Thursday, February 3, 2011

Are New Devices To Improve Radio's Reach & Reception Enough???

There's not a day that goes by that we don't hear about a new FM antenna or another smartphone radio app. The NAB is pushing a new antenna design which will improve handheld device reception while Livio has something that will improve the in-car audio experience for iPhone users. CBS is not to be denied, either. They just added their interactive Radio.com as an Android app. I just hope your radio station sounds as good as these devices do...

The NAB's new embedded antenna design is part of what they call FASTROAD, which stands for "Flexible Advanced Services For Television & Radio On All Devices." Uh, okay but did the NAB ever hear of "keep it simple, stupid?" Apparently not. The new antenna design offers "a more attractive antenna solution to handheld device manufacturers than the handset cords or fragile, telescoping 'monopoles' now in use", according to RadioWorld," quoting the NAB. Media Buyer Planner reports that Livio Radio, "creators of Internet radio devices and accessories is now attempting to improve the in-vehicle audio experience for iPhone users." CBS Radio's Interactive Radio.com platform has added support for Android phones. In addition to picking up CBS stations, consumers can also access AOL Radio and Yahoo! Music, says Radio Online...

With all these technical improvements being made, I'm wondering whether the radio stations using these devices are worth listening to. If they're not offering enough to keep listeners from searching for something else, the devices will be useless...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1690] “Money, money, money, monnnnney“: The 1st paper money in the U.S. is issued by the Massachusetts colony. The currency is used to pay soldiers fighting in the war against Quebec (was this over hockey, eh?). Here's a look at our new $100 bill...
2.1815] Cheesy: The world’s 1st commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland (no mention of who was used to cut the cheese). Check this cheese maker out...
3.1913] The Taxman is coming: The 16th amendment to the Constitution is ratified authorizing the power to impose and collect income tax (how about a vote to repeal it?)…
4.1959] The day the music died: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson aka ‘The Big Bopper’ perish when their small plane goes down in Iowa…
5.1961] Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow: Over 17″ of snow blankets New York City. It’s the 6th largest snowfall in the city. Tell you what, why don't we just relive the Dec. 26, 2010 blizzard...
6.1998] Lights out: Texas executes Karla Faye Tucker who becomes the first woman executed since 1984. All Karla did was hack two people to death with a pickax…
7.1998] Plunging to death: A U.S. Marine jet slices a cable in Italy causing the death of 20 skiers on a lift. They will fall 370 feet to their deaths…
8.2002] I get a kick out of you: Britney Spears sings the national anthem and then Adam Vinatieri kicks a 48-yard field goal and the underdog Patriots win their first Super Bowl over the St. Louis Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI. Tom Brady wins the first of two SB MVPs…
9.2003] Murder at the mansion: Record producer Phil Spector is arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in California…
10.2007] Baghdad bomber: A suicide truck bomber strikes a Baghdad market, killing more than 130…

Music Memories:

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Maura Tierney (46), Ri & Phil Vettor (54th anny), Nathan Lane (55), Fred Lynn (59), Morgan Fairchild (61), Melanie (Safka) (64), Dave Davies (Kinks) (64), Dennis Edwards (68), Blythe Danner (68), Fran Tarkenton (71), Emile Griffith (73) and Shelley Berman (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Super Bowl XLII, 10 days until pitchers & catchers report, 11 days until Valentines Day & 18 days until Presidents' Day...
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