"Local" may not be your salvation...

[Kelly A]

Which advertisers? Not much retail advertising these days. Nobody is going to subsidize buying radios for the entire population.

Exactly. Something like this was done back in the 70's. Over 50% of the free radios ended up in the trash. Can you imagine in a smartphone world who would be interested in a free radio?

 

[Kelly A]

I have on the street daily knowledge and actual results that say differently. Truly we are an oddity in the current state of radio. Strong sense of community among locals really helps.

Again this is great and all, but somewhat anecdotal and not the norm.

 

[TheBigA]

Something like this was done back in the 70's.

Back then, there still was an American electronics business, although it was declining.

There was a time when radio was new technology. The technology companies of the day invested in radio, and they made radios that people wanted to buy. All that ended in the 80s. There hasn't been a new radio like the Walkman since then. Unless you want to count the Zune.

 

[kfbkfb]

I was thinking along the lines of a generic AM (w/noise blanking & ~5kHz audio bandwidth) + FM (local/distant switch) radio, the radio could be designed to work with just 1 AA battery (and operate for a long time on this 1 battery) and be styled similar to a smartphone.

The radio station(s) & sponsor(s) logos would be printed on the packaging only, the radio could be given away nationwide by various radio stations (or related companies) and maybe sold at the various "Dollar" stores for ~$5.


IIRC, that's the whole idea of putting the complexity (of broadcasting in this case) at the broadcasting end and using a system that can have very low cost receivers, AM and FM receivers are mature tech (take what's been learned about AM and FM reception in the past >100 years, boil it down to an IC and mass produce it), this low cost receiving circuit could also be used in home audio systems, to make sure that AM and FM is included in even the least expensive home audio system.


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

IIRC, that's the whole idea of putting the complexity (of broadcasting in this case) at the broadcasting end and using a system that can have very low cost receivers

After a number of years, banging one's head against the wall every day trying to fix a problem that's outside the industry starts to hurt. You need willing partners on a mass scale for your idea to work, and there are no willing partners on a mass scale any more.

Radio is not one thing. It's an industry run by hundreds or more companies each with their own ideas. The electronics business is also not one thing. What makes it worse is it's not American any more. So it's next to impossible to get anyone to move in the same direction.

This is why most people in the radio industry have realized the only workable solution is to transition users to streaming apps and leave the transmitters and towers to the federal government. For now, streaming is mostly unregulated, and once you get past the music royalties issue, it's a whole lot easier.

 

[xmtrland]

I was thinking along the lines of a generic AM (w/noise blanking & ~5kHz audio bandwidth) + FM (local/distant switch) radio, the radio could be designed to work with just 1 AA battery (and operate for a long time on this 1 battery) and be styled similar to a smartphone.

The radio station(s) & sponsor(s) logos would be printed on the packaging only, the radio could be given away nationwide by various radio stations (or related companies) and maybe sold at the various "Dollar" stores for ~$5.


IIRC, that's the whole idea of putting the complexity (of broadcasting in this case) at the broadcasting end and using a system that can have very low cost receivers, AM and FM receivers are mature tech (take what's been learned about AM and FM reception in the past >100 years, boil it down to an IC and mass produce it), this low cost receiving circuit could also be used in home audio systems, to make sure that AM and FM is included in even the least expensive home audio system.


Kirk Bayne

So now your talking about Design work, More money spent.

I think you should put your money where your mouth is. Buy an AM and FM station any where in the USA and put your ideas into affect. Show us stupid broadcasters what we are doing wrong and how to do it right.

 

[TheBigA]

So now your talking about Design work, More money spent.

I think it was Eric Rhodes at RadioInk who had a similar idea years ago for HD Radio. He bought a bunch of small red HD radios, called them Big Red, and offered them to radio stations to give out as promotional items.

 

[kfbkfb]

Once such an IC was developed, that's the end, just manufacture radios, I don't see any harm in giving away radios, AFAIK, it's one of the few products/services where giving away a (low cost) device to the end users can help the whole commercial broadcasting infrastructure.


Kirk Bayne

 

[gr8oldies]

Once such an IC was developed, that's the end, just manufacture radios, I don't see any harm in giving away radios, AFAIK, it's one of the few products/services where giving away a (low cost) device to the end users can help the whole commercial broadcasting infrastructure.


Kirk Bayne

In my wildest dreams I don't see masses of people toting their phones and a radio

 

[Kelly A]

In my wildest dreams I don't see masses of people toting their phones and a radio

Yep, if it's not an app that's on one's phone, the idea is completely DOA.

 

[Oldbones]

Earlier, comments about the ratings being misleading, that it appears we aren't the market leader. Say what you want. You haven't a clue. Come here. Walk in businesses. Ask people. You will be hard pressed to find anyone that do not know KGAF. You'll find KGAF is played in businesses easily 2 to 1. I have had two advertisers this week alone sign annuals with me. I'm always interested in coordinating advertising so all the marketing venues you use work together for your benefit. These two this week, and this is easily the case 50% of the time, the business advertises exclusively with us. I've not seen that before. And we work our butts off to maintain that. The fact is we are the first choice for advertising and the only place to get information happening in the area. Right now we are winning by a long shot and trying to increase that distance. You can say we're not #1 but that's your ignorance. I have on the street daily knowledge and actual results that say differently. Truly we are an oddity in the current state of radio. Strong sense of community among locals really helps.

Kind of strong language isn't it?
No, I'm not familiar with your market, and have never even been in Texas but I worked in the radio biz for over 40 years so I'm far from ignorant. I'm just going by the ratings excerpt posted on your website. Clearly, a lot of "somebodies" are listening to WBAP and WRR, and they're listening for a long time, that's all I was saying.
I usually just lurk here, and generally consider you to be one of the "voices of reason" here, just didn't realize you were so thin skinned.
Back into the cave...

 

[TheBigA]

Once such an IC was developed, that's the end, just manufacture radios, I don't see any harm in giving away radios,

Get started. Let me know how it goes. No harm in giving away radios, as long as someone has unlimited money.

You should go to Ukraine and solve all of their problems.

 

[kfbkfb]

It's only because of the simplicity of AM and FM receivers and low cost mass production that this type of thing becomes possible.


Sony evidently saw a profit potential in developing a new pocket AM/FM radio (mentioned in an earlier post). I haven't checked Amazon to see if this Sony radio is sold Worldwide.


I don't know the advertising $/listener/year, if its over $3/listener/year, then it seems like that $3 could be spent (one year) to do a radio (and 1 battery) giveaway.


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

I don't know the advertising $/listener/year, if its over $3/listener/year, then it seems like that $3 could be spent (one year) to do a radio (and 1 battery) giveaway.

So let's see...radio reaches 92% of the population, that's 276 million people. Multiply by $3 per person, and that's $828 million.

No problem. I'll write you a check.

 

[Miss Tuned]

This was a really interesting topic about the place of local radio in the media landscape until it was derailed into a dull discussion of the radio receiver manufacturing process.

 

[michael hagerty]

I think it was Eric Rhodes at RadioInk who had a similar idea years ago for HD Radio. He bought a bunch of small red HD radios, called them Big Red, and offered them to radio stations to give out as promotional items.

They did it 40 years ago, too---AM stereo radios---giveaways, hoping that if people could HEAR AM stereo, they'd get excited. Didn't work then either.

 

[kwthom]

This was a really interesting topic about the place of local radio in the media landscape until it was derailed into a dull discussion of the radio receiver manufacturing process.

Sorry - let's solve Kirk's current problem with just one post.

<...>using a system that can have very low cost receivers, AM and FM receivers are mature tech (take what's been learned about AM and FM reception in the past >100 years, boil it down to an IC and mass produce it), this low cost receiving circuit could also be used in home audio systems, to make sure that AM and FM is included in even the least expensive home audio system.

Newsflash: Your IC - it's been done and available since 2014.

https://www.mouser.com/new/skyworks-solutions/skyworks-si468x-receiver/#Bullet-2

That's just with a 30 second search online.

The feasibility of your idea (not original, sadly...) isn't due to technology.

It's due to reality.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Then again, are you going to carry that new radio AND your phone?

Not a chance. I’m sorry, but the idea is just not practical nor meaningful.

 

[kfbkfb]

I didn't check, it did seem like an obvious thing to do - AM and FM broadcasting standards have been set for (in AM) over a century, but back to the regularly scheduled thread...


Kirk Bayne

 

[Kelly A]

This was a really interesting topic about the place of local radio in the media landscape until it was derailed into a dull discussion of the radio receiver manufacturing process.

Maybe, but I'd argue the idea of giving out Sony radios to people is pretty absurd.