58° - mostly cloudy at 9:09amAt this week's event in Las Vegas - the NAB unveiled the "Radio Heard Hear" campaign. I mentioned it in this blog in the post below this one. Without comment.
Now in the past few days, I've ready the ramblings of all the naysayers regarding the NAB campaign. Some of these voice I do respect; some not so much.
Many of these same people are quick to jump on and be critical of any efforts by the HD Radio Alliance to promote its new technology.
Adding to the noise are the anonymous commenters. Some with their own blogs - some leaving comments on the blogs of others. Hiding behind a screen name without the opportunity for the reader to have a clue of the writer's background, agenda or qualifications.
All that said - here's my take on the NAB efforts - and to some extent those of the HD Radio Alliance: They're attempting to do what the individual broadcasters are unwilling to do.
And it ain't easy.
Promoting radio - in my view - is best promoted by its brands. The product and promotion of individual radio stations. The product is the reason to listen (or as my blogging collegue David Martin has written many times over: "the play's the thing").
And that product needs to be invested in and then well-promoted in this cluttered media environment. And it doesn't appear to be happening much these days.
The NAB - and the HD Radio Alliance are simply trying to do what the stations are unwilling to do. With a handicap. They can't talk brands. So they're left simply to promote the medium. And that's a difficult task indeed.
Also this morning: a great post on small market radio from Edison Media's Larry Rosin. Read here.
5 comments:
Yeah. Right. The HD Bund is just trying, help. Uh huh. Of course.
Is that why listeners are turning off radio in droves? Because they noticed TeamBLOC's relentless self-serving, and ever so helpful jamming?
HD is over. Should the Bund persist with its jamming 'carny shill', Radio will shortly follow.
Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
17 April, 2008
Paul:
Your anger has allowed you to miss the point of my post entirely.
Dan Kelley
Dan, you said:
"The NAB - and the HD Radio Alliance are simply trying to do what the stations are unwilling to do. With a handicap. They can't talk brands. So they're left simply to promote the medium. And that's a difficult task indeed."
Yes Dan,
It is a difficult task trying to force a lead balloon like HD down the consumers throats. It doesn't work, it jams adjacent channels and cuts the receive range to almost nothing. HD makes the 8 track machines that I'm sure Long John Baldry released some of his albums on look like a shining technological triumph and it too was really bad. Yup, it ain't easy trying to force people to buy what they don't want and don't need EVEN when you have millions of dollars and all the free radio spots in the world to sell it. I guess this proves that the public is a little smarter than generally given credit for, look at the Yugo and then look at HD, at least the Yugo performed as it was supposed to for a little while before it broke down, HD does not perform as advertised EVER. Incidentally any technology as bad as this would have gone belly up two years ago, where's the money coming from that's keeping this junk going? That is the question that people should be asking, why is this krap still out there, in fact why was it allowed in the first place? Why is the FCC allowing iNquity to break it's (the FCC's) own rules about harmful interference to adjacent stations? Why is the FCC allowing this junk to survive when digital radio is failing all over the planet in countries like the UK, Germany, Canada, etc. who have had it for years ahead of us, especially when their technology was superior? Yes, we are angry Dan.
Robert D Young Jr
33 S Main St #2B
Millbury, MA 01527
KB1OKL
'Anger'? Is there more to that or am I supposed to guess? Permit me. Good researchers pay attention to language. Words like 'naysayers' and 'anger' undercut one's thrust.
Is the loving NAB/Alliance truly carrying radio stations' water? Isn't that more Victim Speech? NAB & cronies deny HD's serious faults and answer questions with silence, denials, and hostility - in manner of those who cannot account for themselves.
HD isn't about 'feelings', they're irrelevant, as is my alleged anger or lack thereof. HD jams. Until HD backers either stop jamming or come clean about that trifling flaw, HD's through.
Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
17 April, 2008
Again you miss the point.
My post was about marketing, not an endorsement or indictment of the technology.
Dan
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