ZombieRadio

As if Arbitron Wasn't Already A Car Wreck

2009-05-30T15:36:00.003-05:00

You have GOT to be kidding me...

Ad veteran joins Arbitron board
Former ad agency and General Motors marketing executive Philip Guarascio joins Arbitron's board of directors as non-executive chairman, succeeding former CEO Steve Morris. Current CEO Michael Skarzynski says Arbitron will rely on Guarascio's guidance as they develop new multimedia products.
InsideRadio : May 29, 2009

The marketing executive from General Motors??
At least he'll have experience in filling out all the government bailout request paperwork (as well as the bankruptcy forms!)

...You are KIDDING me!!!

Comparing Apples to Apples

2009-05-28T16:25:00.002-05:00

Radio is definitely banking too heavily on the fact Zune added HD to their next model. According to the Radio industry, they think this decision is going to add leverage to their iGroveling at Steve Jobs feet...

Microsoft may help radio with Apple
Microsoft's decision to include HD Radio in the new Zune HD is seen as a "validation" of radio's digital move. The company is likely to help iBiquity with its mission to get HD Radio on all portable devices -- including Apple's iPod.

Ummm... YEAH.
Because Apple is constantly copying Microsoft's every move.

NOT.

Lipstick + Pig = Zune HD

2009-05-27T12:58:00.004-05:00

Confirmation that Microsoft plans to add an HD Radio receiver into its new Zune device. The Radio industry was quick to kiss Bill Gates' feet:

"On behalf of radio broadcasters across the country, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) applauds Microsoft for recognizing the value of free, local radio," NAB executive VP Dennis Wharton says. "Today's announcement gives America's 235 million weekly radio listeners yet another platform to enjoy our free service, and it uniquely positions the Zune HD at the forefront of entertainment products."

I'd like to see a survey of how many people own HD Radios in comparison to how many people own Zune players. As pathetic as both of these products are, I actually think Zune might be the one to benefit on this deal. If three out of 10,000 people own an HD Radio, I gotta believe that only ONE out of 10,000 has even HEARD of the Zune!

Click here for more coverage from cnet news.

This coverage from PodcastingNews.com pretty much mirrors my own sentiments. And they back-up their very logical assumptions with a recent Teen study that shows they have ZERO interest in any portable media player that isn't an iPod.

The Public Doesn't Know What They Want, Until They Want It.

2009-05-19T12:09:00.003-05:00

From today's InsideRadio:

Wi-Fi hits the dashboard
Radio�s reign as king of in-car listening may not be over, but there�s a new threat. Autonet Mobile has begun selling Wi-Fi for the car at more than 3,300 stores nationwide, including Best Buy. But a Jacobs Media survey finds just 6% want Wi-Fi in their next car. Most prefer an iPod connection.

There are two things very wrong with this post...
#1: Innovative progress rarely comes from asking the public what "they" want. To wit, this quote from Henry Ford: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Nobody seemed to want MP3 players until the iPod, no one saw a market for home computers, and the head of a certain film studio once remarked (in regard to the emerging 'talking-pictures' technology) that no one would ever want to hear an actor speak.

#2: Do you think it's possible Jacobs Media might have a vested interest in making that statement to further pimp their iPhone app services?

29% sounds high to me

2009-04-24T09:09:00.002-05:00

A big "duh" from InsideRadio.com this morning...

HD Radio awareness stagnates.
Even though millions of dollars have been spent promoting HD Radio, a new study shows only 29% of consumers say they�re familiar with it. And the rate's grown very little over the last three years.

I think the only reason they hit a number as high as 29% is that they counted everyone involved inside HDRadio headquarters.

Does Radio belong on the iPod or in the iPotty?

2009-04-15T10:39:00.004-05:00

So I get cc'd on an email from a station PD to his GM sharing a link to an article about the NAB's President (David Rehr) writing to Apple COO (Timothy Cook) "encouraging" him to add Radio to all future iPod, iPhones, and related devices.

The vibe I get from the email is that the PD is pumped-up because with the all powerful NAB making the request, it is a foregone conclusion that all existing iDevices will be immediately recalled so they can have not just an AM/FM Radio added to their features -- but an HD Radio as well!

MY take on this is as follows:
Rehr either heard a whispered rumor that Apple was going to add a Radio to the next iThingy and wants to claim credit for geting it done, or he just wants to appear to be "doing" something.

If it's the latter, I wouldn't expect much. Radio has been whining and moaning to Jobs and company to add Radio since version 2.0 of the iPod -- they completely ignored version 1.0 because this fad couldn't possibly last.

Attention Radio: it doesn't matter how many devices get manufactured that are capable of tuning in your station if all you're producing is content that belongs in the iToilet.
See HD Radio.

Another take on the situation here. I especially love the comment from msbpodcast -- I'm certain it echoes the sentiment of many others.

Newspaper Comic Relief

2009-04-09T14:15:00.003-05:00

Leave it to the toons to come up with a way to save Newspapers...

Killing the Music Industry

2009-04-08T14:14:00.001-05:00

Good rant from TorrentFreak.com on just how good the music industry's aim is... when they're shooting themselves in the foot.

http://torrentfreak.com/how-to-kill-the-music-industry-090227/

It's Official: Internet Passes Radio

2009-03-31T11:17:00.001-05:00

As reported in today's InsideRadio...

Radio�s $100 million lead in 2007 evaporated last year as internet revenues grew 11% to $23.4 billion. That�s $3.9 billion more than radio. The internet is now the third largest ad-supported medium, behind television and print. But radio is fighting back, targeting online ad growth. The RAB says off-air dollars accounted for 9% of last year�s radio revenue.

Zombie Xerox

2009-02-17T23:48:00.001-05:00

Bastards are copying my concept!
Zombie Banks... Zombie Automakers...
http://petesbloggerama.blogspot.com/2009/02/zombie-banks-coming-run.html

Reality Shift

2009-01-18T15:54:00.003-05:00

Nice video illustrating the dramatic shift in media/marketing reality.

Don't you have something interesting to say?

Time to Kill the FCC?

2008-12-26T11:29:00.002-05:00

Creative Commons guru Lawrence Lessig tells Newsweek that it's to kill the FCC.

"President Obama should get Congress to shut down the FCC and similar vestigial regulators, which put stability and special interests above the public good. In their place, Congress should create something we could call the Innovation Environment Protection Agency (iEPA), charged with a simple founding mission: "minimal intervention to maximize innovation." The iEPA's core purpose would be to protect innovation from its two historical enemies -- excessive government favors, and excessive private monopoly power."

Lessig blames the "Disneys and Pfizers of the world" for turning government-managed rights originally designed to stimulate innovation into special interest mandated monopolies that only serve to feed a gluttonous bloat of "exclusive rights" handed out by the government to a select few.

"America's economic future depends upon restarting an engine of innovation and technological growth. A first step is to remove the government from the mix as much as possible. We need to kill a philosophy of regulation born with the 20th century, if we're to make possible a world of innovation in the 21st."

Lessig's proposal for an iEPA organization is an interesting one. What do YOU think?

Zombies: Good for the Environment

2008-12-26T11:21:00.003-05:00

Apparently zombies are good for the environment.
Think of all the landfill we avoid by letting the dead walk the earth...

Who knew?

Radio Looks Good to Newspaper

2008-12-23T11:48:00.003-05:00

I've been seeing a lot of coverage about Newspapers getting into streaming audio lately.
I guess if you're a Newspaper, even Radio looks like a better option...

Reach & Phrequency: Will Music Sooth The Savage Newspaper Marketplace?
Hoping to capitalize on their familiarity with the local cultural scene, the Philadelphia Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer are launching a site devoted to local music-- phrequency.com, which will offer music downloads and video along with reviews, event listings, and user comments. According to Philadelphia Media Holdings, which owns both papers, the Web site will exist independently of Philly.com, the papers' main Web portal...

more...

Why Radio Principles Won't Work Online

2008-12-11T16:22:00.004-05:00

An interesting piece from Eric Rhoads at RadioInk.com...

Why Radio Principles Won't Work Online
In 1999, when I raised $18 million and went into the Internet radio business with RadioCentral, the industry gave me a lot of grief. Ultimately I failed, which vindicated the naysayers. Few believed radio's distribution system would change, and most did not agree with the innovative things we were offering, like a "Buy" button associated with the music and commercials. Yet we amassed the second-largest worldwide online streaming audience at the time -- which was still less than a single New York FM -- and it was our success (in terms of streaming and distribution costs) that put the nails in our coffin.

Looking back, I see the flaws in my business model. I was trying to use radio principles in a new medium. It never works. My friend and colleague Walter Sabo of HitViews recently pointed out to me that, historically, when new mediums have been invented, the stars from old mediums rarely become stars on the new ones. Vaudeville stars tried the new medium of radio, but most failed. Radio made its own stars. Silent film stars rarely made it to the talkies, which bred their own stars.

So why would doing radio the way we have in the past work with new mediums, new methods of distribution, and the two-way, interactive conversations possible online? The old ways won't work, yet we as an industry keep using radio-like techniques to target online users who want things presented in a new, Internet- and mobile-focused way. Radio usage on a cellphone will be different than radio usage online, which is different from radio listening in a car or on a home radio. When Internet "experts" say radio cannot and will not succeed online in its present form, this may be a clue as to why.

---
NOTE: I normally would not have included the entire story here, but merely provided some highlights linking back to the author's site. BUT, I couldn't find the article on his website -- only in the email newsletter.

Hang this sign in your office

2008-12-09T08:34:00.004-05:00

Broadcasters need to remember that it's all about trying to engage the audience, not piss them off. It doesn't matter which media you're in, all offer the ability to connect to the audience, but is the message we're delivering to that audience one that attracts or repels?

Does the programming and advertising pull them in or push them away?
Does it build bridges or burn them?

Are you bold enough, brave enough, (do you believe enough) to turn down an advertiser's spot because it sucks? Because it won't help you build an audience nor them build their business?

Why HD Radio (Still) Doesn't Matter

2008-11-28T11:21:00.002-05:00

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.

Agency Buyers Decoded

2008-11-20T11:15:00.003-05:00

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."

Commoditization Schmoditization

2008-10-15T06:50:00.006-05:00

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?

Baltimore Coffin Nails

2008-09-29T10:53:00.004-05:00

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.

The Mainstream Media

2008-09-26T08:38:00.001-05:00

Side effects may include a zombie-like existence.

Radio: Your Last(.fm) Choice for Music

2008-09-17T14:08:00.003-05:00

Some terrestrial Radio stations still think they're going to survive based on their playlist and music research.

The Buzz Bishop video below provides a very real example of why music is the LAST reason listeners will choose to listen to Radio.

Making Media Mean Something (again)

2008-09-16T17:25:00.003-05:00

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.

...and 100% don't give a crap.

2008-09-11T16:39:00.002-05:00

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.

Mandatory HD? Siriusly??

2008-08-26T15:54:00.002-05:00

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.