Why HD Radio (Still) Doesn't Matter
Wunderadio iPhone App
From the article...
It streams EVERY station on the planet, or so it seems. I'm talking about every station I've ever listened to. It has stations I've picked up while listening at night as a kid. It picks up the stations I listened to commuting in New York and New Jersey and in Pittsburgh. It even has the station I used to listen to to find out whether or not my school would be closed due to snow. In the age of Pandora and last.fm and iTunes, terrestrial radio has taken a back seat. But for me, as someone who has always enjoyed the thrill of the hunt - picking up a distant AM station at night -- this brings me back to my childhood. And it brings me to places I can't be -- like to my favorite afternoon drive DJ in Pittsburgh. I almost forgot ... the stations that use RDS (Radio Data) will show what's playing and who's on the air when you search for the station. ...only $5.99.
Click to read the entire article.Labels: HD Radio, Industry, Internet, iPods, Radio, Streaming, Trendwatch, Webcasting
Agency Buyers Decoded
From today's Inside Radio...
Advertisers seek unified web radio
Different platforms, metrics and sales teams are slowing online radio's growth. Horizon Media VP Lauren Russo says advertisers are also less interested in streaming alone, and seek more integrated opportunities. Others believe radio may be "paralyzed" figuring out the delivery system, instead of making it profitable
Let's run this through the Agency translator and see what we get...
Agencies seek commodity priced and packaged web radio
Different platforms, metrics and sales teams are making us think too hard. Horizon Media VP Lauren Russo says advertisers are also asking about things we haven't taken the time to understand or learn how to use, so we're going to use a buzzword in order to distract them while we further avoid evolving the way we do business. Others believe radio may be "concerned" in figuring out how to use new media to deliver results for clients, instead of churning out generic and commodity-based packages that agencies can use to play against each station by saying "your price is too high."Labels: Advertising, Agency, Industry, Media, Rants
Commoditization Schmoditization
It's time to celebrate if you're rooting for further commoditization of traditional Radio and the Internet. TargetSpot (arguably one of the most impressive automated Radio/Web sales tools on the market) just got bigger.
TargetSpot buys rival Ronning Lipset Radio and results in forming the largest online radio ad network. TargetSpot brings together CBS Radio, Entercom, AOL Radio, Yahoo, and more than 1,000 other online stations comprised of more than 50 radio groups and web properties. The TargetSpot CEO (Doug Perlson) says combing the sales and technology structures positions them for the "strongest monetization possible."
He says "monetization" -- I say "commoditization."
Toe-MAY-tow.
Toe-MAH-tow.
What would you call an online system that requires no actual understanding or comprehension of marketing or radio advertising or web strategy in order for you to be able to produce and place advertising spots and web banners? Just because you can get a great price on a set of scalpels at The Dollar Store doesn't make you a brain surgeon.
TargetSpot (and other systems like it) allow the amatuers to pose as professionals. It puts Buyers in charge of strategy and execution. I don't care how good a negotiator might be, I don't want them writing my radio spots or designing my display ads.
Point. Click. Crap.
You think terrestrial Radio sounds like shit NOW?
It's not going to get any better when ALL the spots sounds the way a posting on eBay reads. This is the level of "expertise" that will be needed to plan and execute media advertising.
No one WANTS to talk to a Radio salesperson, but the truth is that the GOOD ones know what they're doing. They've been educated in advertising strategy and marketing techniques that are proven to work in their chosen media. I don't like doctors, but you can be damn sure that if I need an operation I rather have to deal with some complete DICK who happens to be the best at what he does than perform the surgery myself.
Eric Ronning and Andy Lipset of RLR will become co-presidents of TargetSpot, which also absorbs the entire RLR sales team. Lipset says their firm and TargetSpot have been "complimentary leaders and innovators" in the online ad space, and believes they're now poised for "explosive growth."
"Explosive growth?"
Explosive diarrhea.
...Coincidence?
The government stepped in to institute PAYOLA laws. Is it too much to hope that they'll do something about the coming CRAPOLA scandal?Labels: Advertising, Consumer Generated, Industry, Internet, Rants, Rates, Trendwatch
Baltimore Coffin Nails
In another great leap foward toward making WiMax Radios a realistic and sustainable product, Baltimore adds a city-covering WiMax signal with help from Sprint.
This means any radio station in Baltimore that invested money on HD Radio conversion basically pissed away dollars. Why would the public buy an HD Radio to get only a few stations who converted (and then simply repeat their existing programming) when an entire internet full of audio awaits them?
Just one more coffin nail, my friends.Labels: HD Radio, Industry, Radio, Streaming, Webcasting
Radio: Your Last(.fm) Choice for Music
Making Media Mean Something (again)
Hey Traditional Media -- remember how it felt when you made a difference? I think Traditional Media companies should be required to read (and apply!) the principles in Guy Kawasaki's Art of the Start. It would revitalize their respective mediums if they would truly embrace its principles and put them into action.
Labels: Industry
...and 100% don't give a crap.
From Inside Radio...
HD Radio awareness rises.
Two-thirds of 18-64 year olds surveyed by Mark Kassof & Co. say they've heard of HD Radio. That's up from two years ago when a similar study found only 38% were aware of the product. The survey also shows consumers are also increasingly aware of HD Radio's advantages, such as higher-quality sound. On the downside, 7% think HD Radio is the same as satellite radio.
That shade of lipstick still doesn't look any better on your pig.Labels: Duh, HD Radio, Industry, Statistics
Mandatory HD? Siriusly??
Apparently the FCC thinks that maybe it should require Sirius/XM Radio to include HD Radio capabilities on all their new receivers. The FCC is taking comments on such issues as impact on reception and manufacturer cost.
This is another brain dead attempt to force-fit Radio and make it seem like the public can't live without it. They can and do -- quite nicely. How about forcing broadcasters not to suck so much, so that CUSTOMERS force Sirius/XM to include traditional Radio access into their product?
The possible FCC enforcement is more akin to forcing Wendy's to produce and giveaway free Big Macs.Labels: Duh, HD Radio, Industry, Satellite
Record Labels Finally Profit!
...by robbing RADIO.
According to this morning's Inside Radio, BMI's revenues topped $901 million last year and $224 million of it came from Radio. Their total revenues were only up 7% last year -- but a whopping 25% of their overall revenue came from the industry that helps push their vapid product on millions of listeners who could have otherwise avoided hearing their mediocre music.
AND, the Labels think Radio should pay MORE! The Labels are pushing Congress to undo Radio's exemption from a performance-based royalty that could add from $2 to $7 billion in new fees to their bottom line.
Radio is the delivery vehicle for the Label's product. It introduces (and pushes) their product on listeners who might not have otherwise been exposed to their product. The Labels do not pay for the time spent airing their product (hell, it's against the LAW to charge them!)
This seems an awful lot like charging truck drivers for delivering the Label's music CDs to stores. "Yes, we know that we need you to deliver our CDs to the store, but we want you to pay US a $1 for every CD you deliver."
Hell, at least the truck drivers are allowed to charge the Labels for toting their crap from city to city...Labels: Industry, Radio, Rants, Record Labels
Time to Bring Back Payola?
The BusinessWeek article "Radio Royalty Wars Heat Up Again" is good, but the reader comments are more interesting. Opinions are all over the place and many of them aren't based on any seeming logical explanation. One guy says to make Terrestrial Radio pay the additional royalties for streaming, but then goes on to berate Radio for adding more commercials per hour.
Um... exactly HOW do you think Radio is going to pay for those additional royalties??
If the RIAA wants to come back and double-dip on fees (I think a few of the commenters seem to think Radio is agetting a 'free ride' -- they're not.) Radio already pays royalty and licensing fees. These hearings have come about because the recording industry feels they should get additional fees if the station is streaming (the exact same broadcast!) over the internet.
I think one solution that these hearings need to consider is allowing Radio to charge the recording industry to play their music. I know in the past this has been outlawed by Payola rulings, but if the RIAA wants Radio to pay them for featuring their product, then Radio ought to have the same chance to profit from the recording industry. I think Payola laws were originally instituted to make sure the public had a fair chance to hear music from record labels that didn't have deep enough pockets to bribe a disc jockey to play their records. This was back when only a few radio stations were on the air and there were really no other ways to learn about new artists. With a plethora of other stations now on the air, the advent of internet radio, satellite radio, iTunes, indie music sites like GarageBand.com, and a myriad of ways to share music peer-to-peer -- the old reasons for outlawing Payola would seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur.
Grocery stores leverage shelf space and display location to receive better rates and discounts from their supliers -- why can't Radio be allowed to do the same?Labels: Fees, Industry, Rants, Record Labels, Streaming
Less (Time Wasted on Agencies) is More (Profit)
We totally saw this coming...
Half as many salespeople but higher commissions.
It's one option under study at Citadel, where CEO Farid Suleman believes as much as half of revenues would come in anyway, with or without a salesperson. So they're studying ways to possibly reduce the number of AEs and pay those who remain higher commissions. Faced with little growth in radio dollars, Suleman says everything needs to be on the table. With a lot of radio schedules being purchased by agency buyers who negotiate all effective creativity and results-based marketing ideas out of their purely transactional media buys -- why bother with the human element? Let these technical buyers log in to a website where they can view market ad rates on a stock-report-style electronic tickertape and make their media purchases via an automated system at whatever cost per point they'd like to request.
This would then allow media salespeople to focus on their most profitable results-driven business and everyone should be happy... with the possible exception of the media buyers, since this would allow the salespeople to stop wasting time trying to drop rates to please them and actually go out and sell a profitable marketing plan to direct clients -- which means those low ticker tape spot rates will rarely ever clear.Labels: Advertising, Industry, Rates, Trendwatch
All The Cool Kids Are Doing It...
 Urban Outfitters has starting carrying a starter podcasting kit, and it's being overtly pitched as a sexy teen tech toy. With Radio stations completely out of touch with the needs and wants of the modern listening audience (young and old alike), how long before AARP offers these setups in their monthly magazine? From the promotional text...
Pump up your very own volume!
If you've ever wanted to have your own radio show or make custom, personalized broadcasts, podcasting is a great way to start and ION Audio has the perfect solution to help make you the star! U CAST is the best way to make your own podcasts for internet posting.
Anything is possible with U CAST; you can host your own talk show, mix sounds and music like a radio DJ, or be a movie critic heard by millions around the world.
U CAST gives you everything you need: a professional-grade USB microphone, headphones, sound editing software and an easy way to deliver your Podcast to the masses. Your podcast can be downloaded and played on computers and portable music devices everywhere. It's time to be heard! Add in a free domain name and a year of hosting with auto-upload features and Radio has a whole new crew of competitors who can create and broadcast content they (and their peers) really want to hear and share. Those 500+ friends on their MySpace and Facebook pages just became a micro-audience more devoted and accurately tracked than any terrestrial station could hope for. The new Arbitron books are out -- do you know where your audience is? Probably at UrbanOutfitters.com buying a podcast kit for $120. PSSST... You can buy it cheaper at Amazon.com (only $97.00 !)
Labels: Consumer Generated, Industry, Internet, Webcasting
Is Online Radio Killing Traditional Radio Advertising?
Radio Heard Here (if by HERE you mean YouTube...)
Gaaawd -- they make it so easy for me to make fun of them...
Radio goes on offense
The industry's rallying cry becomes "Radio Heard Here" as the NAB, RAB and the HD Digital Radio Alliance unveil a multidimensional campaign. The effort comes as the industry is facing a number of challenges, but NAB chief David Rehr believes adversity creates opportunity. He tells Inside Radio "It forces people to do something."
The multiplatform, multimillion dollar campaign for "Radio Heard Here" will include more than $200 million in donated airtime on stations starting this Spring. Other components will begin sooner, such as $2 million worth of outdoor and online advertising. A viral campaign will also target younger demos, featuring video shorts posted on sites like YouTube and MySpace.
This directly speaks to my theory of positioning terrestrial broadcasters as "Websites with Radio Stations" instead of "Radio Stations with Websites." $200 million in FREE radio ads combined with who knows how much ad spending on YouTube, MySpace, and assorted other websites and outdoor billboards.
"Radio Heard Here" -- Yeah. We believe Radio works SO well that we stand behind our product as the vehicle to broadcast this message.
...Sort of...Labels: Advertising, Industry, Rants, Trendwatch
Hi-Jacking Delivery Trucks
Seen this?
i.Beat cebrax RS
Integrated RadioStation™: music played on your MP3 player can be transferred wirelessly to any radio in the vicinity - whether in your car, at home or during sports activities.
Playable file formats: MP3, WMA, WAV.
Not only does the broadcast industry need to worry about people using their OWN iPods and MP3 players to replace traditional broadcasting, they now need to concern themselves over users "hi-jacking" their programming delivery vehicles -- the radio itself!
This threat is to Radio what VCR and DVD players were to Television. Control over personal, on-demand, programming. Radio's only intelligent strategic response should be to create compelling content -- but we both know that won't happen.
They're too busy coming up with lame new names for lame old marketing (Audio Anchored Advertising? Really??)Labels: Industry, iPods, Radio, Streaming
The More Things Change...
...The more they stay the same.
Check out this quote I stumbled across. Please note that it is 70 years old!
"Never before the advent of radio did advertising have such a golden opportunity to make an ass out of itself. Never before could advertising be so insistent and so unmannerly and so affront its audience."
~William J. Cameron,
Director of Public Relations, Ford Motor Company, 1938.Labels: Advertising, Industry, Radio, Rants
Truth in (Radio) Advertising
The #1 Radio Advertiser in '07? Radio.
Apparently the number one advertiser on Radio in 2007 was Radio itself -- or rather its lamest evisioned evolution... HD Radio.
The HD Digital Radio Alliance spent $250 MILLION dollars in radio dollars last year pimping the Edsel of airwave evolution. The investment netted them a little over 1,451,00 ad units.
And let me check... Yep.
HD Radio is still inferior when compared to the choice (and cost) of Web Radio.Labels: HD Radio, Industry, Rants
Ray of iHope for HD?
Apple says it's planning an HD Radio push.
While some were surprised to see the latest generation of iPods did not include a traditional Radio tuner, the iPod could converting itself into an ally for the HD Radio initiative.
Apple will reportedly unveil HD Radio-equipped boomboxes with iPod docks at the Macworld Expo in January. These new units will be iTunes Tagging-ready, allowing users to more easily turn songs heard on the radio into purchases via the iTunes store.
iLounge.com reports that Apple VP Greg Joswiak says they're pleased with the "strong support" they're getting from the radio industry (duh!) and CBS Radio, Clear Channel, Cumulus, Cox, Entercom and Greater Media have begun encoding stations for iTunes Tagging.
While some in the broadcast industry are apparently getting excited by the fact encoded HD stations would get a share of iTunes music sales revenues, I think the sum would be paltry compared to the fact this is the potentially first device to meld the HD albatross with something else people might desire -- an iPod boombox. I also find it funny that the big broadcast boys are also so quick to turn their HD signals into low rent shills for iTunes. What can they truly expect on a share of revenue... 5 or 6 cents? They can already make that with iTunes affiliate programs on their websites. Are they seeing lots of revenue from that option? I doubt it. You know why? Because few people discover any new music on traditional Radio these days. If they like the song a station is playing, chances are they probably already own it because Radio is afraid of playing anything unproven and untested.
Hell, the local station in my town keeps bragging about how "you probably recognize that Fiest song we just played from the iTunes commercial."
Great.
Radio is programming their playlist from iTunes commercials.Labels: HD Radio, Industry, iPods
Artist Radio Stations - Part 2
Sammy Hagar launches Cabo Wabo Radio.
Hagar, along with radio veterans Woody Nelson and Shadoe Stevens, begin webcasting their online station New Year's Eve from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cabo Wabo Radio will feature "high energy" and classic rock. Hagar's calling it "Rock Radio the Way God Intended It." Who knew God was such a big fan of streaming audio?
No word yet on if they'll have to pay themselves the additional performance royalty charges currently being pushed upon other webcasters.Labels: Artists, Duh, Industry, Internet, Streaming, Trendwatch, Webcasting
Seth Godin Goes On and On...
Seth Godin just linked to an article he wrote almost seven years ago about the state of mass media and their monopolistic control of content and distribution. You probably wouldn't be interested in reading it.
After all, the article is really long (almost 4,500 words), it's pretty insulting to the businesses that created the foundation of our media culture, and like I said -- it's seven years old.
Godin cites the three main catalysts for creating the existing media monoply:
1. The FCC limited the number of TV and radio stations in every market, allowing three networks to dominate TV and the record companies to dominate radio.
2. Copyright ensures that we can charge a lot for a book or a record... way more than it costs to make it.
3. The limited number of physical distribution outlets (record stores, movie theatres) guarantees that distributors with clout get more shelf space.
Controlling the media was based on:
• Scarce creators, under long term contracts
• Scarce retail outlets, able to be controlled with marketing muscle
• Scarce spectrum (few radio stations, few TV stations)
• Copyright laws (and a lack of technology) that limited theft of services
• Limited power of the creators to compete without a large media company as partner
Seth lists the single-step process for becoming successful and profitable in TODAY'S new media world:
1. Establish a direct and positive relationship with the end user.
It sounds easy.
It's not.
It's scary.
It's likely to wreck your business before it saves it. Doesn't matter. The truth is: businesses that don't aggressively pursue this tactic will disappear.
Nah.
No reason at all that you ought to waste your time with this old article.Labels: Industry, Rants
Radio: Worst Job of the Century
The U.S. Labor Department says radio will be among the slowest-growing industries in the coming decade. Government economists say consolidation and technology breakthroughs will lead to 5% fewer radio announcers by 2015.
Among the "negatives" for radio work?
Shift work and low pay, with the median salary for a radio employee about $11 an hour.Labels: Industry, Statistics, Trendwatch
iTunes Tagging
According to Inside Radio, five more groups have commited to encoding their HD Radio signals to include the Tagging technology. CBS Radio, Cox, Cumulus, Entercom and Greater Media are joining Clear Channel in adding the tag that allows listeners who hear a song on a HD Radio station to preview, buy and download it later on iTunes.
Cox CEO Bob Neil says "Empowering our audience with more information and choice has been a cornerstone of Cox Radio's new technology efforts, and this exciting opportunity is a natural extension of that."
Whatever.
As far as this concept goes, this is a great way for a profit to FINALLY be made off HD Radio. At least for iTunes...
You want to earn a little bit for Radio?
Allow the tags to include the iTunes affiliate code. Stations could earn a whopping penny (or two!) for every download made from their tag.
You want a wake-up call?
Wait until Radio sees just how many downloads were actually made off their HD Radio tag. My guess is ZERO.Labels: HD Radio, Industry, iPods
Major Media vs. Micro Media
Pretty good summary of why Major Media should be concerned about incorporating/monitoring/developing Micro Media.
Labels: Consumer Generated, Industry
HD + QVC = WTF?
Looks like some HD Radios are going to be featured on QVC -- the cable equivalent of carnival barkers -- and the HD Digital Radio Alliance thinks this is a GOOD move:
QVC to showcase HD Radio.
Three HD Radio receiver models will premiere on QVC's cable TV network next Wednesday night. HD Digital Radio alliance president/CEO Peter Ferrara says "QVC provides a unique retail at-home environment that is ideal for helping even more consumers discover the cool new content and crystal clear sound provided by HD Digital Radio."
Hell, having these things featured on QVC makes the fact RadioShack carried 'em look like the friggin' "Big Time!"
Don't it look purty?
Someone needs to record the QVC pitch and post it to YouTube. Send me a link if you do -- I want to feature it on the ZR blog.Labels: HD Radio, Industry
Apple Sees No Future in Radio
Apple announces plans for their entire new line-up of updated iPods, and you know what is so painfully obvious in its lack of presence? Radio.
The entire iPod product line is receiving a major overhaul, but Radio is not part of their remodeling plan. InsideRadio argues that it is because Apple is in the music download business, but one of the new features is in partnership with Starbucks that allows iPod users to locate and purchase any song they heard played in a Starbucks location via wireless access to a special WiFi version of iTunes. Seems like this could have been executed through a partnership with terrestrial broadcasters had the interest been there. But it wasn't.
Since the new iPod has WiFi access and a built-in Safari browser, perhaps we'll see the same sort of hear-it/buy-it feature connected to Webcasters and Radio stations who are streaming their programming.
Perhaps.
But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for someone from Radio to approach iTunes in order to get this concept in motion -- because according to InsideRadio Steve Jobs is just "in the business of selling music as well as listening devices."
I'd say he's in the "Kicking Radio's Ass" business.Labels: Industry, iPods, Radio, Rants
MP3 Means "Audio"... right?
I saw a link in this week's edition of MP3.com's newsletter for an interview with KT Tunstall and thought I'd enjoy the audio interview while reviewing email working on blog entries this morning. Little did I know it would BECOME a blog entry.
I'm reading an email newsletter from a company and website named for the most common audio format known in today's market -- MP3.com -- the interview has to be in audio, right? Well, if it WAS I'd be writing about something else this morning. The interview is entirely in TEXT.
From the style in which it's written, you can tell it must have been transcribed from a phone call -- why the hell didn't they post the AUDIO? It doesn't have to be "great" audio, gang. It just has to be audio. Everyone knows she didn't stop by your studio and record a master tape for a quick promotional conversation, but even the the most mediocre quality recording from Skype would have been more welcome than scrolling seven pages of tiny text.
I can absolutely understand including a transcript of the interview along with the audio recording -- but when your name IS audio, you might want to consider making your product audio as well.
Shame on you, MP3.com -- you're one of the companies that is supposed to "get it."Labels: Industry, Rants
Radio's Future Appears to be in the Hands of BestBuy Employees
What?
People are having a hard time understanding and justifying the purchase of a HD radio? Gosh. Didn't see THAT coming...
---
From InsideRadio:
Inside the store - Trying to buy an HD Radio can be tough.
The HD Radio rollout is quickly moving from the transmitter site to the retail outlet and consumers are being asked to lay out a lot of money to buy a new receiver. Inside Radio recently paid a visit to a number of New York area stores to see what kind of experience listeners' face. Read about our experience - in today's Inside Radio.
HD Radio advocates agree - retail is the weakest link so far.
HD Radio Alliance CEO Peter Ferrara tells Inside Radio they're doing an "amazing amount" in terms of creating consumer awareness, and improving quality. But Ferrara says the retail world is still getting "up to speed with the technology and benefits". High staff turnover at stores isn't helping. ibiquity CEO Bob Struble says there's an online HD Radio University in which sales staff can learn the ins-and-outs of the technology.
---
A couple things from ZombieRadio...
Ferrara says the retail world is still getting "up to speed with the technology and benefits" -- ummm. Yeah. Gonna be working awhile on that "benefits" part. A whole fleet of NASCAR racers couldn't get THAT one up to speed!
"Bob Struble says there's an online HD Radio University in which sales staff can learn the ins-and-outs of the technology. " Have fun with that one... how ya gonna get the RADIO LISTENERS to get enroll?
...And exactly what flavor of Kool-Aid will you be serving?Labels: HD Radio, Industry, Rants
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Brraaaaainnssss...
Focusing
primarily on terrestrial radio broadcasting, ZombieRadio.com is
dedicated to pointing out the mindless and brain-dead actions of the
mainstream media industry in general.
Don't
get too comfortable satellite, television, cable, and internet -- we
all know from seeing zombie movies that the contagion spreads quickly.
"They're
coming to get you..."
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