When the NAB decided to answer opponents of installing radio chips in mobile devices, they pulled no punches, going as far as saying mobile carriers may be guilty of "anti-competitive behavior" as they try to block the plan. And they did it in a 1,300 word post about the "facts" in favor of mandatory FM radio. Dennis Wharton's diatribe was a thousand words longer than Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address'. The only thing missing was "(Chips) of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." No one knows if Congress is buying this plan or not but we know that cell phone manufacturers aren't. "The height of absurdity" is what the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) called it last week. And there was more: "Rather than adapt to the digital marketplace, NAB and RIAA act like buggy-whip industries that refuse to innovate and seek to impose penalties on those that do." One of the beefs that the CEA has is the extra cost and possible battery life issue of an FM receiver, noting that some cell phones do have the feature and that consumers can buy one if they choose...
The NAB wonders why the cell phone makers are arguing "against this pro-consumer feature" with their "exaggeration, rhetoric and factual inaccuracies." The NAB argues that those opposing a government FM mandate are probably suffering from a "simple case of anti-competitive behavior because radios don't chew up cell phone data plans." ...
The NAB wisely used the safety issue which could sway Congress on the need for radios in mobile devices. Wharton's document does make a strong point - the cell phone industry has been slow at rolling out an emergency alert system of its own. While the industry noted this week that such a system was coming "soon", the law requiring it was passed 4 years ago. Surely an oversight but a costly one - one that could be a game changer...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1873] The birth of a broadcasting maven: Dr. Lee DeForest is born. He's the inventor of the audion tube which makes broadcasting possible. Jean Shepard talks about meeting DeForest in this clip...
2.1873] School bells ring and children sing: The school board of St. Louis (MO) authorizes the 1st U.S. public kindergarten...
3.1939] Baseball comes to the tube: The 1st televised major league baseball games are shown on experimental W2XBS (now WNBC-TV). It's a double-header between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds...
4.1947] Breaking the barrier: Brooklyn Dodger pitcher Dan Bankhead becomes the 1st black pitcher in major league baseball...
5.1957] Edsel death notice: Ford rolls out the 1st Edsel (1958 model). The last Edsel rolls out at the end of November of '59 (1960 model)...
6.1964] LBJ all the way: The Democratic National Convention nominates LBJ for a full term with Hubert H. Humphrey as his running mate in Atlantic City (living in AC at the time, I remember seeing both candidates at their palatial rental waiting to be escorted to the Convention Hall for their coronation)...
7.1970] Duane turns into a Domino: Duane Allman starts recording as a member of Eric Clapton's new band, Derek & The Dominoes...
8.1974] "Happy Trails": Charles Lindbergh dies of cancer on the Hawaiian island of Maui (Lindbergh was 72)...
9.1986] Rough sex death: Jennifer Levin is found strangled in Central Park. Preppie Killer Robert Chambers eventually confesses but uses a "rough sex" defense. He will serve 15 years (the 1st 5 in solitary) and is released at age 36 in August of '05. Chambers was sentenced to a lengthy term in jail for possession of heroin and cocaine in 2009...
10.2003] Blame NASA: Investigators conclude that NASA's overconfident management and inattention to safety doomed the space shuttle Columbia as much as damage to the craft did...
Music Memories:
•1967] Released on this date: "Purple Haze" - Jimi Hendrix...
Commentary:
The Tampa Bay Radio Reunion is set for Saturday, November 6, 2010. Please RSVP to Sandy Hall at swoodworth@embargmail.com or call 813-205-5247. Sandy needs a headcount for the reunion. Tedd Webb adds that "if you missed it last year, you missed a good one, so pass along the info and come swap lies and have a few brews." Note: The reunion will start at 2 PM...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Macaulay Culkin (27), Bob Cowsill (58), Lee Trevino (59), Valerie Simpson (59), Geraldine Ferraro (72), Tommy Heinsohn (73) and Ben Bradlee (86)...
Timeline Countdown: 11 days until Labor Day, 14 days until the NFL opener (Minn. @ New Orleans & 28 days until autumn arrives...
