we've heard hundreds of times, leaves the listener with a revitalized listening experience.
This leads me to why I named this blog "Radio Needs a Re-mix".
Traditional radio, like the Beatles, has been around for a great many years. And like the Beatles radio is a comfortable place for its millions of listeners to visit. According to many research studies, 93% of Americans still visit, but they just aren't spending as much time as they used to.
So, why not a Radio re-mix?
Like the Beatles "Love" soundtrack, radio's inspiration needs to be a few sessions of revitalization. I'm not suggesting, like the Martins did, to bring back some of the great old radio wisdoms of the past and insert them into today's programming.
What I am suggesting is that radio owners, operators, managers - all of its employees, should shake themselves out of the creative quicksand of the last ten years.
It's about time that radio leadership discontinue its sense of dread and investigate the creative juices that each company most surely has locked up in each of their employees. I believe that for most of them, the creative outlet may have been a part of the reason they are in the business.
Creative brainstorming sessions used to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the radio industry.
Egos were left at the door, people got into a room with other people they liked, and they started talking...about anything. Then someone in the room known for their 'crazy' view of things, allowed their stream of consciousness take over from the conversation and suddenly there was an idea on the table for a new promotion. People would start laughing at some of the more extreme ideas, but that laughter spawned further discussion until an hour or two later, the group emerged from the meeting with several new ideas and a sense of team effort which only created a more enjoyable working environment. And they'd do it again the next day, next week or next month.
There's no reason this cannot happen today. In fact, it does happen today just not nearly in enough cities. Some of the greatest call letters in the land go through exactly this process weekly and their success and low personnel turnover reflect this culture.
So, a remix is in order.
The radio industry's potential is tied to its past in many ways.
By overdubbing the technology and what we know about today's consumers on top of radio's foundation just might produce a renewed compelling listening experience listeners would never have expected until they listened to it again in a slightly new light.
Retracting a Mistake
To contact us Click HERE
Back in August of 2009, I wrote a blog called "Optimism: 2010's Secret Weapon". At the time, the point was that optimism will help turn around the business environment. And that would lead to clear thinking on the part of management. I think it's time I retracted that blog because optimism is steering management down a rocky road.
As it turns out, optimism and an improving advertising climate have so far turned 2010 into a fairly positive environment for many businesses, and certainly for the media industry.
First quarter advertising improved 6% for traditional radio and was off the charts for Internet advertising expenditures, including Internet radio. A good sign, right?
Wrong.
The mood among corporate CEO's, terrestrial radio group heads and regional managers is positive but cautious. As they should be.
The revenue increases published for the first half of 2010 bring smiles to many broadcast operators, but comparisons to 2009 are deceiving.
The second half of 2010 will compare a bit less favorably with its 2009 counterpart and as 2010 closes in on another holiday season, the "comps" with 2009 will be less invigorating.
I think broadcast leaders understand this.
And that is why many are not reinvesting into their businesses this year; a year which is thus far the best revenue year in quite a few.
Not reinvesting some of 2010's profit is a natural strategy for business operators who found their companies down 20-25% in revenues in 2009 and 15-20% in profits. They now find themselves in positive territory for the first few months of 2010 - they are making up some of the ground lost last year and they want to hold on to it.
A fairly powerful argument can be made for that strategy - in a normal year.
But as 2010 goes skipping into the future, perhaps you have noticed the ferocious pace at which digital media is galloping along, breaking down the barriers to consumer adoption and putting the squeeze on traditional media.
My concern is that the optimism that began blooming at the end of January of this year, has morphed into a conservative spending mentality which will leave traditional radio marginalized - at best - as 2010 turns into the year of the Rabbit.
Digital media consumption has reached a tipping point; more average consumers are discovering all sorts of cool ways to get their media fix. And with radio's final bastion - the car - quickly being penetrated by Internet radio and devices that make it easy to consume, traditional radio could have an uphill battle in 2011.
Bridge Ratings will soon publish its revenue projections for 2011 and the forecast is not as rosie as 2010.
2009 revenue was down 18%.
2010 traditional radio revenue will be up 4%.
2011 revenue will be down 2%.
Comparisons to 2010 will not look as strong as they do this year.
The political advertising infusion which many are expecting during the second half of 2010 will be missing in 2010.
Investment in traditional radio operations (digital development and advancement) will be hard to find. This cycle could be sustained for at least another two years.
See what I mean? Marginalization of traditional media is a very real possibility with no aggressive business development in sight.
Optimism is certainly refreshing after 5 or more years of dismal business trends.
It's time to turn that optimism into purposeful re-investment and rapidly enhance traditional radio's ability to compete.
Back in August of 2009, I wrote a blog called "Optimism: 2010's Secret Weapon". At the time, the point was that optimism will help turn around the business environment. And that would lead to clear thinking on the part of management. I think it's time I retracted that blog because optimism is steering management down a rocky road.
As it turns out, optimism and an improving advertising climate have so far turned 2010 into a fairly positive environment for many businesses, and certainly for the media industry.
First quarter advertising improved 6% for traditional radio and was off the charts for Internet advertising expenditures, including Internet radio. A good sign, right?
Wrong.
The mood among corporate CEO's, terrestrial radio group heads and regional managers is positive but cautious. As they should be.
The revenue increases published for the first half of 2010 bring smiles to many broadcast operators, but comparisons to 2009 are deceiving.
The second half of 2010 will compare a bit less favorably with its 2009 counterpart and as 2010 closes in on another holiday season, the "comps" with 2009 will be less invigorating.
I think broadcast leaders understand this.
And that is why many are not reinvesting into their businesses this year; a year which is thus far the best revenue year in quite a few.
Not reinvesting some of 2010's profit is a natural strategy for business operators who found their companies down 20-25% in revenues in 2009 and 15-20% in profits. They now find themselves in positive territory for the first few months of 2010 - they are making up some of the ground lost last year and they want to hold on to it.
A fairly powerful argument can be made for that strategy - in a normal year.
But as 2010 goes skipping into the future, perhaps you have noticed the ferocious pace at which digital media is galloping along, breaking down the barriers to consumer adoption and putting the squeeze on traditional media.
My concern is that the optimism that began blooming at the end of January of this year, has morphed into a conservative spending mentality which will leave traditional radio marginalized - at best - as 2010 turns into the year of the Rabbit.
Digital media consumption has reached a tipping point; more average consumers are discovering all sorts of cool ways to get their media fix. And with radio's final bastion - the car - quickly being penetrated by Internet radio and devices that make it easy to consume, traditional radio could have an uphill battle in 2011.
Bridge Ratings will soon publish its revenue projections for 2011 and the forecast is not as rosie as 2010.
2009 revenue was down 18%.
2010 traditional radio revenue will be up 4%.
2011 revenue will be down 2%.
Comparisons to 2010 will not look as strong as they do this year.
The political advertising infusion which many are expecting during the second half of 2010 will be missing in 2010.
Investment in traditional radio operations (digital development and advancement) will be hard to find. This cycle could be sustained for at least another two years.
See what I mean? Marginalization of traditional media is a very real possibility with no aggressive business development in sight.
Optimism is certainly refreshing after 5 or more years of dismal business trends.
It's time to turn that optimism into purposeful re-investment and rapidly enhance traditional radio's ability to compete.
Losing the Great Advantage
To contact us Click HERE
Businesses have been trained for decades to beat the competition and to make a killing. Management principles are often taught using military strategies as analogies.
Yet in the natural order of things, being at the top and having the competitive advantage is merely transitory. In the realm of entertainment, new technologies are part of the evolutionary process. And because we are not returning to the way things used to be business, media in this case, is being called upon to be different and to operate differently.
The competitive advantage mass media such as radio have possessed for decades, is slipping away.
In a study conducted earlier this year on listener streaming trends as well as a report published in 2007, Bridge Ratings analyzed music consumption among radio listeners as well as new music discovery.
The essence of the 2007 study was that if traditional radio didn't respond to the new music discovery needs of its youngest listeners (12-24 year olds at the time), those listeners would find it elsewhere....and without hesitation. This has happened.
The recommendation was for youth-oriented radio formats to take a much greater foreground approach to presenting and offering new music. At the time, and continuing to today mind you, programmers of these stations have done little to capture this new music curiosity exhibted by young music fans once the Internet introduced us to Napster, iTunes, Pandora and the dozens of other websites and applications that allow customized music consumption.
But the Bridge Ratings study uncovered a jewel. Young listeners to traditional radio who had wandered to other sources for their new music habit, had higher expectations from terrestrial radio and actually wanted radio to offer more new music.
Why?
Because while searching on-line and using Pandora, etc., can be fun, it is also fatiguing and takes time. Young listeners to traditional radio kept coming back to FM radio to check in and see if there was more new music content. Unfortunately, what they found was uninteresting to them.
And in the intervening time since that study was published, little has been added to youth formats to return them to traditional radio.
And now I fear it is too late. A soon-to-be published Bridge Ratings study will continue to show significant usage (time-spent-listening) attrition for traditional radio among young listeners. That may not come as any surprise to you. What may surprise you is those 12-24 year olds we surveyed in 2007 are now 15-27 year olds and radio's appeal to the 18-34 year olds is also fading. Over time these listeners have gotten used to going elsewhere for this music discovery. They want to learn about what's the best of the best new music released each week and use that knowledge to guide them as to what to download.
It's no different, really, from when I was growing up. Seems my friends and I were trained by our Top 40 stations that on Tuesdays at 2pm, the new songs of the week would be featured in a countdown. We'd listen.
And we went down to our favorite record store and purchased the ones we liked.
Nothing has changed. Why does traditional radio ignore the signs that many research companies like Bridge Ratings continue to publish?
I do not know.
I know this much though.
Contemporary music radio is rapidly becoming marginalized - pushed out to the farthest reaches of awareness and interest - because its audience is not being served. And as more alternatives become available, there is less desire to discover whether FM radio is responding.
It is remarkable that in the face of so much new technology and alternative entertainment, there is generally a lack of aggressive content development and technical adaptiveness at traditional radio headquarters. CEO's have forgotten their business training. They have lost their courage to compete aggressively.
Whether it is a product of false security or just obtuse planning, terrestrial radio is in a position to lose its traction with a dominant audience most digital businesses covet.
A friend of mine at Harvard Business School has advised me that it is a good thing that radio is losing the competitive advantage.
Why?
Because, he says, sustainability in the new world order of digital media requires that the "old" lose their competitive advantage in order to shake its owners and management out of its doldrums and sense of security. This, in turn, is supposed to fire them up - dig deep within its creative teams to reinvent themselves.
This, I am told, is how business in 2010 faces shifting competition.
I have yet to see this "digging deep" that is supposed to reinvigorate the radio business.
If it doesn't happen soon, traditional radio may find itself not only marginalized, but it may find that it is included in a business course case study called "Terrestrial Radio: How it Lost the Great Advantage".
Yet in the natural order of things, being at the top and having the competitive advantage is merely transitory. In the realm of entertainment, new technologies are part of the evolutionary process. And because we are not returning to the way things used to be business, media in this case, is being called upon to be different and to operate differently.
The competitive advantage mass media such as radio have possessed for decades, is slipping away.
In a study conducted earlier this year on listener streaming trends as well as a report published in 2007, Bridge Ratings analyzed music consumption among radio listeners as well as new music discovery.
The essence of the 2007 study was that if traditional radio didn't respond to the new music discovery needs of its youngest listeners (12-24 year olds at the time), those listeners would find it elsewhere....and without hesitation. This has happened.
The recommendation was for youth-oriented radio formats to take a much greater foreground approach to presenting and offering new music. At the time, and continuing to today mind you, programmers of these stations have done little to capture this new music curiosity exhibted by young music fans once the Internet introduced us to Napster, iTunes, Pandora and the dozens of other websites and applications that allow customized music consumption.
But the Bridge Ratings study uncovered a jewel. Young listeners to traditional radio who had wandered to other sources for their new music habit, had higher expectations from terrestrial radio and actually wanted radio to offer more new music.
Why?
Because while searching on-line and using Pandora, etc., can be fun, it is also fatiguing and takes time. Young listeners to traditional radio kept coming back to FM radio to check in and see if there was more new music content. Unfortunately, what they found was uninteresting to them.
And in the intervening time since that study was published, little has been added to youth formats to return them to traditional radio.
And now I fear it is too late. A soon-to-be published Bridge Ratings study will continue to show significant usage (time-spent-listening) attrition for traditional radio among young listeners. That may not come as any surprise to you. What may surprise you is those 12-24 year olds we surveyed in 2007 are now 15-27 year olds and radio's appeal to the 18-34 year olds is also fading. Over time these listeners have gotten used to going elsewhere for this music discovery. They want to learn about what's the best of the best new music released each week and use that knowledge to guide them as to what to download.
It's no different, really, from when I was growing up. Seems my friends and I were trained by our Top 40 stations that on Tuesdays at 2pm, the new songs of the week would be featured in a countdown. We'd listen.
And we went down to our favorite record store and purchased the ones we liked.
Nothing has changed. Why does traditional radio ignore the signs that many research companies like Bridge Ratings continue to publish?
I do not know.
I know this much though.
Contemporary music radio is rapidly becoming marginalized - pushed out to the farthest reaches of awareness and interest - because its audience is not being served. And as more alternatives become available, there is less desire to discover whether FM radio is responding.
It is remarkable that in the face of so much new technology and alternative entertainment, there is generally a lack of aggressive content development and technical adaptiveness at traditional radio headquarters. CEO's have forgotten their business training. They have lost their courage to compete aggressively.
Whether it is a product of false security or just obtuse planning, terrestrial radio is in a position to lose its traction with a dominant audience most digital businesses covet.
A friend of mine at Harvard Business School has advised me that it is a good thing that radio is losing the competitive advantage.
Why?
Because, he says, sustainability in the new world order of digital media requires that the "old" lose their competitive advantage in order to shake its owners and management out of its doldrums and sense of security. This, in turn, is supposed to fire them up - dig deep within its creative teams to reinvent themselves.
This, I am told, is how business in 2010 faces shifting competition.
I have yet to see this "digging deep" that is supposed to reinvigorate the radio business.
If it doesn't happen soon, traditional radio may find itself not only marginalized, but it may find that it is included in a business course case study called "Terrestrial Radio: How it Lost the Great Advantage".
Why Do You Keep Asking That Question?
To contact us Click HERE
"Is radio ready for a digital future?"
It's a question that has had high visibility over the last six weeks.
"Is radio ready for a digital future?"
It's been the title of a Bridge Ratings Study that was released on June 30, 2010.
And the title of a webinar I presented in July.
So, why did I give the title to this blog and why should you care?
Because after six weeks of disseminating this data across the web and in person, I'm finally ready to answer the question for you.
This was the most important graphic from the study and my webinar:
[click image to go to study]
This chart represents just how well terrestrial radio is satisfying radio listeners' Internet needs.
Not too good. (Pardon my grammar, mom)
The answer to the question is....
No. Radio is not ready.
Why?
Though its perception among radio listeners is poor, radio has all it needs to make it right.
Radio is having a good year. That's what I read and that is what market managers tell me.
Why not reinvest some of that new profit into the cost of setting up a qualified digital department?
Remember the story of the squirrel storing his nuts for a cold winter?
That's what radio's owners and operators are doing. Very few are taking the new found (and temporary) flushness and sinking it back into the product where it needs it.
Radio is gathering its profit nuts after a dismal 2009.
Who can blame them?
But still, the industry has the money to make some effort to build out a respectable digital division.
It can hire the right people.
It probably has the right equipment.
If it doesn't have the know-how, it can hire that, too.
So, if all of this is true, why does radio management avoid making the commitment?
Because it takes courage!
Yet, COURAGE is precipitated by a perceived threat. That's what Daniel Webster tells me.
So, "this must be it", I think to myself. This is why the industry as a whole is not moving itself forward fast enough.
No courage.
Because there is NO PERCEIVED THREAT.
And despite the fact that the threat is clear from digital entertainment options, by the time terrestrial radio perceives the threat and act, it will be too late.
The industry does have its handful of owner/operators who are investing as they are able.
And, for that, I am grateful.
But, it's the industry that is the concern.
Time is running out and the radio industry's place may well be marginalized by this time next year.
So, there. Asked. And answered.
"Is radio ready for a digital future?"
It's a question that has had high visibility over the last six weeks.
"Is radio ready for a digital future?"
It's been the title of a Bridge Ratings Study that was released on June 30, 2010.
And the title of a webinar I presented in July.
So, why did I give the title to this blog and why should you care?
Because after six weeks of disseminating this data across the web and in person, I'm finally ready to answer the question for you.
This was the most important graphic from the study and my webinar:
[click image to go to study]
This chart represents just how well terrestrial radio is satisfying radio listeners' Internet needs.
Not too good. (Pardon my grammar, mom)
The answer to the question is....
No. Radio is not ready.
Why?
Though its perception among radio listeners is poor, radio has all it needs to make it right.
Radio is having a good year. That's what I read and that is what market managers tell me.
Why not reinvest some of that new profit into the cost of setting up a qualified digital department?
Remember the story of the squirrel storing his nuts for a cold winter?
That's what radio's owners and operators are doing. Very few are taking the new found (and temporary) flushness and sinking it back into the product where it needs it.
Radio is gathering its profit nuts after a dismal 2009.
Who can blame them?
But still, the industry has the money to make some effort to build out a respectable digital division.
It can hire the right people.
It probably has the right equipment.
If it doesn't have the know-how, it can hire that, too.
So, if all of this is true, why does radio management avoid making the commitment?
Because it takes courage!
Yet, COURAGE is precipitated by a perceived threat. That's what Daniel Webster tells me.
So, "this must be it", I think to myself. This is why the industry as a whole is not moving itself forward fast enough.
No courage.
Because there is NO PERCEIVED THREAT.
And despite the fact that the threat is clear from digital entertainment options, by the time terrestrial radio perceives the threat and act, it will be too late.
The industry does have its handful of owner/operators who are investing as they are able.
And, for that, I am grateful.
But, it's the industry that is the concern.
Time is running out and the radio industry's place may well be marginalized by this time next year.
So, there. Asked. And answered.
5 Temmuz 2012 Perşembe
HD Radio: Monopoly
To contact us Click HERE
"iBiquity's Real Business Plan?"
"The fact is that iBiquity doesn’t care about interference because the only date in their calendar is the day the FCC approves their petition to sunset analog broadcasting. Then, interference won’t matter. Theirs is a game of delay and misdirection. They will point to conflicting reports, lack of listener complaints, and any other straw man they can come up with to while away the time until they petition for analog FM to end... Also, as heavily as Cheap Channel is invested in iBiquity, it’s little surprise that as the largest single radio licensee, they are all for everything iBiquity wants. The pushback has happened and they’re terrified because people who aren’t on their payroll are now making the quantitative measurements. The only question is: Is the FCC bought and paid for as well?"
“HD Radio on the Offense”
"But after an investigation of HD Radio units, the stations playing HD, and the company that owns the technology; and some interviews with the wonks in DC, it looks like HD Radio is a high-level corporate scam, a huge carny-shill. Between the high prices, poor listening options, homogenized content, and a decade and a half of FCC dealings that went into this monopoly, critics are calling the move to digital radio a 'catastrophe' and a 'complete giveaway' to behemoths such as CBS. All the major radio players, such as Clear Channel Communications, are iBiquity investors. Which means Clear Channel is paying itself for the right to broadcast, and every mom-and-pop station that wants to go digital also has pay the big boys. Nice setup!"
"iBiquity's Royalty Will Adverstly Affect Minority-Owned Stations"
"The royalty concept proposed by iBiquity will force small minority stations out of business and their stations would eventually fall into the hands of Clear Channel, ABC/Disney, Emmis, Bonneville, Cox and Radio One. Of course, these corporations have disclosed that they have a vested interest in iBiquity. REC feels that the proposed royalty rates by the broadcaster-backed iBiquity is strictly a ploy to drive the remaining independent minority broadcasters out of business and the megacasters like Clear Channel, et al will benefit from the royalty fees paid by these minority stations. REC questions the legality of the iBiquity royalty scheme if the proprietary iBiquity system is chosen as the standard for DAB."
"District Court Dismisses Digital Radio Technology Suit"
"Kahn and his company Kahn Communications, Inc. alleged that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and non-government defendants (iBiquity Digital Corp., Lucent Technologies, Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., and Clear Channel Communications, Inc.) conspired to violate the Sherman Act through the FCC's regulation of digital radio technology, and that the non-government defendants engaged in other ‘monopolistic behavior.'"
"When More Bandwidth is Less Choice"
"The problem is that a side-effect of doubling the width of a radio station is that if your favorite radio station happens to be a weak little independent college, religious or community mom&pop radio station right next to a high-powered blow-torch of a radio on the broadcast dial you very likely will not be able to recieve your favorite station again. In other words, your favorite station's signal is jammed by the big stations digital signal! The effect is like the Nazi radio giveaway because it destroys by law our ability to receive weaker or more distant signals but does not allow local competition to replace that loss with new programming sources."
"Night of the Bees"
"Radio listeners across America are trying to hide from a monster, but there is no shelter. After spending its adolescence in technical trials during daytime hours, AM-IBOC has now come out at night. We have met the enemy and he is us! The effects of HD Radio interference may be the final death blow to struggling small local radio stations trying to compete in very difficult market situations. This noisy hash may extinguish all hope of local stations being heard in the clear ever again."
"HD Radio: Doomed From the Start"
"HD Radio was not only doomed from the start, it was such a serious blunder that it may well lead to the death of thousands of radio stations and the permanent stunting of the industry itself. Why did this happen? They didn’t want the 10-Watt student station to suddenly have an equal signal to theirs. And the money-men didn’t want dozens of new independent channels to be available to listeners. But IBOC gave the money-men the one thing they wanted most of all: It preserves the inferiority of the smaller broadcasters. In fact, amid a sea of IBOC hash from the big boys, it accentuates their inferiority. The end result of this shortsightedness will be bankruptcy for many stations, fewer and poorer choices for the listeners as conglomerates gobble up the remains."
"FCC Admits Ignorance on Digital Radio"
October 2002 - "The Commissioners seemed completely unconcerned about the documented evidence illustrating potentially disastrous interference problems with IBOC technology. But the whopper came from the mouth of Michael Copps, who admitted with incredible candor he had no idea what the hell he was unleashing. Everybody involved pretty much admitted from the outset that the digital radio initiative is all about giving the broadcast industry more avenues to make money rather than actually improving radio from the perspective of the listener. You can watch and listen to the deed being done at our special report on the IBOC vote."
"FCC: Market to Decide Fate of HD Radio"
"According to staff testimony at the meeting, the FCC appears unconcerned with HD Radio's potential pitfalls and more than willing to let the industry set the pace of radio's analog/digital transition. As for the actual vote, Democrat Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein both went along reluctantly, concurring and dissenting in part with the order itself. Said Commissioner Copps: By adopting a blanket authorization for digital radio, this decision confers a free pass on others to take their spectrum, bypass local communities and run more of the canned and nationalized programming."
"Are HD Radio Stations Serving the Public Interest?"
"The FCC has essentially handed over this additional spectrum to incumbent broadcasters without thinking seriously about the long-term implications of this transition, how it related to media ownership in local markets and its bearing on the Commission’s public interest obligations. FMC proposes an HD radio playlist analysis project during which a researcher would examine HD radio programming, and determine whether programming is increasing diversity, or addressing local issues or community interests."
"Grand Theft Digital: How the FCC is Helping Hijack Digital TV"
"The FCC is spending millions supposedly informing the public about the transition from analog to digital TV on Feb. 18, 2009. But they are deliberately concealing the fact from the public that with the transition to broadcast digital TV the number of available broadcast channels will multiply by two, or four or ten. The FCC is issuing no new TV station licenses, however --- all the new channels are to be allocated exclusively to the wealthy individuals and corporations who already have station licenses."
"iBiquity's Real Business Plan?"
"The fact is that iBiquity doesn’t care about interference because the only date in their calendar is the day the FCC approves their petition to sunset analog broadcasting. Then, interference won’t matter. Theirs is a game of delay and misdirection. They will point to conflicting reports, lack of listener complaints, and any other straw man they can come up with to while away the time until they petition for analog FM to end... Also, as heavily as Cheap Channel is invested in iBiquity, it’s little surprise that as the largest single radio licensee, they are all for everything iBiquity wants. The pushback has happened and they’re terrified because people who aren’t on their payroll are now making the quantitative measurements. The only question is: Is the FCC bought and paid for as well?"
“HD Radio on the Offense”
"But after an investigation of HD Radio units, the stations playing HD, and the company that owns the technology; and some interviews with the wonks in DC, it looks like HD Radio is a high-level corporate scam, a huge carny-shill. Between the high prices, poor listening options, homogenized content, and a decade and a half of FCC dealings that went into this monopoly, critics are calling the move to digital radio a 'catastrophe' and a 'complete giveaway' to behemoths such as CBS. All the major radio players, such as Clear Channel Communications, are iBiquity investors. Which means Clear Channel is paying itself for the right to broadcast, and every mom-and-pop station that wants to go digital also has pay the big boys. Nice setup!"
"iBiquity's Royalty Will Adverstly Affect Minority-Owned Stations"
"The royalty concept proposed by iBiquity will force small minority stations out of business and their stations would eventually fall into the hands of Clear Channel, ABC/Disney, Emmis, Bonneville, Cox and Radio One. Of course, these corporations have disclosed that they have a vested interest in iBiquity. REC feels that the proposed royalty rates by the broadcaster-backed iBiquity is strictly a ploy to drive the remaining independent minority broadcasters out of business and the megacasters like Clear Channel, et al will benefit from the royalty fees paid by these minority stations. REC questions the legality of the iBiquity royalty scheme if the proprietary iBiquity system is chosen as the standard for DAB."
"District Court Dismisses Digital Radio Technology Suit"
"Kahn and his company Kahn Communications, Inc. alleged that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and non-government defendants (iBiquity Digital Corp., Lucent Technologies, Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., and Clear Channel Communications, Inc.) conspired to violate the Sherman Act through the FCC's regulation of digital radio technology, and that the non-government defendants engaged in other ‘monopolistic behavior.'"
"When More Bandwidth is Less Choice"
"The problem is that a side-effect of doubling the width of a radio station is that if your favorite radio station happens to be a weak little independent college, religious or community mom&pop radio station right next to a high-powered blow-torch of a radio on the broadcast dial you very likely will not be able to recieve your favorite station again. In other words, your favorite station's signal is jammed by the big stations digital signal! The effect is like the Nazi radio giveaway because it destroys by law our ability to receive weaker or more distant signals but does not allow local competition to replace that loss with new programming sources."
"Night of the Bees"
"Radio listeners across America are trying to hide from a monster, but there is no shelter. After spending its adolescence in technical trials during daytime hours, AM-IBOC has now come out at night. We have met the enemy and he is us! The effects of HD Radio interference may be the final death blow to struggling small local radio stations trying to compete in very difficult market situations. This noisy hash may extinguish all hope of local stations being heard in the clear ever again."
"HD Radio: Doomed From the Start"
"HD Radio was not only doomed from the start, it was such a serious blunder that it may well lead to the death of thousands of radio stations and the permanent stunting of the industry itself. Why did this happen? They didn’t want the 10-Watt student station to suddenly have an equal signal to theirs. And the money-men didn’t want dozens of new independent channels to be available to listeners. But IBOC gave the money-men the one thing they wanted most of all: It preserves the inferiority of the smaller broadcasters. In fact, amid a sea of IBOC hash from the big boys, it accentuates their inferiority. The end result of this shortsightedness will be bankruptcy for many stations, fewer and poorer choices for the listeners as conglomerates gobble up the remains."
"FCC Admits Ignorance on Digital Radio"
October 2002 - "The Commissioners seemed completely unconcerned about the documented evidence illustrating potentially disastrous interference problems with IBOC technology. But the whopper came from the mouth of Michael Copps, who admitted with incredible candor he had no idea what the hell he was unleashing. Everybody involved pretty much admitted from the outset that the digital radio initiative is all about giving the broadcast industry more avenues to make money rather than actually improving radio from the perspective of the listener. You can watch and listen to the deed being done at our special report on the IBOC vote."
"FCC: Market to Decide Fate of HD Radio"
"According to staff testimony at the meeting, the FCC appears unconcerned with HD Radio's potential pitfalls and more than willing to let the industry set the pace of radio's analog/digital transition. As for the actual vote, Democrat Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein both went along reluctantly, concurring and dissenting in part with the order itself. Said Commissioner Copps: By adopting a blanket authorization for digital radio, this decision confers a free pass on others to take their spectrum, bypass local communities and run more of the canned and nationalized programming."
"Are HD Radio Stations Serving the Public Interest?"
"The FCC has essentially handed over this additional spectrum to incumbent broadcasters without thinking seriously about the long-term implications of this transition, how it related to media ownership in local markets and its bearing on the Commission’s public interest obligations. FMC proposes an HD radio playlist analysis project during which a researcher would examine HD radio programming, and determine whether programming is increasing diversity, or addressing local issues or community interests."
"Grand Theft Digital: How the FCC is Helping Hijack Digital TV"
"The FCC is spending millions supposedly informing the public about the transition from analog to digital TV on Feb. 18, 2009. But they are deliberately concealing the fact from the public that with the transition to broadcast digital TV the number of available broadcast channels will multiply by two, or four or ten. The FCC is issuing no new TV station licenses, however --- all the new channels are to be allocated exclusively to the wealthy individuals and corporations who already have station licenses."
HD Radio: Stations
To contact us Click HERE
"Tom Kent Defends HD Radio"
"HD Radio has its fans and its detractors, but there's no doubt which side of the coin Tom Kent Radio Network President/CEO is on. Kent has penned an open letter to the radio industry. My fellow broadcasters, I implore you please don't give up on HD Radio! I'd like to call upon our industry to rally on behalf of HD Radio. Yes, right now it's dead in the water."
"HD Radio Goes the Way of the Laserdisk Player"
"Even though Clear Channel's website claims many of its alternate HD signals remain operational, only KRQ's was functional as of Monday, Oct. 3, and the jazz signal has been down for at least a month. Elsewhere, Lotus and Citadel dabbled in HD, but abandoned their efforts rather quickly."
"HD Radio in 2011 – What happened?"
"Watching stations dump their HD channels this month, I conclude that HD radio is a failure and most radio groups know this. Just about the only worth these extra HD channels have is that of feeding a translator with a separate format. Look for an accelerated move by radio to dump HD and the increased energy bill that comes with it this year."
"A Little Feedback on HD Radio"
"Is anyone surprised to see stations shutting off their HD signals? It's a flawed technology designed only to line the pockets of iBiquity. We didn't have to pay Edison to use the incandescent light bulb...we bought the bulbs but didn't have to pay to use them. That arrangement with iBiquity is insane...a can of worms which should have been buried, not opened!"
"HD Radio"
"Despite the excitement about increasing the HD carrriers, it doesn't seem a lot has happened, other than many stations abandoning their digital transmissions when parts break. Some car radios are being touted, but whether they will prove a success is another matter. NPR is the big foundation holding HD from being totally irrelevant."
"FCC Media Bureau Chief Peter Doyle"
"I am concerned with the rate of adoption of the technology. We are at about 16% of radio stations, now. But the rate that new ones are adopting has slowed to a trickle. I think that’s a real warning sign for the transition. I'm also concerned about the number of stations that have taken advantage of our power increase flexibility, which permits stations to increase power by 4-10 times and replicate their analog service areas. But we’ll see. Perhaps in the future we will get more stations on board with the digital technology."
"AM-HD Radio Has Stalled. Now What?"
"Group heads of engineering and other industry observers say that digital AM is more technically challenging and expensive than FM. The flat, or even decreasing, number of AM stations embracing it certainly bears this out. Only a core number of mostly big-wattage, large-market stations are broadcasting in AM digital; most of those transmit their digital signals only during the day, according to engineering observers. Many of the stations on-air with AM-HD are owned by members of the HD Digital Radio Alliance."
"Cumulus Acknowledges HD Malaise"
"An interesting disclosure in Cumulus Media's yearly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission: On March 5, 2009, the Company entered into an amendment to its agreement with iBiquity to reduce the number of planned conversions, extend the build-out schedule, and increase the license fees to be paid for each converted station. In the event the Company does not fulfill the conversion requirements within the period set forth in the agreement or otherwise modify the rollout schedule, once the conversions are completed the Company will be subject to license fees higher than those currently provided for under the agreement. If other broadcasters have similarly downsized their transition-commitments, it does not bode well for HD Radio's long-term prospects."
"Tom Kent Defends HD Radio"
"HD Radio has its fans and its detractors, but there's no doubt which side of the coin Tom Kent Radio Network President/CEO is on. Kent has penned an open letter to the radio industry. My fellow broadcasters, I implore you please don't give up on HD Radio! I'd like to call upon our industry to rally on behalf of HD Radio. Yes, right now it's dead in the water."
"HD Radio Goes the Way of the Laserdisk Player"
"Even though Clear Channel's website claims many of its alternate HD signals remain operational, only KRQ's was functional as of Monday, Oct. 3, and the jazz signal has been down for at least a month. Elsewhere, Lotus and Citadel dabbled in HD, but abandoned their efforts rather quickly."
"HD Radio in 2011 – What happened?"
"Watching stations dump their HD channels this month, I conclude that HD radio is a failure and most radio groups know this. Just about the only worth these extra HD channels have is that of feeding a translator with a separate format. Look for an accelerated move by radio to dump HD and the increased energy bill that comes with it this year."
"A Little Feedback on HD Radio"
"Is anyone surprised to see stations shutting off their HD signals? It's a flawed technology designed only to line the pockets of iBiquity. We didn't have to pay Edison to use the incandescent light bulb...we bought the bulbs but didn't have to pay to use them. That arrangement with iBiquity is insane...a can of worms which should have been buried, not opened!"
"HD Radio"
"Despite the excitement about increasing the HD carrriers, it doesn't seem a lot has happened, other than many stations abandoning their digital transmissions when parts break. Some car radios are being touted, but whether they will prove a success is another matter. NPR is the big foundation holding HD from being totally irrelevant."
"FCC Media Bureau Chief Peter Doyle"
"I am concerned with the rate of adoption of the technology. We are at about 16% of radio stations, now. But the rate that new ones are adopting has slowed to a trickle. I think that’s a real warning sign for the transition. I'm also concerned about the number of stations that have taken advantage of our power increase flexibility, which permits stations to increase power by 4-10 times and replicate their analog service areas. But we’ll see. Perhaps in the future we will get more stations on board with the digital technology."
"AM-HD Radio Has Stalled. Now What?"
"Group heads of engineering and other industry observers say that digital AM is more technically challenging and expensive than FM. The flat, or even decreasing, number of AM stations embracing it certainly bears this out. Only a core number of mostly big-wattage, large-market stations are broadcasting in AM digital; most of those transmit their digital signals only during the day, according to engineering observers. Many of the stations on-air with AM-HD are owned by members of the HD Digital Radio Alliance."
"Cumulus Acknowledges HD Malaise"
"An interesting disclosure in Cumulus Media's yearly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission: On March 5, 2009, the Company entered into an amendment to its agreement with iBiquity to reduce the number of planned conversions, extend the build-out schedule, and increase the license fees to be paid for each converted station. In the event the Company does not fulfill the conversion requirements within the period set forth in the agreement or otherwise modify the rollout schedule, once the conversions are completed the Company will be subject to license fees higher than those currently provided for under the agreement. If other broadcasters have similarly downsized their transition-commitments, it does not bode well for HD Radio's long-term prospects."
HD Radio: Traffic
To contact us Click HERE
Google Trends
"Garmin, TomTom in Trouble From Smartphone Add-Ons"
"We have been observing personal navigation device makers for some time now and one has to admit that they are coming under increasing pressure. The portable navigation market includes arch rivals Garmin and TomTom, as well as other smaller players, such MiTAC Digital and Navigon. Since navigation products are given to commoditization, there has always been significant pressure on prices. However, the more immediate threat is Google, which intends to add free turn-by-turn directions to the Google Maps app for smartphones using its Android operating system."
"Navteq Traffic on Garmin Devices Using HD Radio"
"The state of morning gridlock just got a little more real with the introduction of Navteq's real-time traffic via HD Radio -- to be included with Garmin's Nüvi 3490LMT personal navigation device."
"Nokia To Chop 1,300 People From Its Navteq Division"
"But reducing operations in mapping and commerce—divisions that include not only the Navteq mapping business, but location-based services, social media services and mobile commerce operations—raises questions about how well it will be able to differentiate those future products from the many others that will be made on the same platform."
"Clear Channel Partners With MSN For HD Data"
"Clear Channel Radio and Microsoft Corp. announced on Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2007 that they have partnered to build a nationwide data delivery service using HD Radio technology, providing personalized and localized content to a variety of HD Radio receivers. This initiative will be branded MSN Direct HD, an extension of Microsoft's existing MSN Direct service, which currently transmits information including traffic, weather, movie times, sports, and stocks to Smart Watches, weather stations, GPS navigation devices and small home appliances."
"Microsoft Will Shut Down MSN Direct"
"Citing reduced demand and a proliferation of other data technologies, Microsoft will discontinue its MSN Direct datacasting service at the end of 2011. MSN Direct provides location-based services — traffic reports, weather, gas prices, stock quotes — to navigation systems via FM subcarrier signals. After Jan. 1, 2012, navigation devices supporting MSN Direct will continue to be operational as navigation devices but will no longer receive MSN Direct services such as traffic, weather, fuel prices, it stated."
Google Trends
"Garmin, TomTom in Trouble From Smartphone Add-Ons"
"We have been observing personal navigation device makers for some time now and one has to admit that they are coming under increasing pressure. The portable navigation market includes arch rivals Garmin and TomTom, as well as other smaller players, such MiTAC Digital and Navigon. Since navigation products are given to commoditization, there has always been significant pressure on prices. However, the more immediate threat is Google, which intends to add free turn-by-turn directions to the Google Maps app for smartphones using its Android operating system."
"Navteq Traffic on Garmin Devices Using HD Radio"
"The state of morning gridlock just got a little more real with the introduction of Navteq's real-time traffic via HD Radio -- to be included with Garmin's Nüvi 3490LMT personal navigation device."
"Nokia To Chop 1,300 People From Its Navteq Division"
"But reducing operations in mapping and commerce—divisions that include not only the Navteq mapping business, but location-based services, social media services and mobile commerce operations—raises questions about how well it will be able to differentiate those future products from the many others that will be made on the same platform."
"Clear Channel Partners With MSN For HD Data"
"Clear Channel Radio and Microsoft Corp. announced on Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2007 that they have partnered to build a nationwide data delivery service using HD Radio technology, providing personalized and localized content to a variety of HD Radio receivers. This initiative will be branded MSN Direct HD, an extension of Microsoft's existing MSN Direct service, which currently transmits information including traffic, weather, movie times, sports, and stocks to Smart Watches, weather stations, GPS navigation devices and small home appliances."
"Microsoft Will Shut Down MSN Direct"
"Citing reduced demand and a proliferation of other data technologies, Microsoft will discontinue its MSN Direct datacasting service at the end of 2011. MSN Direct provides location-based services — traffic reports, weather, gas prices, stock quotes — to navigation systems via FM subcarrier signals. After Jan. 1, 2012, navigation devices supporting MSN Direct will continue to be operational as navigation devices but will no longer receive MSN Direct services such as traffic, weather, fuel prices, it stated."
HD Radio: Automakers
To contact us Click HERE
Google Trends
"HD Car Radio Investigation"
"The trial lawyers at Keefe Bartels, LLC are currently investigating the marketing and sales of HD car radios by certain car manufacturers. Consumer statutes and laws protect the purchasers of products such as HD car radios. A party may be legally liable for statements, omissions or misrepresentations of material facts that should have been known to be false or misleading and promoted the sale of the product. Such laws protect innocent consumers from unlawful and deceptive practices. The victims of questionable business practices, by parties such automobile manufacturers, are the consumers who purchase or lease cars with HD car radios at significantly increased costs, when these devices fail to function as they are represented to work."
"The People v. HD Radio"
"It's not quite going in that direction - yet - but another law firm has opened an inquiry into 'defective' HD Radio receivers in high-end automobiles. The first firm on the scene, Keefe Bartels, is now soliciting consumer complaints about problems with HD Radio reception. Details are few, but there's always the chance - if a lawsuit is filed - that the plaintiffs could push for class-action status. Both firms appear to be working in concert. That would be a significant nail in iBiquity's coffin: receiver manufacturers, already unenthused with the product, will stay well away from the technology. There's also the possibility that lawsuits could be filed between radio stations suffering interference from other stations that have deployed HD side-channels. Since the FCC is doing nothing with at least three pending complaints, the victim-stations suffering HD-induced interference may have no recourse but the courts. Were any of these legal potentialities to be realized, 'game-changer' is not strong enough to denote the consequences."
"HD Radio Not High Definition"
"Despite iBiquity’s claims of improved sound quality and transmission, there have been numerous complaints about HD Radio not only from the radio industry, but also from consumers. These complaints have included: insufficient numbers of HD Radio stations. Automakers are aware of the complaints associated with HD Radio. For example, in 2007, BMW released a Service Information Bulletin describing the problems associated with HD Radio, but noted that there was no retrofit kit or procedure available. The attorneys at Keefe Bartels are continuing their investigation into HD Radio and whether consumers are being forced to purchase technology that does not work as claimed."
"Ford Begs Broadcasters to Install HD Radio"
September 2011 - "One thing that seems to be missing from the open letter, something mildly important called, disclosure. According to iBiquity’s own website, Ford Motor Company is an investor in the technology. I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but for as long as the iBiquity crew continues to spout disingenuous bullsh!t about their failed technology, I’ll keep posting about it."
"Sirius XM vs. HD Radio: The Battle For the Dashboard"
"First let’s discuss the F-150 and Ford. A quick glance notices that it is never a factory installed option. There is a system with a CD player on the FX 2 model called the 'plus package' that comes with a Sony Radio system that has HD capabilities included in the AM/FM Sirius package already. It’s one radio system that allows all these functionalities. No separate option to install a straight HD radio. Most packages and options are not standard equipment on Ford even on the high end. Nowhere on a Ford website can I see HD radio being advertised."
"Volvo Makes HD Radio Standard Across All Vehicles"
"With our 2010 and 2011 models, Volvo drivers can expect the best in audio quality, more music and news/talk through multicast channels, and advanced data services with scrolling text that shows artist name and title, and much more. This is a huge benefit to all Volvo owners and we’re sure they’ll be pleased, said Doug Speck, President/CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC."
"TSB Titles and Recalls for 2009 and 2010 Volvos"
"TJ20784 MAR 09 Audio System - HD Radio Troubleshooting Guidelines"
"TJ20306 DEC 08 Campaign - HD Radio Software Update"
"Volkswagen to Offer HD Radio Artist Experience"
"Volkswagen will be the first automaker to offer the new HD Radio technology feature called Artist Experience, beginning with the 2012 model year. Select Volkswagen vehicles will offer HD Radio with Artist Experience on the Premium VIII radio."
"Insignia: A Glimpse of Artist Experience"
"Finding an HD Radio station that is transmitting the Artist Experience is rather difficult. Since then I have found a few more stations transmitting album art, but the number of stations encoding it appears limited, the adoption rate among broadcasters extremely slow. Further, your local HD Radio station may be airing Artist Experience images, but you may not notice them immediately. That’s because, according to iBiquity, the album art is only sent once or twice shortly before the next song starts. So, if you tune to a radio station in the middle of the song, you will not see any album art. You will get the Title/Artist/Album text display, but no image until the next song. If the receiver has any data errors during the limited time when the image is being transmitted, the image will not display. In my opinion, this is a big problem."
"Radio’s Revenue Falls Even as Audience Grows"
“HD radio is pretty much going to be nonexistent, because they can’t figure out how to get the auto guys to include that as an option, and the auto guys that do include HD don’t let the consumers know about it, Ms. Ryvicker of Wachovia Capital Markets said."
“DEAD AIR: Radio’s Great Leap Forward Stalling in the Valley”
“Nearly two years after the Valley’s four Clear Channel stations went HD, several high-end car manufacturers have promised to offer HD radios as an option on new models. But while Ford announced in September that it offers the radios as dealer-installed upgrades — as have Mini, Volvo, Jaguar and BMW — local Ford and Lincoln dealers had not heard of HD and said they don’t offer the option.”
"More car makers offer HD Radio, but can you actually buy it?"
"After reading a recent Radio World article, I wonder if at least part of the blame is due to the difficulty of actually buying the option. Writer Thomas R. Ray III, who is normally a cheerleader for HD Radio, recounts the difficulty he faced in getting an HD receiver in his brand new Ford Escape. It turns out the Ford dealership had never heard of HD Radio, and so he ended up with a factory-installed analog radio."
"Car Industry: Gaps in Digital Coverage Major Deterrent"
"The message from the car industry seems clear – why should they risk their reputations by installing DAB radios that will suffer poor reception due to lack of a robust DAB radio transmission system in the UK? The bigger question is – why would consumers pay extra for a DAB car radio that offers increasingly little additional mainstream content over a standard FM radio?"
"Dragging the DAB chain"
"Kudos to Ford for including DAB radio as standard in the new C-Max minivan line - now with a seven-seat Grand version due on sale here in the UK next month. Joining Mini which announced back in February it too would be standardising Digital Audio Broadcasting, our equivalent of HD Radio in the US. It's usually a ridiculously costly factory option - GB39.95 for a passable portable radio at Tesco; GBP300 more on the bill for your new Jaguar; GBP100-300 on other Fords, for example."
Google Trends
"HD Car Radio Investigation"
"The trial lawyers at Keefe Bartels, LLC are currently investigating the marketing and sales of HD car radios by certain car manufacturers. Consumer statutes and laws protect the purchasers of products such as HD car radios. A party may be legally liable for statements, omissions or misrepresentations of material facts that should have been known to be false or misleading and promoted the sale of the product. Such laws protect innocent consumers from unlawful and deceptive practices. The victims of questionable business practices, by parties such automobile manufacturers, are the consumers who purchase or lease cars with HD car radios at significantly increased costs, when these devices fail to function as they are represented to work."
"The People v. HD Radio"
"It's not quite going in that direction - yet - but another law firm has opened an inquiry into 'defective' HD Radio receivers in high-end automobiles. The first firm on the scene, Keefe Bartels, is now soliciting consumer complaints about problems with HD Radio reception. Details are few, but there's always the chance - if a lawsuit is filed - that the plaintiffs could push for class-action status. Both firms appear to be working in concert. That would be a significant nail in iBiquity's coffin: receiver manufacturers, already unenthused with the product, will stay well away from the technology. There's also the possibility that lawsuits could be filed between radio stations suffering interference from other stations that have deployed HD side-channels. Since the FCC is doing nothing with at least three pending complaints, the victim-stations suffering HD-induced interference may have no recourse but the courts. Were any of these legal potentialities to be realized, 'game-changer' is not strong enough to denote the consequences."
"HD Radio Not High Definition"
"Despite iBiquity’s claims of improved sound quality and transmission, there have been numerous complaints about HD Radio not only from the radio industry, but also from consumers. These complaints have included: insufficient numbers of HD Radio stations. Automakers are aware of the complaints associated with HD Radio. For example, in 2007, BMW released a Service Information Bulletin describing the problems associated with HD Radio, but noted that there was no retrofit kit or procedure available. The attorneys at Keefe Bartels are continuing their investigation into HD Radio and whether consumers are being forced to purchase technology that does not work as claimed."
"Ford Begs Broadcasters to Install HD Radio"
September 2011 - "One thing that seems to be missing from the open letter, something mildly important called, disclosure. According to iBiquity’s own website, Ford Motor Company is an investor in the technology. I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but for as long as the iBiquity crew continues to spout disingenuous bullsh!t about their failed technology, I’ll keep posting about it."
"Sirius XM vs. HD Radio: The Battle For the Dashboard"
"First let’s discuss the F-150 and Ford. A quick glance notices that it is never a factory installed option. There is a system with a CD player on the FX 2 model called the 'plus package' that comes with a Sony Radio system that has HD capabilities included in the AM/FM Sirius package already. It’s one radio system that allows all these functionalities. No separate option to install a straight HD radio. Most packages and options are not standard equipment on Ford even on the high end. Nowhere on a Ford website can I see HD radio being advertised."
"Volvo Makes HD Radio Standard Across All Vehicles"
"With our 2010 and 2011 models, Volvo drivers can expect the best in audio quality, more music and news/talk through multicast channels, and advanced data services with scrolling text that shows artist name and title, and much more. This is a huge benefit to all Volvo owners and we’re sure they’ll be pleased, said Doug Speck, President/CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, LLC."
"TSB Titles and Recalls for 2009 and 2010 Volvos"
"TJ20784 MAR 09 Audio System - HD Radio Troubleshooting Guidelines"
"TJ20306 DEC 08 Campaign - HD Radio Software Update"
"Volkswagen to Offer HD Radio Artist Experience"
"Volkswagen will be the first automaker to offer the new HD Radio technology feature called Artist Experience, beginning with the 2012 model year. Select Volkswagen vehicles will offer HD Radio with Artist Experience on the Premium VIII radio."
"Insignia: A Glimpse of Artist Experience"
"Finding an HD Radio station that is transmitting the Artist Experience is rather difficult. Since then I have found a few more stations transmitting album art, but the number of stations encoding it appears limited, the adoption rate among broadcasters extremely slow. Further, your local HD Radio station may be airing Artist Experience images, but you may not notice them immediately. That’s because, according to iBiquity, the album art is only sent once or twice shortly before the next song starts. So, if you tune to a radio station in the middle of the song, you will not see any album art. You will get the Title/Artist/Album text display, but no image until the next song. If the receiver has any data errors during the limited time when the image is being transmitted, the image will not display. In my opinion, this is a big problem."
"Radio’s Revenue Falls Even as Audience Grows"
“HD radio is pretty much going to be nonexistent, because they can’t figure out how to get the auto guys to include that as an option, and the auto guys that do include HD don’t let the consumers know about it, Ms. Ryvicker of Wachovia Capital Markets said."
“DEAD AIR: Radio’s Great Leap Forward Stalling in the Valley”
“Nearly two years after the Valley’s four Clear Channel stations went HD, several high-end car manufacturers have promised to offer HD radios as an option on new models. But while Ford announced in September that it offers the radios as dealer-installed upgrades — as have Mini, Volvo, Jaguar and BMW — local Ford and Lincoln dealers had not heard of HD and said they don’t offer the option.”
"More car makers offer HD Radio, but can you actually buy it?"
"After reading a recent Radio World article, I wonder if at least part of the blame is due to the difficulty of actually buying the option. Writer Thomas R. Ray III, who is normally a cheerleader for HD Radio, recounts the difficulty he faced in getting an HD receiver in his brand new Ford Escape. It turns out the Ford dealership had never heard of HD Radio, and so he ended up with a factory-installed analog radio."
"Car Industry: Gaps in Digital Coverage Major Deterrent"
"The message from the car industry seems clear – why should they risk their reputations by installing DAB radios that will suffer poor reception due to lack of a robust DAB radio transmission system in the UK? The bigger question is – why would consumers pay extra for a DAB car radio that offers increasingly little additional mainstream content over a standard FM radio?"
"Dragging the DAB chain"
"Kudos to Ford for including DAB radio as standard in the new C-Max minivan line - now with a seven-seat Grand version due on sale here in the UK next month. Joining Mini which announced back in February it too would be standardising Digital Audio Broadcasting, our equivalent of HD Radio in the US. It's usually a ridiculously costly factory option - GB39.95 for a passable portable radio at Tesco; GBP300 more on the bill for your new Jaguar; GBP100-300 on other Fords, for example."
To contact us Click HERE
Stations cover the 4th
If you go the most traditional route of listening Boston Pops Esplanade concert on the Fourth of July on your radio, then you'll have three local outlets available for your audio pleasure - WCRB 99.5, WGBH 89.7 and WBZ 1030. All three stations will broadcast tomorrow's concert which this year starts 10 minutes early, at 8:20pm, with our national anthem and a flyover of F-15 Eagles by the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in Westfield. In addition to all the Boston Pops' standards like "1812 Overture"(to be played at 9:30pm), the 39th edition of the July 4th program will feature Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award- winning recording singer, Jennifer Hudson, Boston rockers Dropkick Murphys, and cast members of the hit Broadway musical MAMMA MIA! will be performing ABBA's “Dancing Queen” and “The Winner Takes It All.”WCRB 99.5's live broadcast will begin at 6 pm with Laura Carlo and Ron Della Chiesa sharing special features, interviews and Pops recordings, all leading up to the concert at 8:20pm. Sister station WGBH 89.7 will join the concert simulcast at 8pm. Listeners outside the region can hear the broadcast on classicalnewengland.org until 11 pm.Over on the AM band, WBZ 1030 broadcast will begin at 7 PM and will be hosted by Jordan Rich and morning anchor Joe Mathieu. A live streaming audiocast of the concert will be available on-lne at www.cbsboston.com. For those with HD radios, WBZ 1030 can also be heard on WBZ 98.5's HD3 stream.BRW Notebook :New kids on the block : As mentioned in this space last week(BRW 6/25), Boston.com is now in the proces of launching its live streaming alternative rock station which will directly compete with WFNX.com when WFNX 101.7 ends its terrestrial broadcast at month's end.
Boston.com's new venture is named "Radio BDC"(BDC stands for "BostonDotCom', of course) and began to roll out its content last Thursday(6/28) with a new blog and a Twitter feed at @RadioBDC. "RadioBDC" is being led by former WFNX program director Paul Driscoll and will feature on-air staff of former 'FNXers Henry Santoro(morning), Julie Kramer(middays) and Adam 12(afternoons). While the debaters debate the future success of RadioBDC's venture, on the other end of the digital spectrum, WFNX.com will keep rocking with its established brand and will have DJ's Jim Ryan and Jason Layne providing musical play-by-play.
Climbing up that Hill : The morning drive's radio survivor club in Boston has a very limited membership. Only two other radio shows have managed to stick around longer on the same frequency than WAAF's Greg "Hill-Man" Hill. There are Matt Siegel on WXKS/Kiss 108 and, of course, "Loren and Wally"(aka Loren Owens and Wally Brine) on WROR 105.7 who have been working the morning shift at their respective stations since 1981. Looks like Hill's morning streak which began in 1989 will continue for the foreseeable future. Last week, Entercom Boston announced that it has signed Hill to a long-term extension that will keep him on-air and in mornings with WAAF 107.3 through 2017. Hill has been with WAAF for 26 years, last 23 years as host of the “Hill-Man Morning Show”.
Remixing the schedule : As mentioned in this space a couple weeks ago(BRW 6/20), one of the nation's premiere public broadcasters, WGBH 89.7 will become exclusively news and public affairs stations during weekday hours starting next Monday(7/9). The long-running weekday evening and overnight Jazz programming will be contracted and will only be air on weekends where other musical and non-musical special interest programming is already heard. WGBH had already moved out its weekday morning and afternoon classical music programming to WCRB 99.5 when it acquired the signal back in 2009(BRW 11/30/09).
New WGBH line-up will look like this starting on Monday(7/9) :
12am-5am - Public Radio Exchange's Remix
5am-6am - BBC World Service
6am-10am - Morning Edition
10am-11am - The Diane Rehhm Show
11am-12pm - Takeaway
12pm-2pm -Boston Public Radio(Emily Rooney at 12, Callie Crossley at 1)
2pm-3pm - Tell Me More
3pm-4pm - The World
4pm-6pm - All Things Considered
6pm-6:30pm - Marketplace
6:30-7pm - All Things Considered
7pm-8pm - PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
8pm-9pm - The World(replay)
9pm-11pm - Boston Public Radio(replay)
11pm-12am - The Story
If you go the most traditional route of listening Boston Pops Esplanade concert on the Fourth of July on your radio, then you'll have three local outlets available for your audio pleasure - WCRB 99.5, WGBH 89.7 and WBZ 1030. All three stations will broadcast tomorrow's concert which this year starts 10 minutes early, at 8:20pm, with our national anthem and a flyover of F-15 Eagles by the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in Westfield. In addition to all the Boston Pops' standards like "1812 Overture"(to be played at 9:30pm), the 39th edition of the July 4th program will feature Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award- winning recording singer, Jennifer Hudson, Boston rockers Dropkick Murphys, and cast members of the hit Broadway musical MAMMA MIA! will be performing ABBA's “Dancing Queen” and “The Winner Takes It All.”WCRB 99.5's live broadcast will begin at 6 pm with Laura Carlo and Ron Della Chiesa sharing special features, interviews and Pops recordings, all leading up to the concert at 8:20pm. Sister station WGBH 89.7 will join the concert simulcast at 8pm. Listeners outside the region can hear the broadcast on classicalnewengland.org until 11 pm.Over on the AM band, WBZ 1030 broadcast will begin at 7 PM and will be hosted by Jordan Rich and morning anchor Joe Mathieu. A live streaming audiocast of the concert will be available on-lne at www.cbsboston.com. For those with HD radios, WBZ 1030 can also be heard on WBZ 98.5's HD3 stream.BRW Notebook :New kids on the block : As mentioned in this space last week(BRW 6/25), Boston.com is now in the proces of launching its live streaming alternative rock station which will directly compete with WFNX.com when WFNX 101.7 ends its terrestrial broadcast at month's end.
Boston.com's new venture is named "Radio BDC"(BDC stands for "BostonDotCom', of course) and began to roll out its content last Thursday(6/28) with a new blog and a Twitter feed at @RadioBDC. "RadioBDC" is being led by former WFNX program director Paul Driscoll and will feature on-air staff of former 'FNXers Henry Santoro(morning), Julie Kramer(middays) and Adam 12(afternoons). While the debaters debate the future success of RadioBDC's venture, on the other end of the digital spectrum, WFNX.com will keep rocking with its established brand and will have DJ's Jim Ryan and Jason Layne providing musical play-by-play.
Climbing up that Hill : The morning drive's radio survivor club in Boston has a very limited membership. Only two other radio shows have managed to stick around longer on the same frequency than WAAF's Greg "Hill-Man" Hill. There are Matt Siegel on WXKS/Kiss 108 and, of course, "Loren and Wally"(aka Loren Owens and Wally Brine) on WROR 105.7 who have been working the morning shift at their respective stations since 1981. Looks like Hill's morning streak which began in 1989 will continue for the foreseeable future. Last week, Entercom Boston announced that it has signed Hill to a long-term extension that will keep him on-air and in mornings with WAAF 107.3 through 2017. Hill has been with WAAF for 26 years, last 23 years as host of the “Hill-Man Morning Show”.
Remixing the schedule : As mentioned in this space a couple weeks ago(BRW 6/20), one of the nation's premiere public broadcasters, WGBH 89.7 will become exclusively news and public affairs stations during weekday hours starting next Monday(7/9). The long-running weekday evening and overnight Jazz programming will be contracted and will only be air on weekends where other musical and non-musical special interest programming is already heard. WGBH had already moved out its weekday morning and afternoon classical music programming to WCRB 99.5 when it acquired the signal back in 2009(BRW 11/30/09).
New WGBH line-up will look like this starting on Monday(7/9) :
12am-5am - Public Radio Exchange's Remix
5am-6am - BBC World Service
6am-10am - Morning Edition
10am-11am - The Diane Rehhm Show
11am-12pm - Takeaway
12pm-2pm -Boston Public Radio(Emily Rooney at 12, Callie Crossley at 1)
2pm-3pm - Tell Me More
3pm-4pm - The World
4pm-6pm - All Things Considered
6pm-6:30pm - Marketplace
6:30-7pm - All Things Considered
7pm-8pm - PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
8pm-9pm - The World(replay)
9pm-11pm - Boston Public Radio(replay)
11pm-12am - The Story
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