Comments on: The benefits of choice http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/ Radio futurologist and beer drinker Mon, 21 May 2012 11:08:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: 700WLW http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-178 700WLW Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:00:49 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/2006/12/21/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-178 As you say, "The content. Not the technology.". This is exactly HD Radio's problem - trying to sell the public on technological gimmickry, when the real problem with terrestrial radio, as we all know, is lousy content. As you say, “The content. Not the technology.”. This is exactly HD Radio’s problem – trying to sell the public on technological gimmickry, when the real problem with terrestrial radio, as we all know, is lousy content.

]]> By: James Cridland http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-177 James Cridland Mon, 01 Jan 2007 18:10:21 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/2006/12/21/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-177 700WLW - thanks for the link to that blog, it's interesting. (The Joint Communications one). I listen to a lot of radio content (WBAI, Virgin, BBC, WNYC) <b>on my iPod</b>. True, terrestrial radio isn't seen as trendy (which is really all that link tells us), but I would suspect podcasts are; and so I certainly don't agree that terrestrial radio has "failed miserably" in attracting 18-24 y'olds. Perhaps if we don't take advantage of all that new technology has to offer, of course we'll fail: but we're doing considerably better than most media are. The method of distribution isn't important. Nobody cares a stuff about whether the signal comes from a terrestrial analogue transmitter (FM), a digital terrestrial transmitter (DAB/HD/XM/Sirius/Freeview), a satellite transmitter (XM/Sirius/Sky/Worldspace), a cable (NTL/Telewest), or the internet. People care about <I>content</i>. As to your link about the price of HD - I appreciate that there are people heavily against HD, and people heavily *for* HD. I appreciate that you and Mark appear to be tremendously anti HD, for whatever reason. All I can point to is the experience in the UK where the turning point for DAB Digital Radio takeup was when the sets fell below £100 *and* radio stations launched some widely publicised additional channels - BBC7 (archive comedy and drama), Planet Rock (classic rock, a format unavailable until its launch), OneWord (classic books and more), BBC Asian Network, etc. Once more - the public doesn't care about technology, but it does care about <i>content</i>. Of course, the link you point to says: <blockquote>Take, for example, Sony's new PlayStation 3 set to debut just in time for the 2006 holiday season. This unit will be priced up to $600 - $600! And the games, the software, will run perhaps $60 a piece. Now I ask you, do you have any doubts that this machine will sell like hotcakes?</blockquote> ...well, with hindsight, you can clearly see that the product isn't right, and - guess what - the Wii has stolen the show. Why? The PS3 has been sold on techie stuff that people don't care about (Blueray, processor power, HD picture, etc). While the Wii has innovative controllers, it's been sold by pictures of people like you and me playing the unit, waving our arms around like a lunatic, and having fun. The content. Not the technology. 700WLW – thanks for the link to that blog, it’s interesting. (The Joint Communications one).

I listen to a lot of radio content (WBAI, Virgin, BBC, WNYC) on my iPod.

True, terrestrial radio isn’t seen as trendy (which is really all that link tells us), but I would suspect podcasts are; and so I certainly don’t agree that terrestrial radio has “failed miserably” in attracting 18-24 y’olds. Perhaps if we don’t take advantage of all that new technology has to offer, of course we’ll fail: but we’re doing considerably better than most media are.

The method of distribution isn’t important. Nobody cares a stuff about whether the signal comes from a terrestrial analogue transmitter (FM), a digital terrestrial transmitter (DAB/HD/XM/Sirius/Freeview), a satellite transmitter (XM/Sirius/Sky/Worldspace), a cable (NTL/Telewest), or the internet. People care about content.

As to your link about the price of HD – I appreciate that there are people heavily against HD, and people heavily *for* HD. I appreciate that you and Mark appear to be tremendously anti HD, for whatever reason. All I can point to is the experience in the UK where the turning point for DAB Digital Radio takeup was when the sets fell below £100 *and* radio stations launched some widely publicised additional channels – BBC7 (archive comedy and drama), Planet Rock (classic rock, a format unavailable until its launch), OneWord (classic books and more), BBC Asian Network, etc. Once more – the public doesn’t care about technology, but it does care about content.

Of course, the link you point to says:

Take, for example, Sony’s new PlayStation 3 set to debut just in time for the 2006 holiday season. This unit will be priced up to $600 – $600! And the games, the software, will run perhaps $60 a piece. Now I ask you, do you have any doubts that this machine will sell like hotcakes?

…well, with hindsight, you can clearly see that the product isn’t right, and – guess what – the Wii has stolen the show. Why? The PS3 has been sold on techie stuff that people don’t care about (Blueray, processor power, HD picture, etc). While the Wii has innovative controllers, it’s been sold by pictures of people like you and me playing the unit, waving our arms around like a lunatic, and having fun. The content. Not the technology.

]]> By: 700WLW http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-176 700WLW Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:00:39 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/2006/12/21/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-176 Hey, thanks for pointing out my spelling error - that was brilliant. Aside, from the anemic sales of HD radios, terrestrial radio has failed miserably, in winning over the hearts of the 18-24 year-olds, the would-be next generation of listeners, as the baby-boomers once were: "iPods More Popular Than Beer" "So, if you are dependent on 18-24 year old ratings from Nielsen, Arbitron or BBM and you keep wondering why you're having a hard time reaching them, it's not just because they're doing another beer bong. They're on their iPod." http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2006/06/ipods-more-popular-than-beer.html Terrestrial radio is losing out to iPods/MP3s, the Internet, cell phones/streaming, Satellite Radio,and gaming-systems. During "Black Friday", for HD Radio, noboby was lined up around the block for a new HD radio, as they were for $600 PS3s: "HD Radio and the "myth" of price" http://www.hear2.com/2006/05/hd_radio_and_th.html HD Radio, will go the way of AM Stereo, of the 1980s. Hey, thanks for pointing out my spelling error – that was brilliant. Aside, from the anemic sales of HD radios, terrestrial radio has failed miserably, in winning over the hearts of the 18-24 year-olds, the would-be next generation of listeners, as the baby-boomers once were:

“iPods More Popular Than Beer”

“So, if you are dependent on 18-24 year old ratings from Nielsen, Arbitron or BBM and you keep wondering why you’re having a hard time reaching them, it’s not just because they’re doing another beer bong. They’re on their iPod.”

http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2006/06/ipods-more-popular-than-beer.html

Terrestrial radio is losing out to iPods/MP3s, the Internet, cell phones/streaming, Satellite Radio,and gaming-systems. During “Black Friday”, for HD Radio, noboby was lined up around the block for a new HD radio, as they were for $600 PS3s:

“HD Radio and the “myth” of price”

http://www.hear2.com/2006/05/hd_radio_and_th.html

HD Radio, will go the way of AM Stereo, of the 1980s.

]]> By: James Cridland http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-175 James Cridland Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:04:22 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/2006/12/21/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-175 Mark has since replied in his blog posting - http://www.hear2.com/2006/12/the_dangers_of_.html - and I have replied in his blog this time. And messed up the formatting. Which is why I try not to do that. To 700WLW: I'm unconvinced about IBOC as a technical solution for a variety of reasons; and similarly unconvinced that HD Radio can attain critical mass in its current guise. Please understand that I am not arguing on behalf of HD Radio, or in defence of it. That said, some of what you've written is not my understanding of the IBOC system. Finally, farce is spelt with a 'c'. Mark has since replied in his blog posting – http://www.hear2.com/2006/12/the_dangers_of_.html – and I have replied in his blog this time. And messed up the formatting. Which is why I try not to do that.

To 700WLW: I’m unconvinced about IBOC as a technical solution for a variety of reasons; and similarly unconvinced that HD Radio can attain critical mass in its current guise. Please understand that I am not arguing on behalf of HD Radio, or in defence of it. That said, some of what you’ve written is not my understanding of the IBOC system. Finally, farce is spelt with a ‘c’.

]]> By: 700WLW http://james.cridland.net/blog/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-174 700WLW Fri, 22 Dec 2006 02:37:27 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/2006/12/21/the-benefits-of-choice/#comment-174 HD Radio is a fraud and a farse - sales of HD radios are anemic, as the general public is not buying into this joke. HD Radio/IBOC causes adjacent-channel interference and has only 60% the coverage of analog. The HD channels require mounting external dipole antennas and the channels will eventually have commercials. HD Radio is not free, as you pay the outrageous price of HD radios up-front. HD Radio will fail to reach critical mass, as AM Stereo failed in the 1980's. HD Radio is a fraud and a farse – sales of HD radios are anemic, as the general public is not buying into this joke. HD Radio/IBOC causes adjacent-channel interference and has only 60% the coverage of analog. The HD channels require mounting external dipole antennas and the channels will eventually have commercials. HD Radio is not free, as you pay the outrageous price of HD radios up-front. HD Radio will fail to reach critical mass, as AM Stereo failed in the 1980′s.

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