Saturday, November 05, 2011

I Want FM On My Cell Phone (Even In Paradise)

I always wondered why Emmis Communications has been such a strong and early advocate for radio to be included in every cell phone and now I think I know why.

As a company with considerable international experience, I have a feeling that they've long been aware of what I just saw graphically proven on the Greek Island of Santorini, where the waters are as blue as you'll see anywhere and the docks are a great place to watch ferries, transportation and cruise ships take goods and people up to those white hotels, homes and restaurants up on the top of the rocky cliffs.

That is, unless it's 9:30 pm and the ferry is more than two hours late.

Then, along with several hundred other people, you stand - as I did last week - in the chill with not much information on when the boat is going to arrive and not much entertainment to kill the seemingly endless time.

That's when I was glad to watch at least half the crowd starting to reach for their cell phones and ear buds as radio after radio came on. Thanks to my HTC EVO Android phone, I joined them, feeling especially smug as I noticed that the young folks around me were the most likely to be using their cell phones as portable radios.

I know it's been a long, slow process with little visible progress thus far but it seems like a non-issue in most other countries, which puts to rest the argument for me at least that phone owners won't use them.

It's been six months since the very clever and effective Radio Ink-Orkin ads have been updated, but have you aired them as yet? If not, please do.

Perhaps the recent initiative announced at the Chicago NAB meetings including even HD Radio will add impetus to the campaign.

As I discovered on a cold night waiting for a boat, it's nice to be able to turn to entertainment at the touch of a button on this ubiquitous device.

Sooner or later, it's going to prove essential when the power's out, cell service is down and and radio comes to the fore once again to inform, saving lives.

Let's work to make sure it's there when it's needed most.

1 comment:

Mad Dog Murf said...

Now is the time to take destiny into our own hands. Radio is strong, ubiquitous and will remain a powerful and relevant force in media for decades to come if we are proactive and sing our own song. We cannot rely on associations or governments to do this for us. Imagine when someone writes an App on an Android phone that allows you to touch the RDS message and it will take you to the advertiser that is being aired at that time. New media is counting on us to be lazy and unable to organize. It is essential to believe in our collective power and not wait for the other person to make it happen. We need all of us to put our shoulders into this. This is the big test.

There are millions of new FM radio receivers out there just waiting to be used. Currently there are over 100,000,000 FM equipped Android phones in the US with over 400,000 activated daily that do not incur Data Charges (like Pandora) or drop out when traveling (like Cell Phones) or use up excessive battery capacity. .That's nearly a half million new FM radios introduced to Americans every day! Then there is Radio dns. Now, we need to remind them to use them. We need to send this powerful, yet simple message to all those potential listeners/users. “Radio is Everywhere; in your home; in your car and now on Android Smart Phones.

Imagine the built in RDS systems on the Android radios being able to take the user to the web site of the current advertiser with just the push of a button. That completes the circle.

We are convenient, effective, essential, relevant, FREE and EVERYWHERE.

Radio will continue to serve the public interest long after an emergency shuts down the cell system. With the EAS system activated, users could have their Android radios automatically turned on in the event of an emergency with swift warnings of inclement weather etc.. “Dropped Calls” will not occur. We are the gold standard here!

We have no bandwidth issues, no drop outs and are Ubiquitous. Our signals can penetrate tall buildings, we're faster than a speeding bullet and radio is everywhere. “Radio is everywhere; in your home; in your car and now on your Android Smart Phone”

“The largest free backbone distribution system in the world with no viruses, Spy-ware, Trojan Horses and no identity theft.” And, it is FREE! Together we have the power!

“RadioIsEverywhere.org” was formed as a collective effort by radio stations to effectively re-brand radio in the ears of the listeners and advertisers. If we say it enough, it will become reality. We need to say “Radio is in your home, in your car and now on millions of Android phones” thousands of times! It would be like us suddenly delivering millions of additional radios to America alone. This should be in liners and on air commercials. With our efforts, radio will once again become the 800 pound gorilla; the Big Kahuna; the Grand Pubah! Let’s not resist the inevitable future; let’s be a part of it! We're not asking for a cash contribution. We ARE asking for something even more important....your influence. The success of the radio industry requires your help.



10 advantages to using your FM receiver in your Android Smart Phone

1. Higher fidelity
2. Low battery consumption
3. No Data package charges
4. No drop outs
5. Free
6. Every popular formats
7. As fast as light – No buffering
8. Ubiquitous
9. Local information
10. Easy to use

Oh yeah! There's more!
11. No Viruses
12. RDS system
13. EAS
14. No defragging
15. No Spyware
16. You will not bleed your checking account 99 cents at a time