so, what is "radio" good for?

[David Tomm]

I-Pods are not a fad.  They are here, and aren't going anywhere.   
Where older generations would take a trip to the record store, buy a  
few albums or tapes, and take them home and listen to them, all you  
have to do nowadays is click what you want online and download it  
straight to your computer and into the I-pod.  It's not a long  
process.  And it's not just "kids" that own them, either.  I'm in my  
early 40's and have owned one for years.  Heck, I bought my mom one  
and she loves it.  I helped her rip her entire CD library into I- 
Tunes and transferred it to the I-Pod.  She now buys tracks online,  
and even downloads podcasts!

It's taken awhile to take hold but podcasts will soon become more  
mainstream, and again, the time commitment is minimal.  I subscribe  
to several talk show podcasts, which are delivered into my I-Tunes  
automatically and updated daily.  It takes just a few seconds while  
checking email to download them into my I-Pod.  I now have hours of  
content to listen to at my leisure, with no spackle and paste spots  
to trudge through.  The same thing could be done with music as well.

The trend in the next few years is to make I-Pods even quicker,  
easier and more convenient to use, knowing this generation will have  
time constraints put upon them as they age.  Unlike terrestrial  
radio, which has been resistant to change, the digital universe is  
constantly evolving.  It may take awhile, but a workable digital  
delivery system will emerge in this country because the marketplace  
will demand it.  Today's I-Phone and similar products can store a  
music/podcast library, but also access the web.  It will only get  
faster with more choices as time goes on.  It's completely portable  
and can be patched into most car sound systems on newer vehicles.   
The future is bright for digital program delivery.  Terrestrial  
radio?  Not so much...

Dave Tomm
"Mike Thomas"



On Jul 29, 2008, at 6:56 AM, Dan.Strassberg wrote:

> Don't you think that, as these kids get a
> little older and acquire family responsibilities, which are highly
> demanding of both time and money, they will (perhaps reluctantly, but
> also at least partly out of boredom with playing PD/MD) relinquish
> their "night" jobs and largely abandon their iPods for entertainment
> they can access without the large expenditures of time, effort, and
> money.
>
> The delivery medium may not be terrestrial towers or satellites but,
> for technical reasons, I can guarantee that it won't be WiFi, which is
> a short-range technology that is unsuited to covering large
> metropolitan areas. WiMax may work, but it has already been the
> technology of the year for nearly a decade. To me, that doesn't sound
> like a good omen.
>
> You can make a good case that American society has never been
> especially tolerant of those who choose to live in a state of
> perpetual adolescence. Nevertheless, all of us do it to some extent, I
> guess. Even so, as the iPod generation matures, an unabated
> continuation of its love affair with iPods would seem to necessitate
> carrying that lifestyle to unprecedented lengths. I'm skeptical of the
> fad's durability--except in the age group (kids and teens) that has
> the time to squander on it and that doesn't have to earn the income
> needed to support it.
>
>