"Wireless for everyone" was in the news this week

[doctorcomputer3]

Wireless for everyone was in the news this week and I thought it may be a good subject, concerning my project. It seems pertainent to people here. Are the radio people embracing or dreading the broadband coming to your cars? Is it possible that I could program Brother Wease in the Morning, Mid-days with My sh**, Give the Mic to Jerry Krause (Formerly of WOUR) in the afternoon then have deadhead Jay do overnights? Could we go back to Live 24/7 with a 10-2am shift at night? Sure would enjoy hearing the original Club Beat at night. Howard Stern in the Morning? The possibilities are endless and the Radio Business "Spin" is that they have "done this before" but guess what? Its not the fact that you have done it, It is WHO is doing it lol. Real people embrace products by real people. Not banks, not big corporations and todays corporate radio armed with their music playlists may be losing the battle, or not. Personally I hope everyone is safe that can be, but there are plenty that feel like theyve been screwed by the Radio Business, and the fcc may just be providing a new way for us to help ourselves.
How are you feeling about this?

 

[OttoM]

Tell you what: For nearly a decade now broadcasters have heard how "the internet will kill traditional broadcasting". And yet it hasn't happened. Wanna know why? Because internet radio isn't ubiquitous. If/when the day comes that dialing up an internet station is as easy as it is now to dial up an AM or FM station - THEN radio will have some true competition.

But I bet it won't happen for at least two more decades. Hmmm...that's about as long as it took FM to catch on, right?

 

[SirRoxalot]

Sooner, Not Later

You might want to check this out:

Slacker Radio - $79.00

Check out the Slacker Site for info on how it works. You don't need full-time wireless. The radio downloads songs for your "personalized" radio stations and stores them until they can be replenished.

Cell phone companies are moving toward WiMax and other wireless IP technologies, and prices are falling for their access while speeds climb. Verizon and other "Baby Bells" are looking at wireless as a way to offer last-mile high-speed connectivity in areas where the population density makes cable or fiber installation too costly.

Need I mention the number of wireless hotspots in urban areas? Between unsecured wireless networks, retail outlets with free wireless, and municipal WiFi, wireless is getting to be pretty widespread.

I'm guessing that WiFi radio will be a real competitor in urban and suburban areas in five years. How much RIAA rights fees will slow it down, or restrict development has yet to be seen, but the technology will certainly be there.

Radio companies that rely on "music-intensive" formats are due for a rude awakening.

PS - Anybody want to put any money in Ibiquity stock? Send it to me. I'll "invest" it for you.

 

[Radknowski]

PS - Anybody want to put any money in Ibiquity stock? Send it to me. I'll "invest" it for you.

This is not an offering, which can be made by prospectus only. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Void where prohibited. Not valid in California and Nevada. Your mileage may vary west of the Mississippi. Contains nuts which may cause allergic reactions, especially in children. And everybody's favorite: If condition lasts more than four hours, consult a physician.

 

[Bob1370]

When wireless internet becomes as widely installed as other mass media like radio, then guess what? It just becomes another form of RADIO, an additional band just like the FM and AM bands, and requiring just as much investment in production and talent as any other kind if you're going to reach critical audience mass for success.

What makes one form of radio successful is what makes every form successful--finding the right format, investing in the talent to do it right, and giving that talent the marketing support and sales support to sustain it.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Mailing It In

What makes one form of radio successful is what makes every form successful--finding the right format, investing in the talent to do it right, and giving that talent the marketing support and sales support to sustain it.

Maybe if everybody sent a copy of this to Farid, The Field Family, The Mays Family, and Bill Stakelin, there would be fewer programming cuts and revenue would ramp up instead of down.

Of course, the odds of them following that advice are about the same as the odds that monkeys will fly out of my butt on Christmas morning.

One reason I think that Internet radio will have impact is that there are a lot of pros on the loose out there, and a lot of Internet and music savvy youngsters who have no faith in corporate radio. I get the feeling that there's a desire to "stick it to the man", especially since "the man" is sticking it to so many talented broadcasters right now. Get the right mix of programming, sales, and technical people together, and it could get interesting.

 

[alw]

Re: Mailing It In

Of course, the odds of them following that advice are about the same as the odds that monkeys will fly out of my butt on Christmas morning.

Here we go again......when will the "War On Xmas" ever end?

 

[Savage]

I REALLY didn't need that monkeys-Rox-butt image in my head as I go out to select my Christmas ham. :-X

Rox mentioned iBiquity stock. Their self-styled "CEO" e-mailed me a week ago (I am not making this up) to chirp brightly, hey, I lived right down the road from you in Buffalo once! My response: Yeah? O. J. Simpson lived there once too.....

 

[Bob1370]

"Their self-styled "CEO" e-mailed me a week ago (I am not making this up) to chirp brightly, hey, I lived right down the road from you in Buffalo once! My response: Yeah? O. J. Simpson lived there once too....."

Did he realize who he was sending his message to? Given your experience with iBiquity's installation at WBZ, that's like Simpson sending a christmas card to the Goldmans...

 

[Element9]

Hey Bob1370... are you aware of the quote feature on this board?

"Their self-styled "CEO" e-mailed me a week ago (I am not making this up) to chirp brightly, hey, I lived right down the road from you in Buffalo once! My response: Yeah? O. J. Simpson lived there once too....."

Trying to break the ice with one of his company's critics. Old ploy. Next comes the invitation to dinner at the Red Oser.

Did he realize who he was sending his message to? Given your experience with iBiquity's installation at WBZ, that's like Simpson sending a christmas card to the Goldmans...

 

[listener-in]

When wireless internet becomes as widely installed as other mass media like radio, then guess what? It just becomes another form of RADIO, an additional band just like the FM and AM bands, and requiring just as much investment in production and talent as any other kind if you're going to reach critical audience mass for success.

What makes one form of radio successful is what makes every form successful--finding the right format, investing in the talent to do it right, and giving that talent the marketing support and sales support to sustain it.

Bob, you have it partly right but I believe that you underestimate what traditional stations will face as WiFi radio comes of age. Even now, switching between stations on a WiFi radio is almost as trivial as on the AM and FM bands - but the number of choices is not limited to a dozen or so, it is in the THOUSANDS.

As SirRoxalot has pointed out in another thread, the investment barrier to getting in WiFi is much lower than for AM/FM. So, if AM/FM station mangers convince themselves that WiFi is JUST another form of radio and that therefore they can carry on business as usual, therein lies the path to disaster.

Upstart WiFi stations can start with a low capital investment and no worries about finding a frequency. It needs only a small but talented crew to start eating the big boys’ lunch. Managements that are smart will respond ahead of the threat by re-evaluating their business model. Face it, the mass audience has already shrunk and will continue to do so. There are many niche markets out there that are grossly underserved, and WiFi stations will be ideally placed to fill the gaps.

At the risk of repetition, liberal talk is one of the underserved markets. Among stations serving a liberal audience, too many of them don’t do so as if their survival depended on it - which is the only way to run ANY radio station, in ANY format; in fact, it’s the only way to run any kind of business.

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Technically 'wireless for everyone" cannot be done yet so I wouldnt get too excited. The last plan had Google flying balloons in the air with antennas hanging off of them. We may see a change after the tv sound band frees up in february but what kind of change is still open. FM/AM and HD will always be dominant but I think,after some technical is ready, there could be a good place for some of us to work. Dont let "I can do it on my own" get to you, there will be more power in numbers on one station. Another Factor like needing a good staff.

 

[Bob1370]

"As SirRoxalot has pointed out in another thread, the investment barrier to getting in WiFi is much lower than for AM/FM. So, if AM/FM station mangers convince themselves that WiFi is JUST another form of radio and that therefore they can carry on business as usual, therein lies the path to disaster."

I think you're right in saying conventional broadcasters can't carry on business in the manner that's become usual, though for reasons that have little to do with WiFi's eventual proliferation. Radio's losing younger listeners to all manner of online and wireless media, and to no medium at all, largely because of weaknesses in the quality and relevance of its current programming. Fix those weaknesses, and combine quality programming with radio's inherent user-friendliness and low entry cost for the listener compared with other media, and radio can make a strong comeback. It's not too late by any means.

As far as WiFi becoming more than a niche delivery system, that's all going to depend on how much investment's made in content. WiFi may be cheaper to enter than acquisition or construction of a typical AM or FM plant or a station group. But the real expense comes not from the initial construction, but from ongoing programming, staffing, marketing, promotion, and revenue generation efforts. Those will be much the same for any operator that wants to get a substantial audience share and develop a large revenue base, whether you build a server or an AM or FM transmitter. If enough WiFi operators spend like station owners and program their operations like regular stations with real service for a wide coverage area, then in time they'll turn the wireless Web into another broadcasting band. If not, it'll remain a small niche vehicle for delivering specialized and occasional programming while AM and FM remain the true mass audio media. Or alternately, it'll be a subsidiary vehicle for extending the coverage footprint of conventional AM and FM stations beyond the normal technical limitations of their broadcast licenses. Or both.

 

[listener-in]

I think you're right in saying conventional broadcasters can't carry on business in the manner that's become usual, though for reasons that have little to do with WiFi's eventual proliferation.

If enough WiFi operators spend like station owners and program their operations like regular stations with real service for a wide coverage area, then in time they'll turn the wireless Web into another broadcasting band.

I don't think our views are that far apart. My point is that the degree to which WiFi proliferates will largely depend precisely the extent to which conventional managements change their ways. Given their recent track record, I wouldn't underestimate their reluctance to change, and this will tempt others to get into WiFi. I do think that the very availability and improvement of WiFi technology will change behavior. Without it, business as usual is almost a given. With it, there is incentive to change, and one way or another listeners will be better served whether it's by preemptively improved AM/FM or by WiFi. As with anything new, there would probably be many WiFi failures for every success.

 

[Bob1370]

"I do think that the very availability and improvement of WiFi technology will change behavior. Without it, business as usual is almost a given."

Here's where we diverge. The radio business is already wounded, because of its own poor collective programming and management decisions that made those wounds self-inflicted. Those wounds (cheap programming, lack of creativity, lack of personality, lack of localism and community connection) pre-date WiFi, and they've been bleeding the radio medium's creative strength and audience reach for more than a decade and a half although the most severe financial symptoms have just emerged recently. We will have to stop the bleeding and begin the recovery process regardless of any additional competitive pressure on the margins from WiFi. If we do that, WiFi remains a niche player and perhaps a supplement to our efforts. If we don't, WiFi won't emerge as a replacement.

 

[scooterodell]

The real problem with Wi-Fi or HD or any other new radio technology is not the content. It's the receivers.

With the switch of TV to digital technology, it took government action to mandate that receivers be changed, and government subsidies to make that change affordable for average Joes. And that's for a technology - TV - that is a single unit, fairly easy to swap out, and relatively limited to a few sets per household.

How many radios do you have in your household? 5? 10? 15? And how many of those radios are stand-alone receivers? You might have one or two units that function solely as radios. The rest are combined with your alarm clock, your stereo, your walkman, your car stereo, maybe even a flashlight or a coffee maker. Are you ready to go replace all of those pieces of equipment? Do you think the government is ready to mandate that they become obsolete? Do you think they will subsidize that replacement?

It wouldn't matter if the new content on the new technology could guarantee that you'd be healthy, wealthy, AND wise--it still wouldn't prompt people to replace all of their radios. And nobody listens to just one radio.

What about the comparison to FM, you say? Didn't that develop slowly, over time, with a government mandate? Yes, and that may be the only model that will work... a government mandate that doesn't eliminate the current tech, but adds a new one to the mix. Even then, though, do content providers have the patience to wait the 15 or 20 years it would take for the technology to propagate? I don't think so.

 

[SirRoxalot]

WiFi radios are already out there in more models than HD, and for under $100.00. The cheapest I've seen in $49.00 - a WiFi clock radio that also serves as an iPod dock.

If you think that the "satellite radio" blitz of a year or two ago was big news, imagine that you have the same kind of promo push for a service that offers THOUSANDS of "radio stations" for FREE instead of a monthly subscription fee. It will appeal to everybody from youngsters who have a bias against "traditional" radio to oldsters who are un- or underserved by traditional radio. If a niche format exists anywhere, you'll find it on the web. Not to mention "personalized" radio stations that avoid the bother of downloading, ripping, acquiring rights, etc. for an MP3 player.

It's coming, folks, and sooner than many here think.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Even then, though, do content providers have the patience to wait the 15 or 20 years it would take for the technology to propagate? I don't think so.

Technology no longer takes 15 or 20 years to propagate. If anything, the acceptance of new technology has been accelerating.

 

[OttoM]

WiFi radios are already out there in more models than HD, and for under $100.00. The cheapest I've seen in $49.00 - a WiFi clock radio that also serves as an iPod dock.

It's coming, folks, and sooner than many here think.

With all due respect Rox - IMO it's not going to come as fast as you say it will.

Today I can purchase a terrestrial radio FM receiver for as little as a dollar. And all I have to do is turn it on and it receives programming. No signal acquisition, no station programming, no special anything. It just works.

And that so-called "free WiFi" ain't gonna stay free forever. Someone will figure out a way to monetize it - and that WILL happen sooner than you think.

It will be AT LEAST ten years before Internet radio receivers will work like that $1 terrestrial radio does.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Ten Years After

Rob, you may be right, but I think that people are going to start looking for alternative forms of entertainment as OTA radio contracts into even more VT and syndicated pap. Those outside the "money demos" will have even more reason to seek out programming that interests them. That applies to both 12-34 and 55+ listeners.

Internet radio has a plethora of formats available, and an advantage over mp3 players in that it doesn't require downloading, programming, or updating. Think about he difference in Internet usage between 1998 and 2008. I think that Internet radio will have a significant impact in a lot less than 10 years, especially since it will be in at least some cars in 2009.