Pandora Talk Radio?

[DToTheJ]

CNN reports today:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/02/11/pandora.ipo/

Pandora Media aims to eventually expand its internet radio service to other countries and move into areas beyond music, such as news, talk and sports...

"Many radio listeners are drawn to sports, talk, news and other forms of content beyond music... We think there is an opportunity over the long term to offer these types of content in addition to music."

In other words, it's going to be a mobile form of satellite radio.

What established talk show hosts would host shows on Pandora? Bubba? Dr. Laura? Imus?

 

[DonTheTrucker]

What established talk show hosts would host shows on Pandora?

Ones that can't get picked up on real radio?

 

[MattParker]

What established talk show hosts would host shows on Pandora? Bubba? Dr. Laura? Imus?

DJ, I'm sorry but your question reflects the established radio way of thinking.

Why would Pandora want to "round up the usual suspects" from a dying format of a dying medium? They have an opportunity to reinvent talk programming, as they have already reinvented music programming. Radio has been unwilling to try anything new for decades. That, more than anything else, is the core problem with radio. Nobody thinks for themselves, they only look at what has already been done (and done, and done). Radio's so-called creativity is analogous to the medieval scholars who compared the writing of classical scholars instead of investigating questions for themselves.

No "established hosts" doing established acts and established bits and established rants to an aged audience. I have no idea what it will sound like but it won't be your father's talk show - or even your's.

 

[radioguy39nj]

If I owned a Pandora-equipped Ford or Mercedes-Benz, could I receive it anywhere in the country? ???

 

[MattParker]

If I owned a Pandora-equipped Ford or Mercedes-Benz, could I receive it anywhere in the country? ???

Depends on where you are in the country. Check your cellular carrier's data coverage maps. Generally, as long as you don't get too far from the Interstate you should get coverage.

 

[TheBigA]

Why would Pandora want to "round up the usual suspects" from a dying format of a dying medium?

That's what we thought about XM. And yet that's exactly what they did. Why? Because those "usual suspects" attract an audience.

The way you convert real time radio to Pandora is podcasts. The problem is you don't need Pandora to do that. You can do it anywhere, including iTunes. Pandora is just a platform. That's all it is. No different than any other platform. So most content their users would want won't use Pandora because they can put it on their own platform, which they own. I think they're going to find that news talk and sports formats don't work as easy as music. The music industry is desperate. They could have owned their own platform, and kept all the money, but they simply don't do that well. Compare Vevo to YouTube. But news, talk, and sports is a very different kind of content. The $100 million IPO they're going after won't even begin to cover news, talk, and sports.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Depends on where you are in the country. Check your cellular carrier's data coverage maps. Generally, as long as you don't get too far from the Interstate you should get coverage.

I can get AM and FM coverage anywhere in the world. My cell phone doesn't work in my own house unless I sit it near a window. We're about 20 years from Internet radio being the main form of communication. Maybe 30.

 

[TheBigA]

We're about 20 years from Internet radio being the main form of communication. Maybe 30.

The federal gov't is dedicated at cutting that to 5 years. And they don't care if they cannibalize OTA to do it.

 

[MattParker]

I can get AM and FM coverage anywhere in the world. My cell phone doesn't work in my own house unless I sit it near a window. We're about 20 years from Internet radio being the main form of communication. Maybe 30.

There will always be late adopters. And there will always be a time-lag in diffusion of innovation and new technology. I went to school in the sticks. The little country phone company still had party lines, crank phones, ring numbers (three rings was the phone in my dorm) and operators to place calls. At home, with Ma Bell, we had touch tones and all number calling. Go figure.

There's not a cell tower near your house yet. There will be and it won't take 20 or 30 years. You still have Internet radio through your cable/fiber optic connection (plus WiFi to listen anywhere around your house) even if you can't get an Internet connection through a wireless carrier. But most people can - now. I had a friend visit me from across the country over the holidays and it freaked her out when I put on one of her hometown stations in the car.

Conservatives are slow to embrace new social and political ideas but they often rush to embrace new technology. Your resistance surprises me.

 

[radiowizard101]

Me thinks Wi-Fi is already covering those bases. I can listen to almost anything I want at any time with my wi-fi receiver. Most have downloadable podcasts if I want them. Just log on and punch a couple of buttons. I don't think Pandora will make much of a dent in local or internet radio. But, I've been wrong before.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't think Pandora will make much of a dent in local or internet radio. But, I've been wrong before.

Here's the thing: Pandora exists in an environment with limited competition. There's Slacker and a few others. But that's about it. They have the advantage of good press and an easy platform to work with. I suspect that if they were a threat, you'd see a few more competitors. Of course, a few have tried to enter the field, like Spotify, only to be rebuffed by the recording industry. And there's always Apple and Google waiting to profit from the music industry. But right now, Pandora is the darling. That may change quickly once they become a tool of Wall Street. We've seen it before.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Conservatives are slow to embrace new social and political ideas but they often rush to embrace new technology. Your resistance surprises me.

I have no idea what you're even talking about. I'm an early adopter on almost every technology. It has nothing to do with the fact that wi-fi radio in cars, where most radio listening takes place, is at LEAST 20 years from being the main form of transmission.

First thing that needs to happen is that car makers make wi-fi radio standard in new cars. Then the AM/FM radio equipped cars have to be weeded out through attrition. Add on top of that the major increase in bandwidth load and you get several decades before terrestrial radio is dead.

 

[MattParker]

Conservatives are slow to embrace new social and political ideas but they often rush to embrace new technology. Your resistance surprises me.

I have no idea what you're even talking about. I'm an early adopter on almost every technology. It has nothing to do with the fact that wi-fi radio in cars, where most radio listening takes place, is at LEAST 20 years from being the main form of transmission.

First thing that needs to happen is that car makers make wi-fi radio standard in new cars. Then the AM/FM radio equipped cars have to be weeded out through attrition. Add on top of that the major increase in bandwidth load and you get several decades before terrestrial radio is dead.

Are you talking about Wi-Fi or mobile data? Wi-Fi is a limited range device used to access the Internet in various hotspots (your home router, Starbucks, McDonald's). It only works in cars at the McDonald's drive-thru. I use Wi-Fi at home. In the car, I access the Internet through my cellular carrier - including Internet Radio. You don't need to buy a new car with a new radio. Most smartphones work just fine. My car radio is almost 10 years old but the phone has an FM transmitter. Newer car radios have Bluetooth or USB connections. 3G is more than adequate and 4G can handle high bandwidth audio streams - and even video streams.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Are you talking about Wi-Fi or mobile data? 3G is more than adequate and 4G can handle high bandwidth audio streams - and even video streams.

I meant mobile data. My mistake. 3G is absolutely more than adequate, but it's not even close to having the coverage it needs, and the network won't be able to handle the traffic once every car has a streaming radio. Like I said, as much as I'd like it, Internet radio is many years from being viable as anything more than a niche market.

I'm going to assume you work or have worked in radio. You know who listens to talk. Old people. Old people aren't going to be using streaming radios.

No offense to any older folks here, just trying to make my point as simply as possible.

 

[TheBigA]

You know who listens to talk. Old people. Old people aren't going to be using streaming radios.

That's who currently listens to talk. Why? Because all the hosts are old.

What the world needs is a talk show host who isn't close to collecting social security. Someone closer to people in their 20s without being their parent.

I believe such people exist. I believe such people have talent and can do talk radio. Some do now, but they're mostly in sports.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

I believe such people exist. I believe such people have talent and can do talk radio. Some do now, but they're mostly in sports.

There are tons of people who could do it, but most have no interest in doing it. The whole thing is a vicious circle of mediocrity. It's been mentioned many times around here, but the lack of a "farm system" for new talent has crippled the growth of the medium, in both music and talk formats. I kind of have a feeling that may change soon, though. Maybe the Internet will be the farm system for the foreseeable future.

 

[TheBigA]

There are tons of people who could do it, but most have no interest in doing it.

I disagree. I've met lots of them. They just don't know how to get from point A to point B. The problem isn't the lack of farm system. There's a lack of willingness on the part of the baby boomers to retire. There's no place for people with talent and a track record to go because the older folks won't get out of the way. And those who are there are wedded to one way of doing things that doesn't allow for change or growth. That's not very appealing to someone who's 22 years old. Especially when there are so many other options.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

I disagree. I've met lots of them. They just don't know how to get from point A to point B. The problem isn't the lack of farm system. There's a lack of willingness on the part of the baby boomers to retire. There's no place for people with talent and a track record to go because the older folks won't get out of the way. And those who are there are wedded to one way of doing things that doesn't allow for change or growth. That's not very appealing to someone who's 22 years old. Especially when there are so many other options.

That's pretty much the definition of "lack of a farm system". There aren't that many jobs in live radio and they're all taken at this point. No overnight shifts taking calls from weirdos. No weekends working when they should be out on a date. That's just how it is these days.

And if the desire is there, and willingness to sacrifice is there, there are a few opportunities. It just takes flexibility that young people don't want to have anymore. They want to be the next afternoon drive guy on ESPN Radio right NOW! They don't want to get up at 5 am on Sunday to come in and play the brokered church shows. They don't want to shovel the snow out from in front of the station. They don't want to work for peanuts. It's not Rush Limbaugh's fault that these kids aren't getting into radio, just because he's had the same timeslot on 600 stations for 23 years. Nor is it the fault of the manager of the local radio conglomerate.

All of that is fine with me, of course. More opportunity for those of us who are willing to do those things.

 

[TheBigA]

And if the desire is there, and willingness to sacrifice is there, there are a few opportunities.

That's not the lack of a farm system. There's a great farm system, and people are better trained now than the people who are occupying the jobs. They have more education, more practical knowledge, and they also see the bigger picture beyond the control room, which the boomers don't understand.

Farm system has nothing to do with it when there are no jobs. At least in baseball, most players retire when they're 40. Radio people think they have a job for life, and most aren't willing to move into management. Even if there were overnight shifts, they'd be occupied by people over 40. As an industry, we're killing off our own future. And we wonder why they don't listen to the radio. This is why.

Don't confuse this with a lack of drive or ambition. They have both, and instead of running church tapes Sunday morning, they start their own companies like Pandora and Facebook. Who's laughing at who?

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Farm system has nothing to do with it when there are no jobs. At least in baseball, most players retire when they're 40. Radio people think they have a job for life, and most aren't willing to move into management. Even if there were overnight shifts, they'd be occupied by people over 40. As an industry, we're killing off our own future. And we wonder why they don't listen to the radio. This is why.

Can you imagine the lawsuits that would follow if radio stations started firing people over a certain age? This isn't anything new. The supply of qualified radio hosts far outweighs the demand. It's just the way it is. For the time being, at least. That may change some day, but when it does, it'll be a natural progression. Forcing it isn't going to work, since most listeners don't care how young the host is.