(I mentioned something about this on another thread. But it has me thinking....)
As time goes by, barring any Mayan Armageddon visuals in December 2012, I feel radio will transform into a 100% interactive digital medium of it's own, unrecognizable from anything you see on the radio blister package racks at the Walmart electronics department today
That technology is actually here right now. It's just the designing/testing/implementing of spectrum/system part (and the unholy bandwith for all of it, but I'm also sure we even may be able to solve that), ramming it through Congress and the FCC, making sure our corporate overlords get their $$$ out of it. Oh yes, the stink every telecommunications company in America will raise over it, etc. that has to get worked out. But I think such a gadget is on it's way. I'd even give it about 5 years before you'll at least see a prototype.
People want more than just a mere audio feed of something today. They want instant access to everything. If radio is to survive at this rate, it has to be a lot of things rolled into one. Like what cell phones are these days. So it may have to play the same game.
Radio has to be completely interactive, providing not only what is just only available on their web sites, but more likely, even the web itself. Or at least some highly commercial portion of it. Even a Skype like service for phone calls is not off the table.
Radios will likely have touch screens. Plus hard drives for you to store those 99¢ MP3s you may one day download from your favorite station. PPM? Don't be surprised if it's built-in. I couldn't think of a better way to make it a far more accurate system.
Tomorrow's portable radio may not look very much different from an iPod or iTablet. And in many ways, operate the same way. I think it's far more practical and relevant to today's consumer demands than insisting on sticking a low quality analog FM radio component into one of these things. If radio is ever going to get out of the 20th century, the very concept of what a radio IS has to be upgraded for the modern world.
I look at what Clear is doing and can already imagine radio doing something similar someday, but as an advertiser based, free model. Just like....well, radio.
And I really think it's far more possible than some people might think and can really help expand wireless broadband across America. And the major telecommunications companies mentioned have a one-up in all of this: If you don't like ads, just subscribe to their pay services (that should be an option in these things.) But if you're out of range of your carrier and need to send an e-mail, I don't think sitting through a 15 second ad/promo is asking too much. You already do it with Hulu and video content online. As long as the advertising isn't too intrusive, it has potential.
In emergencies, when the Comcast, Verizon (or Frontier, whatever they are calling themselves this week), and other systems are down, the radio-internet will still be up and reliable, just like radio itself. Because it's already transmitted through radio facilities that usually withstand the worst of it by design.
Some of you also might be asking "OK Bong...seriously, aren't we talking about....ummm....RADIO? I mean, turning a $50 million dollar radio station into the equivalent of a free wi-fi coffeeshop with everyone sucking up your bandwith for free sounds nice. But what about the LISTENING? Underneath it all, it is still a RADIO isn't it?"
But that's how you tune in. You automatically get both the radio station and the interactive content, the PPM records how long you stay tuned in, the advertisers get noticed, tune out is much harder, etc.
That much doesn't change. And probably works better....
Comments?
As time goes by, barring any Mayan Armageddon visuals in December 2012, I feel radio will transform into a 100% interactive digital medium of it's own, unrecognizable from anything you see on the radio blister package racks at the Walmart electronics department today
That technology is actually here right now. It's just the designing/testing/implementing of spectrum/system part (and the unholy bandwith for all of it, but I'm also sure we even may be able to solve that), ramming it through Congress and the FCC, making sure our corporate overlords get their $$$ out of it. Oh yes, the stink every telecommunications company in America will raise over it, etc. that has to get worked out. But I think such a gadget is on it's way. I'd even give it about 5 years before you'll at least see a prototype.
People want more than just a mere audio feed of something today. They want instant access to everything. If radio is to survive at this rate, it has to be a lot of things rolled into one. Like what cell phones are these days. So it may have to play the same game.
Radio has to be completely interactive, providing not only what is just only available on their web sites, but more likely, even the web itself. Or at least some highly commercial portion of it. Even a Skype like service for phone calls is not off the table.
Radios will likely have touch screens. Plus hard drives for you to store those 99¢ MP3s you may one day download from your favorite station. PPM? Don't be surprised if it's built-in. I couldn't think of a better way to make it a far more accurate system.
Tomorrow's portable radio may not look very much different from an iPod or iTablet. And in many ways, operate the same way. I think it's far more practical and relevant to today's consumer demands than insisting on sticking a low quality analog FM radio component into one of these things. If radio is ever going to get out of the 20th century, the very concept of what a radio IS has to be upgraded for the modern world.
I look at what Clear is doing and can already imagine radio doing something similar someday, but as an advertiser based, free model. Just like....well, radio.
And I really think it's far more possible than some people might think and can really help expand wireless broadband across America. And the major telecommunications companies mentioned have a one-up in all of this: If you don't like ads, just subscribe to their pay services (that should be an option in these things.) But if you're out of range of your carrier and need to send an e-mail, I don't think sitting through a 15 second ad/promo is asking too much. You already do it with Hulu and video content online. As long as the advertising isn't too intrusive, it has potential.
In emergencies, when the Comcast, Verizon (or Frontier, whatever they are calling themselves this week), and other systems are down, the radio-internet will still be up and reliable, just like radio itself. Because it's already transmitted through radio facilities that usually withstand the worst of it by design.
Some of you also might be asking "OK Bong...seriously, aren't we talking about....ummm....RADIO? I mean, turning a $50 million dollar radio station into the equivalent of a free wi-fi coffeeshop with everyone sucking up your bandwith for free sounds nice. But what about the LISTENING? Underneath it all, it is still a RADIO isn't it?"
But that's how you tune in. You automatically get both the radio station and the interactive content, the PPM records how long you stay tuned in, the advertisers get noticed, tune out is much harder, etc.
That much doesn't change. And probably works better....
Comments?