RAIN SUMMIT RECAP: WHAT TO DO ABOUT HD?: The experts on the “What To Do About HD Radio” panel seemed to agree there remains hope for the technology, but some serious thinking will have to go into properly branding, marketing, and programming HD Radio for it to survive. Fittingly, Don Kelly, director of broadcast marketing for iBiquity Digital (the technology company behind HD Radio) was the most optimistic. “HD is very much like FM was in 1970… it’s an opportunity for young broadcasters to come in with new ideas.” He also said HD Radio doesn’t have to be an “either/or” proposition and that it could co-exist with viable satellite and Internet radio services. John Gehron, GM of Oprah’s Harpo Radio, remembers when FM was born, and suggested that it’ll take more than just programming to get HD Radio off the ground. “FM didn’t take off until the government mandated that all new radios be AM/FM. Why haven’t broadcasters asked Congress to mandate HD?” he asked. He added that since music is now a widely-available “commodity” (unlike back when new FMs were playing artists that weren’t heard anywhere else, like on AM radio), HD will have to rely on programming that’s beyond simply “music.” Dan Halyburton, head of Emmis/NY, strongly agreed. He called radio’s current HD offerings simply “a music service. It’s not radio.” Rusty Hodge, whose SomaFM Internet radio service supplies programming to some NPR member stations for their HD channels, suggested using online streams, mobile platforms, and digital cable channels to build awareness of content that’s available on HD. When listeners grow attached to this programming, he reasoned, they may buy HD radio for access in the car. Jeff Vidler, head of Solutions Research Group of Toronto, added the Canadian historical perspective of that country’s attempts at establishing a digital radio platform. DAB was all about sound quality, he explained, it wasn’t about programming new side channels. “Mend it or end it?” Edison Media’s Tom Webster, moderating, asked. All agreed there’s a future for HD. Hodge and Gehron stressed the importance of better branding for HD2 and HD3 channels, Vidler suggested maybe it’s time for a better name, Halyburton brought up the idea of other uses for the bandwidth, and Kelly put a cap on the panel by saying “Program it and promote it. Content is the only thing” that will drive adoption and unit sales. Video coverage of this panel (and several other segments of the RAIN Summit) from TVWorldWide is here.

JACOBS ADVISES CLIENTS TO ALWAYS CONSIDER DIGITAL APPLICATION: Jacobs Media is advising clients, “Today, radio operations need to be much more than what comes out of the speakers. They need to be a ‘whole’ entity, encompassing streaming, web site content, podcasting, HD2 channels, texting, databasing, and more. And this is more than just about the programming – these areas are where the revenue growth is going to come from over the next several years.” Recently, they sent clients “Livestrong”-type bracelets, bright green with the letters “W.T.D.A.” inscribed, for “What’s The Digital Application?” Read more on their W.T.D.A. advice to clients here. A link to their interesting survey of rock listeners’ attitudes towards satellite radio is here.

RAIN SUMMIT RECAP: KURT HANSON ON “THE FUTURE OF RADIO”: Given current cultural, technological, and social trends, broadcasters (or really anyone) who wish to be a part of radio’s future must embrace the concept of creating a brand on the Internet and streaming. As one of two keynote addresses of the afternoon, RAIN publisher and AccuRadio CEO Kurt Hanson spoke to RAIN Las Vegas Summit attendees about “The Future of Radio” and why an Internet position is so important. On a cultural level, Kurt pointed out a phenomenon he calls the “Starbucks-ing” of America. Emulating the successful branding of the popular coffee stores, successful broadcasters will focus on a narrow niche offering, offer great depth within that focus, allow personalization, and wrap it up in an appealing design sensibility. Much like a custom-made coffee drink, streaming technology allows offering listeners just this type of experience. And without the limitations of the broadcast radio band or satellite bandwidth (i.e. there’s no limit on how many channels can exist) and global reach, streaming is best positioned to address the “long tail” formats. Technologically, Kurt stressed the importance of (A) a useful and pleasing user interface, which is the de facto “brand,” much more than the audio; and (B) the “rise of the mobile device” and the fact that wireless networks are like hundreds of millions of dollars worth of radio transmitters, but free for webcasters to use.

RADIO FREE EUROPE STILL EXISTS, STILL VITAL: Radio Free Europe, which broadcasts, streams, and produces web content in 28 different languages, serves as a “surrogate” news source, an independent voice for spots in Europe and Asia with little or weak local news. But RFE has to settle with a $75 million annual budget (the cost of 4 Apache helicopters, Washington Post editorialist Anne Applebaum points out here). And with as much as you hear about the need for “soft power” — the non-military initiatives designed to win “hearts and minds” abroad — the broadcaster needs a real advocate in Congress or the White House, she contends.

Comment

1. What is so amusing is that some still compare today’s media landscape with that of analog FM’s era – today, we have iPods, cell phones, the Internet, Satrad, etc. 50% of HD/IBOC is just a repitition of what is already on analog, with the HD1 channels. The FCC has left it up to the marketplace to decide the fate of HD Radio and a mandate still would not force consumers to buy expensive HD radios, which don’t even work – who buys radios anymore, except for us radio-geeks?

   — PocketRadio · Apr 23, 08:44 AM · #

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