taking AM/FM radio out of cars in 5 years or so,could it really happen ???

[Groove1670]

We're 50 years from AM/FM radio being obsolete.

I can rest good tonight knowing I'll cash out before FM does.

As far as AM going away. It is all about how the station is operated and the community ties in smaller markets.

Got one in my market celebration the big 6-0. It is doing just fine, another one that was ran into the ground.

We already have multiple forms of audio and video available as well as mobile devices plus the many distractions of the vehicle dash itself.

This might benefit radio. Other forms of media distract. Old radio scan....stop....scan....stop, and you can keep your eyes on the road.

 

[rap2792]

Transitions to new media forms are occurring at more of a rapid pace as hardware/software and digital delivery options proliferate. CDs gone, DVDs going, Blue Ray never knew you. I know it's not comparable to radio hardware found in every vehicle with nearly flawless streaming. But smartphones will soon supplant car radios for at least there's some money in data streaming. I just don't see mid term prospects of radio with a falling rev stream.

 

[landtuna]

Transitions to new media forms are occurring at more of a rapid pace as hardware/software and digital delivery options proliferate. CDs gone, DVDs going, Blue Ray never knew you. I know it's not comparable to radio hardware found in every vehicle with nearly flawless streaming. But smartphones will soon supplant car radios for at least there's some money in data streaming. I just don't see mid term prospects of radio with a falling rev stream.

I'm curious how you declare CD's, DVD's and Blu-Ray gone, going and never knew you (judging by your spelling you obviously didn't know Blu-Ray).

I'm guessing you are on the young and very misinformed side. I call BS!

 

[rap2792]

Transitions to new media forms are occurring at more of a rapid pace as hardware/software and digital delivery options proliferate. CDs gone, DVDs going, Blue Ray never knew you. I know it's not comparable to radio hardware found in every vehicle with nearly flawless streaming. But smartphones will soon supplant car radios for at least there's some money in data streaming. I just don't see mid term prospects of radio with a falling rev stream.

I'm curious how you declare CD's, DVD's and Blu-Ray gone, going and never knew you (judging by your spelling you obviously didn't know Blu-Ray).

I'm guessing you are on the young and very misinformed side. I call BS!

Almost 50 and somewhat of a media expert at least from the print side. Sorry about Blu misspelling silly iPad autocorrect.

 

[landtuna]

Almost 50 and somewhat of a media expert at least from the print side.

My apologies then.

So how do you figure that CD/DVD/BR are washed up?

 

[rap2792]

Almost 50 and somewhat of a media expert at least from the print side.

My apologies then.

So how do you figure that CD/DVD/BR are washed up?

The trends are undeniable. Regarding CD's I believe it was as recent as Jan 2013 digital sales exceeded physical sales. This will continue to accelerate until CD's make up a minor percentage where it will stabilize. DVD/BR headed there too and will likely get there in a shorter time frame than CD's did. On demand and digital downloads in home just make it more appealing than buying a DVD/br. There may be segments that retain share like children's for instance.

 

[TheBigA]

DVD/BR headed there too and will likely get there in a shorter time frame than CD's did. On demand and digital downloads in home just make it more appealing than buying a DVD/br.

I agree, and the fact that dvd retailers & renters recognized the trend years ago proves it.

 

[landtuna]

The trends are undeniable. Regarding CD's I believe it was as recent as Jan 2013 digital sales exceeded physical sales. This will continue to accelerate until CD's make up a minor percentage where it will stabilize. DVD/BR headed there too and will likely get there in a shorter time frame than CD's did. On demand and digital downloads in home just make it more appealing than buying a DVD/br. There may be segments that retain share like children's for instance.

For people who want to watch a movie one time I agree that streaming or downloading beats out buying a DVD. However, there are still many of us who want to keep a movie to watch more than one time and if we stream or download it we still need to create our own physical copy which means DVD's will still be utilized.

Physical movie rentals shuttered because it was more convenient to stream on demand than drive to the store and/or wait for the mail to arrive with your Netflix selection. But if you want to store your selection you have no other practical choice than DVD.

Flash drives and mobile players have replaced a lot of CD's but if you want full fidelity or want to permanently store your selection you have no other good choice than DVD/CD.

I agree the market has changed but I disagree that either CD's or DVD's are obsolete.

 

[wadio]

... if you want full fidelity or want to permanently store your selection you have no other good choice than DVD/CD.

Yes and no. You might care about "full fidelity" but I'd say you're in the minority. What if your house burns down? Wouldn't you rather have your content stored in the cloud?

Merriam Webster defines "obsolete" two ways:

a : no longer in use or no longer useful <an obsolete word>
b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned <an obsolete technology>

I'll take "b" when it comes to CDs, but even the example in "a" applies -- "Radio Shack" is an obsolete term but it's still in use by a major retailer.

BTW, Nielsen just released a report that addresses the growing "Zero TV" trend. Interesting reading and they're not taking this shifting consumer behavior lightly.

http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/.../Nielsen-March-2013-Cross-Platform-Report.pdf

 

[northwoods]

Speaking as someone who has never worked in the industry, based on my observations, when it comes to music radio on am/fm, the conclusion I have come to is that the attitude of the industry is (regardless of where you live), their view is :"These are your choices. Take It or Leave It (or to put more crassly "Like It or Lump It)". I just say (sarcastially): "Let them supply themsleves all the rope they can gather to hang themselves".

I know David is going to disagree with me, but who else agrees with this prevailing attitude of the industry?

 

[rap2792]

The trends are undeniable. Regarding CD's I believe it was as recent as Jan 2013 digital sales exceeded physical sales. This will continue to accelerate until CD's make up a minor percentage where it will stabilize. DVD/BR headed there too and will likely get there in a shorter time frame than CD's did. On demand and digital downloads in home just make it more appealing than buying a DVD/br. There may be segments that retain share like children's for instance.

For people who want to watch a movie one time I agree that streaming or downloading beats out buying a DVD. However, there are still many of us who want to keep a movie to watch more than one time and if we stream or download it we still need to create our own physical copy which means DVD's will still be utilized.

Physical movie rentals shuttered because it was more convenient to stream on demand than drive to the store and/or wait for the mail to arrive with your Netflix selection. But if you want to store your selection you have no other practical choice than DVD.

Flash drives and mobile players have replaced a lot of CD's but if you want full fidelity or want to permanently store your selection you have no other good choice than DVD/CD.

I agree the market has changed but I disagree that either CD's or DVD's are obsolete.

Tuna - there will always be collectors and it's natural to expect something tangible after purchasing. You're in the minority as trends indicate. In fact retaining copies on flash drives may have already be been leapfrogged as cloud storage (ie iTunes model) is becoming more commonplace. ITunes offers a rent vs purchase option for movies. It's only a $3 to $4 difference. I suspect the few uptakes on digital purchases is reflected in the price points beings so close.

 

[islndbreze]

I think the basic problem with radio (and book publishing and the music industry in general) is that we have followers and not leaders heading up these industries. Instead of starting trends and introducing new and great stuff to the masses, they only do safe stuff that "the public" (whoever that is) says and thinks they want. The problem is, the average consumer is not some groundbreaking rocket scientist and so we end up with crap - like books by celebrities and politicians (yawn) and reunion albums by tired old bands, and radio stations that all sound exactly the same. It's depressing really. I crave new talent, I crave new favorites that will be tomorrows "oldies." But we don't, and won't get that unless risktakers take over and expose us to new and exciting. Everything is so bland and cheap these days... the state of mainstream radio can be summed up with one word... Kardashian.

 

[TheBigA]

I crave new talent, I crave new favorites that will be tomorrows "oldies."

That's what YOU want. Most people don't. They like familiar stuff. They work at the same job, commute the same route, eat the same food, and come home to the same wife. They want familiar favorites on the radio. You don't. So for you, there are lots of other choices.

 

[landtuna]

You might care about "full fidelity" but I'd say you're in the minority. What if your house burns down? Wouldn't you rather have your content stored in the cloud?

I may be in the minority for "full fidelity" but that doesn't mean I am only one of a very few. I maintain my source library in full CD format and create compressed versions only to store on mobile players or move across the Net. I know many more like me.

I am an old time IT guy who knows quite well the value of off site backups. I have three levels the last of which is off site. Every month or so I rotate the off and on site media and backup again. This is much safer and more secure than storing my data "in the cloud". It is also much, MUCH quicker to backup and restore locally than over the Net. I have learned through trial and error that allowing others to handle your data often results in unpleasant experiences. If it is important to me I keep it locally.

Merriam Webster defines "obsolete" two ways:

a : no longer in use or no longer useful <an obsolete word>
b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned <an obsolete technology>

I'll take "b" when it comes to CDs, but even the example in "a" applies -- "Radio Shack" is an obsolete term but it's still in use by a major retailer.

I just explained why 'b' is untrue in the case of CD's and DVD's. You may not use them but many others still do which means they are not obsolete.

"Radio Shack" is a brand name therefore never obsolete. If you are referring to its use to describe a "ham shack" or other form of radio operation it is also not obsolete. Communication areas aboard ship are still referred to as "radio shacks" even though they do not use traditional radios any longer. A satellite radio is still a radio and teletypes have been replaced by printers. Not big changes.

BTW, Nielsen just released a report that addresses the growing "Zero TV" trend. Interesting reading and they're not taking this shifting consumer behavior lightly.

http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/.../Nielsen-March-2013-Cross-Platform-Report.pdf

I've read it and personally am almost one of those "Zero TV" people (although my household is not). I will say it again.....it depends on content. The same argument that we use to describe the usefulness of terrestrial radio. Cable TV is full of crap and is expensive to boot. OTA TV doesn't have much of value to watch. Hence, it is no surprise people are discontinuing TV as an entertainment option.

 

[taylorengineer]

I think the basic problem with radio (and book publishing and the music industry in general) is that we have followers and not leaders heading up these industries. Instead of starting trends and introducing new and great stuff to the masses, they only do safe stuff that "the public" (whoever that is) says and thinks they want. The problem is, the average consumer is not some groundbreaking rocket scientist and so we end up with crap - like books by celebrities and politicians (yawn) and reunion albums by tired old bands, and radio stations that all sound exactly the same. It's depressing really. I crave new talent, I crave new favorites that will be tomorrows "oldies." But we don't, and won't get that unless risktakers take over and expose us to new and exciting. Everything is so bland and cheap these days... the state of mainstream radio can be summed up with one word... Kardashian.

Our culture as a whole has a "Kardashian" problem. Big A is correct......WE are the problem. The market pretty much delivers what we demand, and expect.
I agree with your point about lack of leadership. Most radio execs are bean counters and not entertainers/showbiz types. Maybe there would be more innovation if there were more "Characters" in the biz......

 

[TheBigA]

Most radio execs are bean counters and not entertainers/showbiz types. Maybe there would be more innovation if there were more "Characters" in the biz......

I don't know about you, but I don't want my CEO to be a character. I want him to make sure the money is coming in, and that I get paid on time. When I go to the bank, I want my check to clear. I don't want to see a show. Save the characters for the people who are paid to do it.

 

[landtuna]

Tuna - there will always be collectors and it's natural to expect something tangible after purchasing. You're in the minority as trends indicate. In fact retaining copies on flash drives may have already be been leapfrogged as cloud storage (ie iTunes model) is becoming more commonplace. ITunes offers a rent vs purchase option for movies. It's only a $3 to $4 difference. I suspect the few uptakes on digital purchases is reflected in the price points beings so close.

Flash drives are temporary storage only. We used to call such technologies the "tennis shoe interface".

I, like many others, do not trust cloud storage and especially not iTunes. Anyone who uses cloud storage without local backup is a fool and is asking for their irreplaceable data to be lost, stolen or strayed. Not to mention used for purposes not envisioned by the owner.

 

[wadio]

I have two levels of backup for all my data -- local and cloud. If I increased that to three I know I'd be hit by a bus and it wouldn't matter anymore!

 

[rap2792]

Flash drives are temporary storage only. We used to call such technologies the "tennis shoe interface".

I, like many others, do not trust cloud storage and especially not iTunes. Anyone who uses cloud storage without local backup is a fool and is asking for their irreplaceable data to be lost, stolen or strayed. Not to mention used for purposes not envisioned by the owner.

My apologies Tuna - I was using the term flash from someone else in this thread. I mean any on-site drive, optical, SSD or otherwise. "Cloud storage" for entertainment media appears to becoming even more commonplace.

For me it's great solution to remove the enormous video/music files from my PC. It's purchased and managed by iTunes so it works on all of my family's iPads, laptops, AppleTV, iPhones, etc. For others with large collections of media files it's less attractive. I'm thinking the digital generation will have similar cloud storage strategies like me.

If the App model proves people will spend BILLIONS on applications that work, it also proves cloud based models for software applications has arrived. Of course Apple would like to extend this to entertainment media. One assumes Apple is on the verge of launching an "iTV" ecosystem in which cloud based media consumption is a big piece of the puzzle.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I may have this all wrong, but I get the idea that "The Cloud" really appeals to casual users and users who are not teckies. (There will be exceptions.) The crowd that says: I don't to be bothered with all the details.

For those of use who choose one word processor or spread sheet over another based on the availability of macro languages so we can customize stuff.... and those of us who will put up with applications that are becoming a bit stale just so we can keep our customizations.... the cloud is scary. There are a few applications I always upgrade. But I have many programs that I keep an older version on my machine because I can't justify the upgrade costs because I use the program so little.

Part of the reason we are being herded into The Cloud like cattle being loaded into a truck headed for the packing house is because the vendors know they are going to get their monthly fee which includes the cost of upgrades. Their bank account is not as fat as it could be because of people like me. On the other hand, I have my attachment to how fat my own bank account might be.

So, wandering back to the original question of the thread: What kind of people make the most loyal listeners to a radio station, and might keep the stations alive, and keep radio receivers in cars. Those to are early adaptors to The Cloud.... or the people who treat their own wallet the way Jack Benny did and don't run out and buy the newest and latest.... just because it is the newest and latest.