The handwriting is on the wall. HD radio is dead, AM is dying, FM may be next.

[vsa]

ZIPIT IM DEVICE STREAMS INTERNET RADIO FOR A LOW PRICE.

The Zipit 2 Wireless Messenger is clearly targeted at the tween and teen demographic—consumers too young for cellphones or laptops, but who have already become addicted to text and instant messaging. The device, which connects to Wi-Fi networks for messaging, also streams Internet radio (plus playing mp3s from a mini-SD card). At $49.99 for the device and only $9.99 a month for unlimited messaging and Internet radio, the Zipit may just be a financially viable method of getting Internet radio on the go—no matter what your age.

Young people still have access to "radio", but increasingly it's not of the HD, AM, FM or even satellite variety.

The handwriting is on the wall - with yet another device.

Click on the link below, select "View DemoZ", then select "View All".

http://www.zipitwireless.com/#demozpage

 

[clouseau]

ZIPIT IM DEVICE STREAMS INTERNET RADIO FOR A LOW PRICE.

The Zipit 2 Wireless Messenger is clearly targeted at the tween and teen demographic—consumers too young for cellphones or laptops, but who have already become addicted to text and instant messaging. The device, which connects to Wi-Fi networks for messaging, also streams Internet radio (plus playing mp3s from a mini-SD card). At $49.99 for the device and only $9.99 a month for unlimited messaging and Internet radio, the Zipit may just be a financially viable method of getting Internet radio on the go—no matter what your age.

Young people still have access to "radio", but increasingly it's not of the HD, AM, FM or even satellite variety.

The handwriting is on the wall - with yet another device.

Click on the link below, select "View DemoZ", then select "View All".

http://www.zipitwireless.com/#demozpage

Boy I guess I AM too old. Doesn't this thing just play music and cost $10 a month to text "BRING YOUR OWN WIFI"? You do know you can text others on the net for free, right?

So it WON'T do WIMAX, WON"T do Cellular Broadband and therefore won't work in virtually any car, mall, city park or whatever. But if you program in your wep key at home and have a wireless network it WILL work there.

Go Figure.

Clouseau

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Young people still have access to "radio", but increasingly it's not of the HD, AM, FM or even satellite variety.

Boy the kids sure pick up on streaming when it is something they like - I've been getting convert after convert to listen to a new station in Houston over the internet - HOT 95.7 is really on to something. It plays continually on some old laptops I let my daughter's friends use when they are over. Wireless network and laptops = portable streaming audio all over the house. They have grown up with technology, it is just as easy for them to use a laptop with a link on IE to the stream as it is for them to plug an iPod in a dock.

If AM is dying - the fault is partly IBOC for increasing the noise floor. It made an already bad situation much worse. The FCC did nothing to stop a glut of new stations that makes cacophony at night. The FCC did nothing to stop interference generating devices to be sold. The FCC did nothing to stop border blasters from saturating every frequency at night with foreign language chatter. The only thing the FCC did do is authorize high levels of interference to be injected into a band they already trashed through inaction on their part.

Now that the FCC has destroyed the AM band, they are now considering a proposal to remake the FM band in the image of AM, by increasing interference on it as well.

Time for these chair bound paper pushing incompetants to be disbanded!!!!

 

[vsa]

ZIPIT IM DEVICE STREAMS INTERNET RADIO FOR A LOW PRICE.

The Zipit 2 Wireless Messenger is clearly targeted at the tween and teen demographic—consumers too young for cellphones or laptops, but who have already become addicted to text and instant messaging. The device, which connects to Wi-Fi networks for messaging, also streams Internet radio (plus playing mp3s from a mini-SD card). At $49.99 for the device and only $9.99 a month for unlimited messaging and Internet radio, the Zipit may just be a financially viable method of getting Internet radio on the go—no matter what your age.

Young people still have access to "radio", but increasingly it's not of the HD, AM, FM or even satellite variety.

The handwriting is on the wall - with yet another device.

Click on the link below, select "View DemoZ", then select "View All".

http://www.zipitwireless.com/#demozpage

Boy I guess I AM too old.  Doesn't this thing just play music and cost $10 a month to text "BRING YOUR OWN WIFI"?   You do know you can text others on the net for free, right?

So it WON'T do WIMAX, WON"T do Cellular Broadband and therefore won't work in virtually any car, mall, city park or whatever. But if you program in your wep key at home and have a wireless network it WILL work there.   

Go Figure. 

Clouseau

It WON'T DO HD RADIO, AM RADIO, FM RADIO, XM RADIO AND SIRIUS RADIO, BUT IT DOES DO INTERNET RADIO.  That is the point. This is a trend that ought to be very disturbing for what few proponents remain of HD radio -- as well as all traditional radio folks.

As I've said from the beginning, HD radio is a dangerous diversion to nowhere. It diverts precious time, money and other resources from the real threat that is now at hand.

 

[clouseau]

It WON'T DO HD RADIO, AM RADIO, FM RADIO, XM RADIO AND SIRIUS RADIO, BUT IT DOES DO INTERNETRADIO. That is the point.

That's YOUR point. My point is... in the vast majority of where tweens spend their time, it won't do internet radio EITHER. This is a great example of what one of my LPTV friends calls "Technology looking for a reason to exist". You think HD radio returns are high. Where besides my bedroom does this work? Did I mention my city has municiple wifi? However lacking a web interface to login, good luck!! Earthlink paid a pile of cash and then WALKED AWAY from it. It really doesn't work. It'll work great at home and if it does Wi-Max it might work on the road. However wiMax is $50 a month and very location sensitive. Maybe someday, but definitly NOT worth a dog gone, today. This product is a BUILT IN disappointment.

This is a trend that ought to be very disturbing for what few proponents remain of HD radio -- as well as all traditional radio folks.

I'd be terrified except for one thing. It isn't going to satisfy it's users. It's like an I-Phone. Most of the I-Phone user I talk too think they are cool and think they are sexy. Most will opt for a laptop when doing any serious web work, though. This device is the same. Get it on a CDMA Broadband network and you might be somewhere.

I Might be wrong, but I just don't see it.

You did notice you can PURCHASE unlimited TEXTing for an annual fee, right? Unlimited being less than 14 a day in and out. IOW, unlimited is only a lot, and actually not all that much for tweens. This is a cute idea, but give it a couple of more generations before getting it for the kiddies.

As I've said from the beginning, HD radio is a dangerous diversion to nowhere. It diverts precious time, money and other resources from the real threat that is now at hand.

That may very well be a valid ides. IMHO, this product is NOT.

That is, I not contesting your idea here. I'm saying this product appears to be garbage.
YMMV.

Clouseau

 

[vsa]

I'm saying this [Wi-Fi] product appears to be garbage.

Clouseau

They also make digital cameras with built in Wi-Fi. You either see it or you don't. You don't and probably won't. If you ever admit that you see the perfect product to your liking, with ultra-cheap ubiquitous delivery, it'll all be over. Traditional radio at that point will be obsolete.

I walked into a Radio Shack in the Los Angeles area this week. No more HD radios. All gone. I walked into a Walmart. No more HD radios either. The huge XM and Sirius displays are also gone, replaced by prepaid cell phones and GPS devices. There is now only one model of XM and Sirius receiver tucked away on a shelf next to a bunch of odds and ends.

 

[Seattleradiodude]

I walked into a Radio Shack in the Los Angeles area this week. No more HD radios. All gone. I walked into a Walmart. No more HD radios either. The huge XM and Sirius displays are also gone, replaced by prepaid cell phones and GPS devices. There is now only one model of XM and Sirius receiver tucked away on a shelf next to a bunch of odds and ends.

With the new generation of Chipsets is right around the corner for HD...
many stores have stopped carrying the "older" chips to make way for the new ones.

For XM and Sirius, retailers see that if this merge is allowed, it will be easier for them to "stock"
They are not going to promote 2 companies and waste shelf space for other products.

 

[LinoNYC]

Re: The handwriting is on the wall. HD radio is dead, AM is dying, FM may be nex

ZIPIT IM DEVICE STREAMS INTERNET RADIO FOR A LOW PRICE.

The Zipit 2 Wireless Messenger is clearly targeted at the tween and teen demographic—consumers too young for cellphones or laptops, but who have already become addicted to text and instant messaging. The device, which connects to Wi-Fi networks for messaging, also streams Internet radio (plus playing mp3s from a mini-SD card). At $49.99 for the device and only $9.99 a month for unlimited messaging and Internet radio, the Zipit may just be a financially viable method of getting Internet radio on the go—no matter what your age.

Young people still have access to "radio", but increasingly it's not of the HD, AM, FM or even satellite variety.

The handwriting is on the wall - with yet another device.

Click on the link below, select "View DemoZ", then select "View All".

http://www.zipitwireless.com/#demozpage

What, another Chumby hits the fan!!? Man. you are a glutton for punishment.

One mo' time: The answer to radio's declining fortunes is not simply more of the same delivered by other means.

The kids have already answered these questions, they carry their entire music universe with them. Instant gratification-free-available everywhere.

Everything else comes in second place.

Lino

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Lino said:

One mo' time: The answer to radio's declining fortunes is not simply more of the same delivered by other means.

A great description of HD radio. Thanks, Lino.

 

[clouseau]

They also make digital cameras with built in Wi-Fi. You either see it or you don't.

Actually, a WIFI camera makes sense and would be kinda cool. No cable, just a connection. But this fantasy that WIFI is all over is crazy. It's why there are not Wifi Cell Phones. With the state of the technology today, they'd be pretty much worthless.

If you ever admit that you see the perfect product to your liking, with ultra-cheap ubiquitous delivery, it'll all be over. Traditional radio at that point will be obsolete.

Maybe. But I don't think so. For instance, if Xm or Sirius gave a free sat radio to everyone in the country right now and stopped charging a subscription fee, I just don't see that as the end of radio. Maybe I'm just lost, but I don't see it. They don't have a lot of radio's favorite programs. They don't have any localization. I just don't see it.

YMMV

Clouseau

 

[KB1OKL]

Re: The handwriting is on the wall. HD radio is dead, AM is dying, FM may be nex

I walked into a Radio Shack in the Los Angeles area this week. No more HD radios. All gone. I walked into a Walmart. No more HD radios either. The huge XM and Sirius displays are also gone, replaced by prepaid cell phones and GPS devices. There is now only one model of XM and Sirius receiver tucked away on a shelf next to a bunch of odds and ends.

With the new generation of Chipsets is right around the corner for HD...
many stores have stopped carrying the "older" chips to make way for the new ones.

For XM and Sirius, retailers see that if this merge is allowed, it will be easier for them to "stock"
They are not going to promote 2 companies and waste shelf space for other products.

Yeah, I've read that the new chips last a whole two hours now on a set of batteries. : Man, we're catching up to 1924 3 dialers now. You think they're going to stock Satellite receivers or HD receivers? If the 100-1 ratio of Satrad to IBOC in stores is any indication I think the answer to why there are no HD receivers in any stores is obvious and nothing to do with these miraculous new "chipsets", with which you only have to bring 4 sets of batteries to the beach for an 8 hour day of fun in the sun and changing batteries.

 

[Kelly]

My son and his buddies have hacked their IPod Touch' and IPhones, and are now listening to live Internet radio streaming, or downloading songs via public or open Wi-fi (802.11G format), all over town. Even with my Samsung 700 running Windows Mobile, I hear there is a Windows Media player that I can receive streaming available this Fall. It's quite interesting how many open Wi-Fi connections there are in larger cities.

My son tells me his next hack will be to store the streams onto the internal RAM for playback when he's not connected to a 802.11 connection. Sounds a lot like the portable XM and Sirius radios, without the subscription fees.

It makes one wonder if radio stations would be better off using the IBOC bandwidth for delivering files to portable devices, rather than the traditional live "broadcasting"?

 

[vsa]

They also make digital cameras with built in Wi-Fi. You either see it or you don't.

Actually, a WIFI camera makes sense and would be kinda cool.  No cable, just a connection.  But this fantasy that WIFI is all over is crazy.  It's why there are not Wifi Cell Phones.  With the state of the technology today, they'd be pretty much worthless.   

  If you ever admit that you see the perfect product to your liking, with ultra-cheap ubiquitous delivery, it'll all be over. Traditional radio at that point will be obsolete.

Maybe.  But I don't think so.  For instance, if Xm or Sirius gave a free sat radio to everyone in the country right now and stopped charging a subscription fee, I just don't see that as the end of radio.  Maybe I'm just lost,  but I don't see it.  They don't have a lot of radio's favorite programs.  They don't have any localization.  I just don't see  it.

YMMV

Clouseau

Actually, my Pocket PC cell phone has Wi-Fi. So does an iPhone and iPod Touch. In today's Los Angeles Times: "Chrysler will offer wireless Internet access in 2009 models. The nation's third-largest automaker is set to announce Thursday that it's making wireless Internet an option on all its 2009 models. The mobile hotspot...Wi-Fi on wheels is being unveiled...There are no limitations in content..."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wificar25-2008jun25,1,2980140.story

This means any Wi-Fi device can be used inside or in the vicinity of your traveling Chrysler vehicle. No HD radio.

 

[Tom Wells]

I walked into a Radio Shack in the Los Angeles area this week. No more HD radios. All gone. I walked into a Walmart. No more HD radios either. The huge XM and Sirius displays are also gone, replaced by prepaid cell phones and GPS devices. There is now only one model of XM and Sirius receiver tucked away on a shelf next to a bunch of odds and ends.

With the new generation of Chipsets is right around the corner for HD...
many stores have stopped carrying the "older" chips to make way for the new ones.

For XM and Sirius, retailers see that if this merge is allowed, it will be easier for them to "stock"
They are not going to promote 2 companies and waste shelf space for other products.

New design chipsets? Ford redesigned the Edsel, releasing an all-new model for 1960.

It did look a lot better than the first model. But it didn't help sales at all, and we all know what happened to the Edsel.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

This means any Wi-Fi device can be used inside or in the vicinity of your traveling Chrysler vehicle. No HD radio.

The days of universal streaming availability, at least in cities and towns, are approaching rapidly. The first automaker or aftermarket car radio to make it work reliably - and free or very nominal charge - captures the future of radio.

If I were a station owner, I'd make sure my stream was easy to get to, and develop a nationwide marketing model based on national chains and services. In a very few years, every station will have as many or more listeners out of their local market than they do over the air.

How could HD radio figure into this future? Perhaps a telemetry stream that supports local traffic, weather, and news. That would be about the only compelling thing that would compete in a worldwide radio market with tens of thousands of broadcast and internet only stations available on the internet radio dial.

There have been numerous news reports about what is on Obama's iPod, etc. In the future, the question may well be "what is on your internet radio presets?"

There needs to be a solution for iTunes tagging of streaming songs.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Here's the thing I wonder about the whole WIFI radio thing. Cellular companies are greedy. They introduce things like 'unlimited' service and then put a hidden 5gb cap in the small print, sometimes even starting with one thing like Sprint did and then adding the limit later. Limits of 5GB could really put the crimp on real internet radio listenership mobiliy. We might have less to worry about than most think if these greedy carriers continue their ways even with newer technologies. I realize they are going to get the current TV bands to play with, but if you take all the people that currently listen to terrestrial broadcasting and add them to even that added bandwidth there is NO way it will work out IMHO. Radio needs to worry about the sorry product out there and stop worrying about small tech threats. Good programming will find it's way onto whichever media makes sense at the time.

 

[pocket-radio]

Radio has lost the relevance war. Why you ask? Because when tornadoes and hurricanes are turning my community upside down I need fast relevant information, even if I live outside the metro coverage area. Instead many stations on automatic simply continue playing more music. And forget weekend radio it’s a vast waste land. Cell phones and the internet have become sources people choose for fast relevant information.

Steve Jobs built a better jukebox and radio will not win this war! And with new devices like the internet in cars radio has serious problems on the horizon. Within my lifetime and yours (I’m 48) cheap wireless internet access is going to be everyplace and standard equipment in most cars. Given Chips are getting faster and cheaper. This means there’s more new devices yet unknown just around the corner. Microprocessors will continue to shrink and battery life will increase.

Devices the size of a small radio will handle many of the tasks now done by your desktop computer or laptop. Cell phones will also continue their multimedia evolution. Storage capacity and battery life will increase. Unlimited flat fee airtime is the trend and within reach by everyone.

Is it any wonder why Clear Channel sold and took the money while they could?

 

[Carmine5]

Re: The handwriting is on the wall. HD radio is dead, AM is dying, FM may be nex

Radio has lost the relevance war. Why you ask? Because when tornadoes and hurricanes are turning my community upside down I need fast relevant information, even if I live outside the metro coverage area. Instead many stations on automatic simply continue playing more music. And forget weekend radio it’s a vast waste land. Cell phones and the internet have become sources people choose for fast relevant information.

Steve Jobs built a better jukebox and radio will not win this war! And with new devices like the internet in cars radio has serious problems on the horizon. Within my lifetime and yours (I’m 48) cheap wireless internet access is going to be everyplace and standard equipment in most cars. Given Chips are getting faster and cheaper. This means there’s more new devices yet unknown just around the corner. Microprocessors will continue to shrink and battery life will increase.

Devices the size of a small radio will handle many of the tasks now done by your desktop computer or laptop. Cell phones will also continue their multimedia evolution. Storage capacity and battery life will increase. Unlimited flat fee airtime is the trend and within reach by everyone.

Is it any wonder why Clear Channel sold and took the money while they could?

The thing is, radio can be a part of all of this.

Like Jerry has said many times, the radio industry needs to stop thinking it's in the transmitters and towers business and start seeing itself as being in the content business. Forget trying to re-energize radio with crappy slogans like "Radio Heard Here". No amount of CPR is going get that campaign up and walking. It's dead.

If I owned a station (and there's a real possibility I might be getting an AM station near the end of next year), my second hire (after a good salesman) would be a savvy and creative webmaster.

I would much rather invest in a good webmaster than HD Radio equipment. The immediate payoff would be greater and I would have a genuine path to the future.

C5

 

[KB1OKL]

Re: The handwriting is on the wall. HD radio is dead, AM is dying, FM may be nex

I would much rather invest in a good webmaster than HD Radio equipment. The immediate payoff would be greater and I would have a genuine path to the future.

C5

Yes, I listen to a local AM which plays stuff I like but is a little farther than is comfortable for good sound and is also covered by an iBlock station right next to it. What do I do? I listen to it on the web. Unfortunately the top end sounds like it is cut off at around 2K.

 

[Mike Walker]

Yeah...the medium with more than two hundred million listeners is "irrelevant", while wi-max (which for all practical purposes doesn't exost), Ipod (great "jukebox", but capable of offering no real-time information), and cell phone based internet radio (with outrageous data plans, and limited bandwidth) have "won".

You'll know terrestrial radio has "lost" when the local stations go dark. I ain't holding my breath! EVERY paycheck I've gotten since the age of 15 was from a radio station. I turn 50 in Sept. I'd wager the deed to my house that terrestrial radio will still "rule" as my 70th approaches!