Archive for Monday, August, 25, 2008

HD Radio Manufacturer Makes Sense - Kind Of…

Monday, August, 25, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

Here’s my take on Bob Struble’s comments on ‘Radio’s Digital Future’.  By the way has anyone else noticed how much Struble looks like Charlie Tuna?  Come to think of it has anyone seen Struble and Charlie in the same room???

To begin with, Bob makes some very accurate points in his iBiquity press release, most importantly that streaming radio stations on the Internet is not the only way to save “our great industry.”  He is absolutely correct in that assessment.  Another good point he makes is that radio is a “content developer”.  What follows those statements is worrisome…

To say that “radio folks have an undisputed track record of producing some of the most compelling audio content available” is giving radio programmers too much credit.  My belief is that much of the most compelling audio content available was produced by former radio programmers that are no longer in the business.  They are either retired, out of work and not retired or have gone elsewhere to work.  The ’rubber-stamp’ mentality that accompanied the incessant consolidation of the medium does not require a whole lot of creativity from programmers anymore.  If you look for less, you get what you pay for…

I agree with most of Struble’s comments including his view that “if we don’t constantly work to produce spectacular, entertaining, informative content, we should be selling shoes.”  My view is that we already have too many people in radio that should be selling shoes…   

10 Timeline Memories:

  1. 1949] NBC Radio debuts: “Father Knows Best”. The show moves to TV in 1954…
  2. 1952] No-no x 2: Tiger righthander Virgil Trucks becomes only the 3rd pitcher in major league history to throw 2 no-hitters in the same season with a 1-0 shutout of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium (strangely enough, Trucks will finish the season with a 5-19 record for the lowly Tigers)…
  3. 1960] One is the loneliest number: The AFL in their inaugural season decide to place the names of the players on the back of their uniforms…
  4. 1984] “Happy Trails”: Truman Capote  dies of liver disease at 59 at the home of friend and former wife of Johnny Carson, Joanne Carson…
  5. 1985] Too young to vote: The Mets’ Dwight “Doc” Gooden at 20 becomes the youngest pitcher to win 20 games (Doc will finish the season at 24-4)…
  6. 1991] Emmy Gold: “Cheers” and “LA Law” are the big winners at the 43rd Emmy Awards…
  7. 1993] Sheik your booty: Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman is indicted by a federal grand jury for terrorist activities, one of which was the 1st World Trade Center bombing…
  8. 1994] In the drink: Jimmy Buffett’s  plane flips over after taking off from the Nantucket airport. Buffet will swim to safety (and then proceeds to get ‘wasted away again in Margaritaville’)…
  9. 2001] Rock & Roll tragedy: 22-year old Latina singer Aaliyah  and 8 others are killed when their plane crashes in Marsh Harbor in the Abacos Islands of northern Bahamas (the overloaded plane appeared to have engine trouble)…
  10. 2003] Curtains: Tennis champion Pete Sampras announces his retirement at a news conference at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows.  Here’s Sampras with Jay Leno…

Music Memories:

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Claudia Schiffer (38), Rachael Ray (41), Billy Ray Cyrus (47), Elvis Costello (54), Gene Simmons (59), Baseball HOFer Rollie Fingers (62), Walter (O’Jays) Williams (65), Tom Skerritt (75), Regis Philbin (77), Sean Connery (78), Monty Hall (86) and Van Johnson (90)…

Timeline Countdown:  7 days until Labor Day and 10 days until the NFL Opener (Washington @ NYG)…

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