• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Days of broadcast radio are waning

The assumption being that there will be absolutely no mass market and everyone will have their own hyper-niche. Even after all these years, the big four networks still get the biggest shares of TV viewing, and I believe radio will be much the same. Not that programming may not have to adjust.
 
> The assumption being that there will be absolutely no mass
> market and everyone will have their own hyper-niche. Even
> after all these years, the big four networks still get the
> biggest shares of TV viewing, and I believe radio will be
> much the same. Not that programming may not have to adjust.

I think the big appeal here will be being able to listen to broadcast stations halfway across the country in crystal-clear stereo (assuming these stations begin streaming in high-quality audio). I for one have been looking forward to this for years, waiting to be able to take WPOW with me anywhere I go. I've known it's been coming for years, I've just been waiting for it. It think that is the type of thing that people will want... being able to listen to their favorite hometown stations no matter where they go.<P ID="signature">______________
"Congratulations to Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, they had a baby yesterday. Spears said he sleeps 18 hours a day and so does the baby.
-- Conan O'Brien
http://theradioblog.blogspot.com</P>
 
It's not the medium, it's the message

The delivery system is undergoing a radical change. As high-speed wireless Internet access becomes more widely available, devices like the one described above will be the price range of today's walkmans. Think iPod recorder with built-in Internet radio tuner.

Radio, and TV stations, still have the facilities to create content. Broadcasters who are live and local will have a new way of distributing content, and likely a whole new revenue source since they'll be stripping out the broadcast commercials and adding their own "stream commercial" content.

Want to serve a niche market? The local mid-day guy VTs his "I Love U2" channel, brought to you by "Bono's Bodegas & Alternate Fuel Stations" - as well as his regular mid-day show. People with ad budgets that are slightly smaller than the GNP of a Pacific island nation will be able to get back into the broadcast advertising game.

Existing broadcasters have a big leg up on the competition because they have the sales and support staffs already in place to sell the new content. Facilites and equipment costs are low, additional content won't necessarily mean a lot of additional dollars for talent, and one more product line is added to the existing sales peoples rate card.

For the rest of us, it might be fun to get a bunch of old radio geeks (programming and sales) together, put on an on-line radio station, and go beat up those young whippersnappers.

Oops. I think I've just revealed my secret retirement plan to the world.
 
Re: It's not the medium, it's the message

I am not sure if this is off topic: What is needed is a car radio that plays internet stations. As long as internet can not be tuned in the car,traditional broadcast stations will have a market among the drivers.


> The delivery system is undergoing a radical change. As
> high-speed wireless Internet access becomes more widely
> available, devices like the one described above will be the
> price range of today's walkmans. Think iPod recorder with
> built-in Internet radio tuner.
>
> Radio, and TV stations, still have the facilities to create
> content. Broadcasters who are live and local will have a new
> way of distributing content, and likely a whole new revenue
> source since they'll be stripping out the broadcast
> commercials and adding their own "stream commercial"
> content.
>
> Want to serve a niche market? The local mid-day guy VTs his
> "I Love U2" channel, brought to you by "Bono's Bodegas &
> Alternate Fuel Stations" - as well as his regular mid-day
> show. People with ad budgets that are slightly smaller than
> the GNP of a Pacific island nation will be able to get back
> into the broadcast advertising game.
>
> Existing broadcasters have a big leg up on the competition
> because they have the sales and support staffs already in
> place to sell the new content. Facilites and equipment costs
> are low, additional content won't necessarily mean a lot of
> additional dollars for talent, and one more product line is
> added to the existing sales peoples rate card.
>
> For the rest of us, it might be fun to get a bunch of old
> radio geeks (programming and sales) together, put on an
> on-line radio station, and go beat up those young
> whippersnappers.
>
> Oops. I think I've just revealed my secret retirement plan
> to the world.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
 
Re: It's not the medium, it's the message

> I am not sure if this is off topic: What is needed is a car
> radio that plays internet stations. As long as internet can
> not be tuned in the car,traditional broadcast stations will
> have a market among the drivers.

The comment is very much on-topic, and I agree.

Obviously, though, the challenge in creating such a device is to make it as user-friendly as a traditional car radio. Given that Internet stations do not have a "broadcast frequency", how do you create the functionality of a "tuner"?<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: It's not the medium, it's the message

> how do you create the functionality of a
> "tuner"?
>
Some company would need to monopolize Internet radio and set up a directory...which sets the chains in motion for Internet Radio to repeat the events that lead to FM radio being what it is now.
 
Internet "Tuner"

> > how do you create the functionality of a
> > "tuner"?

How do you add a "favorite" to your browser? Right now, you can buy a car with GPS and a touch screen. You'll have wireless Internet available in your car. Plug in the keyboard and type in a URL. Program virtual buttons on a touch screen with your favorite Internet music streams? Add as many menu pages as you like. It really wouldn't have to be much different than satellite radio.
 
Re: Internet "Tuner"

> Plug in the
> keyboard and type in a URL. Program virtual buttons on a
> touch screen with your favorite Internet music streams? Add
> as many menu pages as you like. It really wouldn't have to
> be much different than satellite radio.

I think you're close.

First off we'd need universally available wireless Internet and
that's not here yet. Coming, though, for most...but not ALL parts
of the country. So any such radio would also need to be able to
tune conventional stations where no wireless exists or, indeed,
anywhere.

Next, the keyboard would be a major turn-off. Awkward to use in
a car. But how about a radio with a sort of USB port on the front
and a software package that lets you make up your URL list on your
home computer and transfer it using a "key" that matches the port.
It probably should not be a "normal" USB port. Software could
allow you to map URL's to some number of buttons, with a multi-
layer "shift" as now exists.

Finally, the touch screen might exist but, for safety, there'd need
to be tactile buttons so the driver doesn't have to focus on a
touch-screen for on/off, station change, volume control. Especially
important since this thing would cost big bucks initially and a
somewhat older market than usual would have the bucks to buy it in
their upscale cars. Of course some older drivers (35+ is old these
days) are sufficiently computer skookum.....

Definitely something to think about!
<P ID="signature">______________
"Only sick music makes money today."
--Friedrich Nietzsch (he said this before
rap was invented, or even rock!)</P>
 
Re: Internet "Tuner"

> > > how do you create the functionality of a
> > > "tuner"?
>
> How do you add a "favorite" to your browser? Right now, you
> can buy a car with GPS and a touch screen. You'll have
> wireless Internet available in your car. Plug in the
> keyboard and type in a URL. Program virtual buttons on a
> touch screen with your favorite Internet music streams? Add
> as many menu pages as you like. It really wouldn't have to
> be much different than satellite radio.

But will car owners see that as being too complicated to set up? Even satellite radio is easier to configure on a car radio than what you describe.
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom