Latest Bob Struble Column

[Play Freebird]

He repeatedly mentions "AM-FM", but the examples he provides (Zune, Insignia, and Nano) lack AM capability. I guess we're supposed to feel reassured that Bob hasn't forgotten that AM exists, although I wish the HD proponents would forget about mediumwave IBOC and push for an open source VHF digital band for AM licensees.

He also takes credit for the iPod tagging idea (see Post Script) -- when, in fact, RDS has offered the capability to transmit PAD for years, along with real-time traffic (an RDS traffic message channel display is already a standard feature in many European cars). In my opinion, RDS implementation in the US was stifled by the big promises of IBOC proponents, few of which have been fulfilled. If we hadn't been misled, these features would be commonplace today.

Give it a read and let me know what you think:

http://www.ibiquity.com/about_us/bobs_column_thoughts_on_radios_digital_future

Radio Ink reports incorrectly that the new iPod Nano receives HD:

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1494884&spid=24698

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Interesting...

So to review, what was until five short years ago a reliable 35 million units a year of portable AM/FM receiver sales is now 5 million. Competition in the form of MP3 players and mobile phones has basically eliminated the category of portable radios. Transistor radios, headset radios and the like are passé.

Thanks, Bob Struble for proving HD radio will not save AM or FM, but streaming your stations might.

If this dramatic trend is not addressed, radio risks becoming a second class citizen. If consumers buy fewer and fewer AM/FM receivers, over time there will be a lot fewer devices delivering the product, which has to mean less time spent listening. Portables represent radio's future. To stay ubiquitous, to maintain its reach, radio must be on the devices that people carry. As the numbers show, with the major digital advances of the last several years, AM/FM has been getting trounced in the portables battle.

Digital radio and "on demand" streaming are already available from many of these new devices through wireless internet streaming. No need for limited, defective, problematic HD Radio. Just stream your stations. Problem solved, now.

Why wait for the increasingly unlikely event that problematic, unappealing HD radio will be included in some far distant future devices?

As you say Bob "Got to Be There: Why Portables Really, Really Matter"

Don't forget, internet streaming already provides full digital quality, on demand availability, iTunes tagging, video, tune titles, album art, "buy now" buttons, data, recording, saving, requests, individually customized programming, 2 way communication, wide coverage and availability that HD radio can never match. All this while not compromising analog broadcasting with digital hiss.


Link:
http://www.ibiquity.com/about_us/bobs_column_thoughts_on_radios_digital_future

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Did I mention internet streaming's, instant accurate audience demographics, ratings, and feedback?

No need to wait for "portable people meters", diaries, or settle for delayed broad audience "guess-timates".

 

[HowardMBurgers]

And exactly how does live streaming provide demographic information? Using some of the web analytics such as those available from Akamai, Google, etc., track IP address, location and even what browser they're using, but hardly demographics.

 

[Chuck]

And exactly how does live streaming provide demographic information? Using some of the web analytics such as those available from Akamai, Google, etc., track IP address, location and even what browser they're using, but hardly demographics.

No, but at least you know how many people are listening and where they are. If you play something that makes the numbers go down as you watch, that is very useful instant feedback.

 

[Tom Wells]

And exactly how does live streaming provide demographic information? Using some of the web analytics such as those available from Akamai, Google, etc., track IP address, location and even what browser they're using, but hardly demographics.

No, but at least you know how many people are listening and where they are. If you play something that makes the numbers go down as you watch, that is very useful instant feedback.

Sometimes, you want numbers to go down, because you want to make sure you've got the right audience.
WFMU stated in a blog somewhere that when they played the Happy Flowers song " I Wanna Watch Cartoons", they were indundated with calls to "make it stop, NOW, please, we can't take any more". So they kept playing it. Because they're not an easy listening station.
They WANT to weed out the listeners who should be listening to another station, where the listening isn't so challenging.
To me, this is having integrity and remaining idealistic.

PAD data still can't help me find a good used 78 rpm copy of a Ted Weems song, can it?

 

[SUPERCASTER]

http://www.andomedia.com/svc_podfuse.aspx

 

[HowardMBurgers]

http://www.andomedia.com/svc_podfuse.aspx

That's just another web analytics company. They still can't track accurate demographics unless the end users are willing to provide their sex and age. Even then, most people who would be willing to register for access to a site would fill out bogus information. Most web users avoid 'opt-in' situations to avoid spam or being bothered when their information is sold to the highest bidder. And who could blame them?

 

[SUPERCASTER]

http://www.andomedia.com/svc_podfuse.aspx

That's just another web analytics company. They still can't track accurate demographics unless the end users are willing to provide their sex and age. Even then, most people who would be willing to register for access to a site would fill out bogus information. Most web users avoid 'opt-in' situations to avoid spam or being bothered when their information is sold to the highest bidder. And who could blame them?

Your "bogus information" supposition could apply to almost any type of polling. Are you against polling?

I don't believe the "millions sold" HD radio promoters are peddling. I have seen no evidence to support their claims.

A recent visit to a Radio Shack revealed a closeout for the Jensen HD clock radio at $99. Limited to store stock.

 

[HowardMBurgers]

Your "bogus information" supposition could apply to almost any type of polling. Are you against polling?

Depending on the methodology, I'm against polling if the sample is small or the distribution skewed. For example, a political poll conducted by FOX Cable news would be skewed toward a right-leaning opinion, just as a MSNBC poll left.

If I were to ask about how one liked HD radio on this particular forum the chorus of regular contributors, such as yourself, would chime in with strictly negative comments. Would that be a accurate statistical view of the state of domestic HD radio? Of course not. However if one were to ask 10,000 average radio listeners nation wide with no connection to the radio business, whom fell into the 12 year old to 75 year old demographic, THEN you would have an adequate sample in which to develop accurate data and opinion.

I don't believe the "millions sold" HD radio promoters are peddling. I have seen no evidence to support their claims.

A recent visit to a Radio Shack revealed a closeout for the Jensen HD clock radio at $99. Limited to store stock.

I don't believe their claims either, any more than I believe you (an individual who regularly posts negative comments), are providing an objective and typical opinion on behalf of 10,000 typical radio listeners.

I have asked representitives of Ibquity for sales or manufacturing data to back up their claims, but the response is always that they don't have it. In my view their statement lacks credibility, strictly because they shouldn't be quoting numbers they don't have. A double negative really.

 

[Savage]

There is a logical/illogical construct called the "negative pregnant" which in essence says, what you DON'T say when pressed on a particular subject is far more significant than what you DO say. It's a useful tool when listening, for example, to politicians making grandiose claims for the latest expensive and intrusive government boondoggle.

It's kind of like when you asked your buddy in college about the blind date he's fixed you up with:

"What does she look like?" "You're gonna have a great time. What a personality." "Yeah, but is she pretty?" "Laugh! You're gonna laugh all night! What a sense of humor!" "Is she tall? Blond hair?" "And DANCE! I'm tellin' ya, this girl can dance!" Etc.

Thus: hey iBiquity, how many freakin' HD Radios have been sold already???

And what do you get? Chipsets sold. Individual SKU numbers for HD products. Marvelous new armband portables. New lower power chipsets coming. Chipsets in warehouses. Etc.

It's ludicrous: of course iBiquity and the Alliance know how many (few) HD Radios have been sold (also how many have been returned.) In order to make and market any consumer item, manufacturers simply have to know their sales figures. There just isn't a competent company out there who literally has no idea how much they're selling. If there were, they wouldn't be around long.

I can tell you within $1000 how much my station has billed so far this year. Without taking 12 seconds to look it up, I might add.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Reply to "HowardMBurgers":
Using your example, poll 10,000 typical radio listeners and I'll bet most have heard of HD radio, yet few to none actually own one.
That speaks volumes.

Apparently you question my comments because you view them as entirely negative. Yet it's positive news for most stations and listeners I'm reporting. The HD radio hiss and interference will likely not last forever. The sooner it's gone the better, for almost all concerned.