 RAIN 6/4: NPR leading the way for all of mainstream media, says Mashable ·Jun 4, 12:50 PM NPR’S WEBCASTING STRATEGIES MAKE IT A UNIVERSAL MEDIA LEADERNPR is a well-recognized webcasting leader, establishing high standards for streaming and podcasting quality, as well as pioneering user engagement and interaction. Mashable columnist Josh Catone asserts (here) that NPR’s strategies in these areas will be the route to follow for all mainstream media — not just Internet or broadcast radio — in the future.
Catone points to NPR’s dedication to local coverage and their interaction with listeners on social networks as pillars to NPR’s success so far, and foundations that the network can build upon going into the future. Most importantly though, he says, is NPR’s willingness to let “listeners and readers to access their content on their own terms.” Users can access content online and on mobile devices, while developers and listeners alike can “remix and reuse” NPR content. PALM PRE MUSIC-FRIENDLY, BEST iPHONE CONTENDER YET SAYS NYTThe Palm Pre, available this Saturday, packs some impressive music-friendly features. The New York Times found that the Pre can run multiple applications at the same time, so, unlike current iPhones, a user can listen to Internet radio while checking his or her email or writing a text message.
Additionally, syncing music to the Pre is easy as adding tunes to an iPod, mostly because iTunes recognizes the Pre as an iPod! The smartphone also packs a standard headphone jack, and of course one of the first applications available from Palm’s App Catalog will be Pandora Internet radio. That makes the Pre a very music friendly phone, and overall an “an elegant, joyous, multitouch smartphone; it’s the iPhone remixed…a spectacular achievement,” says New York Times reporter David Pogue. Read Pogue’s full thoughts here. ECONOMY CONTINUES TO BATTER RADIO AS R&R SUDDENLY CLOSES ITS DOORSNielsen has shut down Radio and Records, perhaps a sign of the continued economic stress the radio industry is feeling. Publisher Howard Appelbaum informed the R&R staff yesterday of the closure. While efforts were made to sell or save the publication, “nothing worked out,” according to Tom Taylor. Parts of R&R, like the music charts, will move to Billboard. All 40 employees have been let go, however.
“R&R will be missed, and so will those good people. The news puts a greater responsibility on those publications that survive,” writes Taylor. “When a long standing report like R&R dies a piece of the radio medium dies with each of us,” observes RBR (here). “R&R closing is a wake up call on the future of radio.” WEBSTER: BUILD A COMMUNITY, NOT AN AUDIENCE, USING SOCIAL NETWORKSTom Webster over at Infinite Dial has an interesting idea to help transform a radio station’s audience into a community. He suggests using social networking sites to include listeners on weekly music meetings. Read Webster’s full thoughts at The Infinite Dial here.share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
