«A expressão YouTube foi a mais pesquisada na internet pelos portugueses no primeiro semestre de 2007. Segundo um estudo do NetPanel, da Marktest, a palavra YouTube foi pesquisada por 432 mil portugueses com mais de 4 anos a partir de suas casas. Este valor equivale a 14,3% do universo nacional.
A segunda expressão mais procurada foi Hi5, que, com 398 mil pesquisas, representa 13,2% dos internautas portugueses. Na terceira posição surge gmail, pesquisado por 336 mil utilizadores únicos: 11,1% do universo total.
Na lista das dez expressões mais procuradas na internet surge a Wikipédia em quarto lugar, jogos em quinto, seguido pelas palavras google, hotmail, sapo, you tube e sexo.»

«Youtube é a expressão mais pesquisada na internet», Meios e Publicidade, 23 de Julho de 2007, por Maria João Morais

«De acordo com os resultados do estudo Netpanel da Marktest, o domínio myspace.com foi o que em Junho mais aumentou em páginas visitadas a partir do lar. Em Junho de 2007, 2 563 mil portugueses com 4 e mais anos navegaram em suas casas na internet, o que representou um pequeno acréscimo de 0.5% relativamente ao mês anterior e de 2.5% face ao mês homólogo de 2006.»

fonte: «Myspace aumenta páginas visualizadas», Marktest.com, 24 de Julho de 2007

«O ministro das Comunicações, Hélio Costa, afirma que persiste a idéia da criação de um sistema híbrido de rádio digital no país. Seriam então adotados dois diferentes sistemas: o americano In Band on Chanel (Iboc), para as rádios AM e FM e o europeu, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), para as rádios de ondas curtas (OC). Isso porque nenhum dos dois sistemas contempla todas as freqüências. O americano não tem transmissão de ondas curtas e o europeu não transmite FM.
“Precisamos de AM, FM e OC e nenhum dos sistemas tem os três elementos. Eu entendo que o que vai acontecer é realmente uma proposta de um sistema híbrido. O mesmo ocorreu com a TV. O sistema europeu atende às TVs a cabo e o japonês as abertas”, compara Hélio Costa.»

«Atualmente, 16 emissoras de rádio AM e FM operam em caráter de teste no sistema norte-americano In Band on Chanel (Iboc). Outras 42 já pediram autorização à Anatel, mas ainda não iniciaram os testes.
As únicas emissoras que irão testar o sistema europeu Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) em ondas curtas (OC) são a Faculdade de Tecnologia da Universidade de Brasília (UnB) e a Radiobrás. Os testes ainda não começaram»

«O consumidor terá que trocar o aparelho de rádio para ouvir as rádios digitais. A expectativa do Ministério das Comunicações é de que o aparelho mais barato custe de R$ 60 a R$ 70. O Ministro das Comunicações, Hélio Costa, imagina que em um ano todo o sistema tenha migrado para o digital. “As empresas de fabricação Sansung e Sony me informaram que farão um rádio que custará em torno disso”, afirma o ministro.
O novo rádio terá as duas opções. Irá recepcionar tanto as rádios AM e FM atuais, em sinal analógico, quanto as novas rádios que transmitirão em sinal digital. Para iniciar a fabricação dos novos rádios, as empresas esperam a decisão do governo federal sobre qual sistema de transmissão será adotado pelo país, o que deve ocorrer em no máximo 60 dias. Outra opção que poderá chegar ao mercado brasileiro são os conversores. O aparelho permite que os rádios atuais captem as transmissões digitais. Ele hoje é utilizado nos Estados Unidos e na Europa. Mas o ministro tem dúvidas sobre sua utilização no Brasil, “a menos que custasse no máximo R$ 10”, diz»

São os sinais contraditórios do tempo de mudança:

«Canadians are spending less time listening to radio, but the number of stations across the country is rising. As broadcasters chase advertising dollars in robust consumer markets such as Alberta, 29 more radio stations sprang up last year, bringing the total to 1,252, as dozens of new operating licences were awarded. The growth came as Canadians spent an average of 18.6 hours a week listening to the radio in 2006, a drop of half an hour from 2005, according to annual statistics reported by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Average weekly listening time - which includes mornings, at work and while driving, the three points of the day when most people tune in - has fallen substantially from eight years ago, when Canadians averaged 20.5 hours of radio a week, the regulator said. "Since 1999, the overall per capita weekly radio listening levels decreased by almost two hours," the regulator said.

fonte: «Time with radio on the decline», Report on Business.com GRANT ROBERTSON, August 1, 2007

«(...) Canadians spent an average of 18.6 hours a week listening to the radio in 2006, a drop of half an hour from 2005, according to annual statistics reported by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. (...) Average weekly listening time - which includes mornings, at work and while driving, the three points of the day when most people tune in - has fallen substantially from eight years ago, when Canadians averaged 20.5 hours of radio a week, the regulator said. "Since 1999, the overall per capita weekly radio listening levels decreased by almost two hours," the regulator said. "The most notable decreases have been in the teen demographics and for adults aged from 18 to 34, where weekly listening levels have decreased three to four hours."

fonte: «Time with radio on the decline», Report on Business.com GRANT ROBERTSON, August 1, 2007

PERANTE ISTO, é preciso fazer alguma coisa...

Pergunta Mark Ramsey, em função destes dados agora revelados, relativos a jovens estudantes com 18 anos ou mais, dos EUA:

«If [Internet] it's so integrated into other routines, to what degree is your radio station - or your station's website - one of those routines?»

(Por curiosidade, eis as previsões para os próximos anos quanto à adesão à Internet:

) 

A propósito de um acordo entre a Sprint  (operador móvel norte-americano) e a Google («Under a revenue-sharing deal announced yesterday, Sprint would provide the WiMax technology, a wireless Internet connection for laptop computers and other portable devices that offers DSL-like speeds over a range of miles, as opposed to WiFi's range of several hundred feet. Google, in turn, would provide search capabilities and its already popular applications such as e-mail, instant messaging and online calendars, on Sprint's WiMax network»), M Ramsey especula: «(...) In fact, as this new Google/Sprint deal suggests, the availability of audio entertainment wirelessly and in real-time will permanently alter the very experience and definition of radio. (...) It's all about empowering the consumer to control his or her listening experience and dramatically enhancing the experience of radio by mashing up radio with IM and TXT and social networking and interactivity and pictures and video and dozens of other capabilities yet to be dreamed of.
The future of radio is to be much more than radio. Not simply what's on the radio. The future of radio will be more interactive than passive, more customized than homogenized, more visual and visceral. The future of radio will be an experience, not just a station.» («The future of radio will be an "experience"»)

«The iPod Revolution has fueled the upstart podcasting phenomenon.  As more and more consumers add an iPod or similar device to their arsenal of media gadgets, the potential for content creation - and profit - become greater and greater.Jason Calacanis outlined the potential and the reality very nicely at Summit 11 last fall.  He reasoned that radio had the reach, the production values, and the sales skills necessary to create winning podcasts, and to eventually monetize them.To that end, around 15 companies - including NPR and Apple - have formed a new industry group, the Association for Downloadable Media.  The idea behind this coalition is to find ways to better produce, distribute, and market podcasts.  As we've seen in our own Tech Polls, those who have downloaded podcasts overwhelmingly say they'd be very or somewhat likely to endure a commercial in order to receive the content.  Ken Stern, NPR's CEO, has been a visionary in this area, vaulting their podcasts to industry-leading levels.»

Fred Jacobs, Podcasting (for Fun) and Profit, 3/08/07

«If you want to see the irrelevance of commercial radio to music fans, these two nights at Sydney's atmosphere-free barn would be enough. Two English bands - both two albums into their careers, both on their second tours of Australia - with relatively little presence on radio, sold out this 5000-6000 capacity room on consecutive nights»

A frase é de Triton Media President Mike Agovino:

"If we’re not making more money OFF the air than we are ON the air 10 years from now, we’re in trouble."

Mark Ramsey: «his absolutely correct perspective on what the future holds for Radio and how to navigate our way to success as our competition and clients dramatically change. Our industry is in the midst of transformation, and it is going to happen very, very quickly. Agovino walks through the steps you and your group should take NOW to surf these changes rather than getting swallowed up by them»

E há quem ache 10 anos demasiado tempo...

Uma das tendencias de futuro é a banalização de operadores que, entre outros serviços, oferecem canais áudio - em concorrência com a rádio (que assiste, impávida mas não serena...). Agora é a National Gegraphic...

«LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - National Geographic Ventures, the media wing of the venerable science and exploration society, is launching a music and radio division to accompany its existing TV, film, magazine and digital units.The new enterprise comprises a record label, a music publishing house, a live-concert branch and a radio unit that will produce syndicated shows for over-the-air radio stations and Internet outlets, David Beal, the division's president, said on Friday. The radio venture is launching with several distribution partners, including commercial radio giant Clear Channel Communications, National Public Radio and leading Christian broadcaster Salem Communications Corp. Beal said specifics of those deals would be unveiled in the fall. "We'll be making an announcement very soon, which you'll see makes us very hungry for programming," he said. "It's more than a few hours, or a hundred hours -- it's a lot of programming." (...)»

fonte: «National Geographic launches new music, radio unit», Reuters, Aug 3, 2007

«Os vídeos online são um dos mais recentes fenómenos a nível mundial e têm vindo a revolucionar a forma de utilização dos media digitais.O visionamento de vídeos em sítios do tipo do YouTube sofreram um enorme crescimento no último ano, mostra um estudo da Magid Media Futures A popularidade dos vídeos online, colocados à disposição dos utilizadores da internet, tem vindo a sofrer um crescimento exponencial nos últimos anos. Se em 2006 eram 9% os norte-americanos entre os 12 e os 64 anos que afirmavam recorrer diariamente aos vídeos online, esse número subiu para perto de 15% em 2007. Este foi o resultado de um estudo levado a cabo pela Magid Media Futures nos Estados Unidos, ao qual o M&P teve acesso. Também a análise do uso semanal do vídeo online mostra uma subida acentuada durante o último ano. Actualmente, a maioria dos americanos entre os 12 e 64 anos (52%) afirma recorrer ao vídeo online pelo menos uma vez por semana, enquanto que em 2006 a percentagem era de 44%.»

fonte: «Boom de vídeos online nos EUA», Meios e Publicidade, 31 de Julho de 2007, por Maria João Morais

A função que o video pode desempenhar: «(...)comScore reports that in May of this year, three-fourths of Internet users watched an average of nearly three hours of online video that month.  This translates to 132 million Americans watching streaming video, with YouTube leading the way.  And of those consumers, they average two videos a day. So what does this tell us about our content and our business?  Video needs to be a component of everything we do.  It needs to be integrated into our personality shows, whether it's via webcams or listener-submitted videos.  Events need to be covered with video to capture the excitement of station events, contests, interviews, etc.  The video age online has signaled increased interest in going behind the scenes to see what happens at stations.  It involves the listener in the process, and provides her with a unique/on-demand perspective. The online video revolution also should signal the need to acquire employees (jocks, promotion people, etc.) who have basic video editing skills.  We need to be thinking video in our hires, and making sure that our stations are staffed with employees who "get" the visual side of what we do.  Every time I visit a web site that uses "photo galleries" to cover an event (often too many pictures posted that are not edited and poorly/not labeled), it screams how out-of-date stations often end up looking to listeners. In the same way that walking into a home that last had interior decoration done in the '80s simply looks tired and dated, radio needs to critically assess its websites and total approach to how it presents entertainment.  Consumers are moving at a rapid rate as the comScore data illustrates.  TV and newspapers have hopped on the video bus and are doing their best to move forward.  Radio needs to get moving, too.» (fonte: Fred Jacobs, «Theater Of The Mind», Jacoblog, 7/08/07)

«Radio listening continues to decline. From the fall of 1998 to the fall of 2006, Arbitron found that the average number of listeners per quarter hour fell 6.6%, from about 19.7 million to about 18.4 million, according to the study, which updates a previous radio review done in 2002»

«(...) from de Fall of 1998 to the Fall of 2006, Arbitron reports that the average number of listeners per quarter hour has fallen from approximately 19.7 million to approximately 18.4 million, a drop of 6.6 percent. (...) while listenership declined slightly between the fall of 1998 and the fall of 2000, listener ratings held steady between the summer of 2000 and the early portion of 2005. During 2005, radio listenership appears to have taken another substantial dip. Between fall 1998 and fall 2006 the average annual decline in the average num 0.82 percent. Further analysis, which is beyond the scope of this report, is required to explain whether these changes in radio audience and industry concentration reflect any causal links. The causes of audience decline and industry consolidation may be varied. For example, declining audiences could be related to the availability of alternative products, such as satellite radio, Internet radio, and downloading of digital music»

«From SiliconValley.com: "Notebook computers should begin reaching stores with the next generation of wireless technology — the long-range technology WiMax — by late 2008, Intel confirmed Friday.  "The Santa Clara chip maker this week began shipping a chipset — or package of chips — that includes WiMax to computer makers for testing, said Sriram Viswanathan, a general manager. It anticipates the product, called Echo Peak, will be available commercially in late 2008... "It will be built into portable computers and mobile Internet devices, making access to WiMax networks easier. Intel has delayed the release of the product several times."»

fonte: «high-power wireless net to be built-in in laptops, mobiles in '08», RAIN, 06/08/07

«Clear Channel Executive Vice President Jeff Littlejohn who he quotes as saying that "the radio industry shouldn't worry about the high-profile launch of the iPhone" adding "it's not a competitive threat". (...) There's a reason Steve Jobs didn't put a radio in the iPhone. Radio is to the next generation -- what a typewriter is to all of us today. Or a console Philco radio. It's so yesterday.»

«(...) No, the iPhone is not? Should we also believe that advertisers aren't looking at online, that youth don't want something different, and that technology has a way of always going backwards? The radio industry is in trouble. Its leaders, again, are sticking their heads in the sand hoping it will all go away. (...) The comment about the iPhone not being "a competitive threat" has me wondering what's going through radio exececutives' minds today? Can they not read that the landscape has changed, that their value lies in the amount of time audience devotes to radio, and that that "time" is growing shorter each year? Mr. Littlejohn, there is a movement in progress. You're competing for the public's attention and not doing a very good job of keeping it. If radio is not part of the answer to placing everything a user wants in one unit - aka iPhone - it's destined to diminish at an exponential rate over the next ten years. Keep your eyes on TSL. There'll be no spikes in the future. The iPhone that I held in my hands amazed me! It has a friendly user interface, colorful easy-to-use icons, fast response. It is a computer with sidepockets for everything that affects my life, and it does not have a radio tuner.
It's not the iPhone that's radio's competition as much as the concept the iPhone represents. Those who are younger understand what's happening. The older ones who are running radio (and every other traditional media) need to understand the rules have changed. All media now comes in one container. As Mr. Littlejohn demonstrates through his comments, radio execs just don't see that they've been left out.» (fonte: «iPhone Changes the Rules for Radio Industry», Audiographics, 03/07/07

«There's a reason Steve Jobs didn't put a radio in the iPhone. Radio is to the next generation -- what a typewriter is to all of us today. Or a console Philco radio. It's so yesterday. And for those of you who think -- no problem -- we'll someday offer up our terrestrial streams for mobile use, check with the next generation first. The entire concept of 24-hour radio is over with the next generation, too.

Look, baby boomers and Generation Xers will still listen, but if you were raised on the Internet, live every minute with your cell phone (hint, hint) and conduct your relationships online, you have little need for 24 hour broadcasting. (...) Radio is not in their lives the way it was in ours. If it was, Steve Jobs would have made iPhone or at least iPod radio capable.

(...) How can I say this delicately? Not only is iPhone a competitive threat to radio. It is the killer app. We've reached the tipping point. No doubt this first iPhone will be seen as primitive in years to come, but today it represents a form of new age consolidation in its own right -- consolidating an iPod music player, with a mini-computer, the Internet, photos, calendars and even a telephone. I love radio. Loved it then and really respect a lot of people who are toiling away in it now while their bosses are showing the world their ignorance. But I don't like when the honchos who run radio bury their heads in the sand. Clear Channel determining that the iPhone is not a competitive threat is ill-informed, misleading and dangerous to an industry that so desperately needs to find its future.

There is a future for radio people, but it's not on terrestrial radio. It's in the content business with the delivery system that the marketplace chooses. That delivery system is not likely to be a radio. And you can see how ridiculous an HD radio looks right now as well. (...)»

fonte: JERRY DEL COLLIANO, Inside Music Media, «Clear Channel: iPhone "Not a Competitive Threat" », 03/07/07

COLLIANO, Jerry del, «Clear Channel: iPhone "Not a Competitive Threat" », Inside Music Media, 03/07/07 [http://insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/07/clear-channel-iphone-not-competitive.html]

Since its launch last Thursday, the service has attracted more than 3,700 users who have uploaded more than 265,000 songs. It competes with Pandora and Last.fm, which was recently acquired by CBS. It is currently partnering with GarageBand.com, the independent online music service from Seattle's iLike.

Anywhere.FM also is similar to Melodeo's new music service, nuTsie, which allows people to access random mixes of their iTunes collections either on the Web or a mobile device.

At this time, Anywhere.FM co-founder Sachin Rekhi said their focus is to build "a digital music locker service that not only lets you play your music through any browser, but makes it really easy to share and discover music through friends." However, he didn't rule out the possibility of creating a mobile application to compete head-to-head with Melodeo.»

fonte: COOK, John, «Anywhere.FM goes after online radio», John Cook's Venture Blog, 06/08/07

Mark Ramsey suscita mais uma questão relevante, a partir de um comentário no seu blogue (a discussão é clássica, mas ganha nova actualidade com o PPM que não mede quem está a ouvir mas o que está sintonizado):

«"PPM," he said, "measures exposure, not 'listening.' The device 'receives' - and we use that as a proxy for the actual person holding the device." Now I will assume that the device is generally in the proximity of a listener as the "reception" is happening (true or not, a far better assumption than the one which says folks carry their paper Arbitron diaries with them wherever they go and fill them out as they listen). This distinction between "listening" and "exposure" is most practically one between "listening" and "hearing." And the consequences for this difference are profound. "Listening" is active. "Hearing" is passive.  "Listening," therefore, is an act of will. "Hearing" can simply happen without desire or intention or interest or preference. "Listening" is emotional. "Hearing" is passionless.»

Noutro comentário há quem diga que a questão é relevante para a rádio musical e não tanto para a rádio de palavra: «Talk radio follows completely different rules, especially in this case. As we continue to debate how to fix music radio, I think it is important to look at the success of talk radio, their personalities, and why they are thriving»

«For the first time since 1997 consumers spent less time with media in 2006 than they did the previous year, as media usage per person declined 0.5% to 3,530 hours, due to changing consumer behaviors and digital media efficiencies. This is according to data released by Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS), a private equity firm specializing in the media, communications, information and education industries.  (...) The drop in consumer media usage was driven by the continued migration of consumers to digital alternatives for news, information and entertainment, which require less time investment than their traditional media counterparts. For example, consumers typically watch broadcast or cable television at least 30 minutes per session while they spend as little as five to seven minutes viewing consumer-generated video clips online. »

fonte: «Research Reveals: US Consumer Media Usage Declines For The First Time In A Decade», Radio Ink, 08/08/07

De um (surpreendente? inesperado? suspeito?) estudo da Bridge ratings («The new study of 3314 kids between the ages of 8 and 12 [TWEENS]conducted during February/March and June/July 2007 indicates that though exposed to many of the new technologies their older counterparts have been, AM/FM radio still provides a high level of satisfaction.»)

- The truth of this study is that while many of today's 15-19 year olds are spending more time with their digital music players, cell phones and the Internet for the same experience their predecessors got from AM/FM radio, Tweens - those between 8 and 12, are still experiencing radio and loving it.

-The data suggests that radio still has a chance with the teens and young adults of five to ten years from now. (...) For the future of the radio business, radio still has potential among 8-17 year olds. Teens may be a more difficult transition since the radio industry has provided little in the way of content over the last 10 years to nurture teen listening, but this study proves that it isn't too late for Tweens to be nutured by radio.

Talvez o que mais surpreenda seja este quadro: «Tweens use of media hinges largely on access of that media during a typical day. As one might suspect, TV has the largest reach into this demographic - as does radio. 21% of the Tween panel has access to a cell phone daily with only slightly more gaining access to a device that will allow them to Instant Message or Text.

fonte: «Tweens are Radio's Future: Let's Treat 'Em That Way», Bridge Ratings, July 25, 2007

«O Expresso está a preparar o lançamento de uma newsletter multimédia. "É uma forma de divulgarmos os nossos conteúdos multimédia", justifica Miguel Martins, editor multimédia do semanário da Impresa. "No nosso trabalho procuramos sempre transformar o mais possível esse conteúdo nessa perspectiva", diz o responsável. Conteúdos que serão posteriormente disponibilizados na newsletter que terá uma periodicidade semanal. O enfoque dos mesmos não será nas breaking news, mas sim "em conteúdos com um maior grau de intemporalidade", esclarece Miguel Martins.Mais de 300 foto galerias, 85 podcasts e 128 vídeos "incluindo os do Expresso TV" são os conteúdos multimédia actualmente já disponíveis. A newsletter será enviada para a base de utilizadores registados do Expresso que autorizaram a recepção deste tipo de conteúdos, o que representa cerca de metade dos actuais cerca de 180 mil registos, segundo adianta ao M&P Miguel Martins» («Expresso prepara newsletter multimédia», Meios e Publicidade, 9 de Agosto de 2007, por Ana Marcela)

«O grupo Renascença está a preparar a renovação dos sites das suas estações. "O site do canal Renascença está na segunda fase de desenvolvimento e o da RFM aparecerá totalmente renovado após o Verão. O mesmo acontecerá, depois com o da Mega FM", adianta ao M&P João Aguiar Campos, presidente do conselho de gerência do grupo Renascença."Vamos ter um site que está profundamente envolvido com a rádio, não é um canal alternativo", afirma António Mendes, director de programação da RFM. "No site iremos dar continuidade aos passatempos que desenvolvemos em antena sendo um reflexo do que está no ar", continua o responsável. O futuro site da RFM será um "mais dinâmico" que "irá envolver mais os ouvintes e a rádio do que o actual", acrescenta, preferindo, no entanto, não revelar mais pormenores sobre a forma como esse envolvimento será alcançado. A aposta no online do grupo radiofónico não se fica por aqui. A Página 1, um jornal online que actualmente já tem duas edições diárias, ao que o M&P conseguiu apurar junto de fonte oficial da empresa, irá ser igualmente objecto de "melhorias, no sentido de complementar a comunicação do grupo". Prevista está também a criação de novas edições online.» (fonte: «Renascença prepara renovação de sites», Meios e Publicidade, 9 de Agosto de 2007, por Ana Marcela)

Jovens dos 18-24 estão a ver mais televisão do que há um ano, de acordo com um estudo agora revelado. Parece contraditório com a tendência de uso da Internet. Mas como explica um responsável pela empresa que fez o estudo «the reason our two trend analysts give is because of the programming itself. It’s not even a question of them giving up video games or talking on their phones. It speaks to more of the programming resonating with the audiences».

Além do mais, ver televisão é um conceito que tem de ser posto em causa. Uma coisa é ver televisão ao vivo, outra coisa é ver conteudos da televisão na Internet: «Watching TV live is considerably more of a social event for them than it is for you and me. It would be like every Thursday we’ll watch “Grey’s” at so-and-so’s place at 9. Yet they have no problem streaming shows. They all have broadband connections. And they’re also very comfortable with it. They also have more of a nontraditional schedule, so if they won’t be home or near a TV at certain times, they'll go online to watch a certain show.»

fonte: «Fact: College kids now watch more TV», Media Life Magazine, By Diego Vasquez Jul 26, 2007

Now imagine getting up in the morning and taking your mp3 player (or connecting it to your automobile audio player) and while on your way to the office being able to listen to the news published on your favorite website, just like you used to listen to the radio. The news segments were downloaded and synchronized with the player automatically when plugged into your computer overnight. Fantastic? No. Reality! This is the possibility that podcasting provides.

So, as you can see, podcasting combines the best of the two widespread methods of distributing information: Internet and radio. You can subscribe to the pieces (podcasts) that you are interested in and listen to them when and where you want.

Isn’t that the future of radio?»

fonte: «Podcasting – technology that can kill radio?», TechWhack, 18/07/07

«Fiat SpA unit Fiat Group Automobiles SpA and the Worldspace group signed a commercial agreement to distribute satellite radio services, according to a statement released late yesterday. Worldspace, the US satellite radio provider, plans to broadcast 40-50 satellite channels in Italy from end-2008, one of which will be exclusively dedicated to the network and clients of Fiat (nyse: FIA - news - people ) Group Automobiles, it said. From end-2009, Fiat will also offer to its clients the fitting of Worldspace radios on some of its Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia models, as well as portable satellite radios, it added.»

fonte: Fiat, Worldspace in satellite radio deal, Forbes.com 07.19.07

A propósito dos sucessos de algumas serie de TV na divulgação de novos artistas, pode ler-se na Forbes:

«Radio can blame itself. While radio exposure remains essential for recording artists to notch platinum-plus sales, much of the FM dial remains mired in the nostalgia of classic rock and "Jack" programming formats or conservative playlists of new releases by mostly proven hitmakers. Those seeking musical discovery look elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the sharp decline in the sale of compact discs has pushed record labels and music publishers to seek new revenue sources and has left them more than happy to cooperate with TV shows looking to license their music. It's also helped that many recording artists have dropped their previous aversion to licensing their songs to movies, ad agencies and TV shows. They're no longer "selling out"--they're "gaming the system."»

fonte: «Video Kills The Radio Star (Again)», Forbes.com, Louis Hau, 07.13.07,

Mark Ramsey responde:

«So many people ask me what they can do to attract more listeners to their websites. And the answer is to give listeners what they want that relates to your station that they can't get or do as a unified community in any other place.»

Ainda outra ideia: «Just because YouTube is hot, for example, doesn't mean YOURtube will be hot. Just because I can share photos on Flickr doesn't mean I'll want to share them on my favorite radio station's website. Economy of effort is part of the media economy, so your site will win my web traffic only because you invite it in a way that is unique to you and compelling to me»

O exemplo que inspira Ramsey: http://www.xponentialmusic.org/885/index.php

«Radio One this week named Barry Mayo president of its radio division. (...) In the announcement, Mayo stated: “We are no longer in the radio business, we are in the ‘audio entertainment business’ and we need to leverage our products well beyond the terrestrial signals we are licensed to operate.” (...) Liggins said then, “Our diversification into a broad-based media company consisting of radio, cable, Internet and print is beginning to coalesce, as we continue to identify new and myriad ways to satisfy our advertiser client base. This transition from a pure-play radio company to a media company is longer-term in nature, but I am confident that our team is up to the challenges and opportunities we have before us.” »

fonte: «Mayo: ‘We’re in Audio Entertainment, Not Radio’», Radioworld, 10/08/07

Via Marktest:

- Segundo os dados do INE disponíveis no sistema de informação Sales Index da Marktest, residiam em 2005, em Portugal, 1 293 031 jovens entre os 15 e os 24 anos, um valor que representa 12.2% dos efectivos nacionais. O peso dos jovens na estrutura demográfica do país tem decrescido na última década: em 1996 representavam 15.9% da população residente em Portugal Continental, mais 28% do que em 2005.

- Uma análise do perfil dos jovens entre os 15 e os 24 anos com base em dados exclusivos da Marktest e MediaMonitor, revela-nos um grupo de indivíduos com ocupação maioritariamente de estudante e adeptos das novas tecnologias: 98.8% utiliza telemóvel e têm consumos importantes de Internet. Uma grande percentagem, 94.9%, costuma ouvir música e 93.1% utiliza computador. 

- Distinguem-se da média do Universo na posse de conta jovem e na utilização da internet para fazer download de jogos, filmes ou músicas, onde registam valores muito acima da média do universo. Têm também hábitos diferenciadores na ida ao futebol, na frequência de discotecas, ida ao cinema ou hábito de jogar computador ou consola.

- Quanto à audiência de meios, vêem menos televisão do que a média, mas ouvem mais rádio, sobretudo durante a tarde e noite. Na internet, lideram, com consumos acima da média do universo.

fonte: Os jovens portugueses, hoje, 10/08/07 e «Os jovens portugueses, hoje (II)», 10/08/07

«A Marktest está a preparar a reformulação da metodologia de medição dos dados de audiências de rádio e imprensa. "Estamos a fazer testes e a ultimar a metodologia de recolha de dados de modo a incluir a rede móvel e o online", adianta ao M&P Jorge Fonseca Ferreira, director comercial da Marktest. A empresa de estudos de mercado responsável pelo Bareme Imprensa e o de Rádio conta apresentar a nova metodologia de recolha de dados (cuja a amostra além da rede fixa irá incluir a rede móvel e o online) entre Outubro e Novembro à Comissão de Análise de Estudos de Meios (CAEM), segundo adianta o responsável da Marktest. Se a entidade que valida estes estudos aprovar a proposta da Marktest a empresa, afirma Jorge Ferreira, terá como timing de implementação Janeiro do próximo ano, sendo que a partir dessa data os Bareme de Rádio e o de Imprensa vão já incluir a nova forma de medição de audiências.»

fonte: «Baremes vão incluir amostra de telemóveis e online», Meios e Publicidade, 10 de Agosto de 2007, por Ana Marcela

«In the following media growth projections, Bridge Ratings estimates based on current trends that Internet radio will have 180 million listeners by 2020, 250 million will still be listening to terrestrial radio, but HD will have less than 10 million. Which will contribute more to radio's financial future?

According to John Blackledge analyst with JP Morgan, Internet radio advertising is estimated at 0M this year (2007). Bridge Ratings estimates that by 2020 Internet radio is projected to generate revenues equal those terrestrial radio acheived in 2006. Traditional radio companies are finding insufficient resources for the type of development of new media content and strategies needed to transition with its future audiences who today are between 10 and 24 years of age. With Internet advertising set to surpass that of traditional radio by the beginning of 2008 and Internet radio advertising growing alongside, traditional radio companies should see the benefit of fully developing compelling Internet radio content and highly trained sales forces»

fonte: «HD Radio vs. Internet Radio - Which is Radio's Future?», Bridge Ratings, 8/08/07 

A propósito de um relatório da indústria publicitária norte-americana, Mark Ramsey lembra que ou a rádio convencional percebe que há uma mudança em curso ou outros farão isso por ela. Com óbvios custos. A rádio deixa de ser rádio e passa a ser a indústria do áudio.

(«In a new report being circulated to clients, MediaVest has adopted the position that terrestrial broadcast radio should no longer be looked at as a discrete medium in communications plans, but as part of a greater array of audio media--including satellite, online, mobile and a variety of personal media device technologies, such as iPods, other MP3 players, and even television, which increasingly is being used as an audio-only medium)

In my two-year-old book Fresh Air, I noted that radio was no longer "radio" but was now the "audio entertainment and information industry." It's critical for all broadcasters to get their heads around this notion because the definition of your industry determines everything about your strategy and everything about your fate.

Under a definition of radio as "audio entertainment and information" the channel by which content reaches the consumer is considerably less important than the nature of the content itself and how that content is leveraged and magnified across channels. It's the ownership and licensing of the content, not the ownership of the channel, that will make tomorrow's "audio" stars.»

fonte: «"Radio" is now "Audio" says the Ad Industry», Hear2.0, 13/08/07

Do relatório:

«(...) MediaVest's new approach to audio planning is part of a growing industry shift away from defining media based on their distribution platforms and toward understanding how consumers interact with the essential nature of their content and formats. That argument is at the heart of "StrADegy: Advertising In The Digital Age," authored by TNS Media Intelligence President-CEO Steven Fredericks. In it, he argues that in the future, "Content is defined not by its old media name, but by its core property: text, video and audio. All content, clarified and freed, can be distributed via any converged technology." In terms of audio, MediaVest seems to think we are already there. In fact, the "single source audio study" looks at how people are using audio devices like iPods to watch video, and how they are using television to listen to audio. The important thing, the agency concludes, is to understand why people are using new technologies and where they are using them. That opens new opportunities to connect people with audio content.» (fonte: «Audio Kills The Radio Noir, Agency Broadly Redefines Medium», Media Daily News, Joe Mandese, Monday, Aug 13, 2007) 

«Young people are so used to multitasking they can't imagine life any other way. They visit with their friends while they download music, check MySpace and text message other friends who are visiting with friends, downloading music and checking MySpace. It makes us old folks wonder if they are truly doing any of those things. Or perhaps what they are doing is something we don't have a word for yet. The compilation of those activities creates a new activity.»

fonte: «Multitasking in a 'right now' kind of world», InsideBayArea.com, 12/08/2007

(da edição de hoje da newsletter Inside Radio, reservada a assinantes):

«Radio's declining time spent listening is just the tip of the iceberg. Consumer media usage declined last year following two consecutive years of decelerating growth. Veronis Suhler Stevenson says the drop is because of changing consumer behaviors and digital media efficiencies which require less time investment»

fonte: «Media usage dips for the first time in a decade», Inside Radio, 14/08/07

Mais:

«For the first time since 1997, consumers spent less time with media in 2006 than they did the previous year, as media usage per person declined 0.5% to 3,530 hours, due to changing consumer behaviors and digital media efficiencies, according to the VSS Forecast. The drop in consumer media usage was driven by the continued migration of consumers to digital alternatives for news, information and entertainment, which require less time investment than their traditional media counterparts. For example, consumers typically watch broadcast or cable television at least 30 minutes per session while they spend as little as five to seven minutes viewing consumer-generated video clips online.  VSS expects consumer media usage to stabilize in 2007 and increase slightly through 2011, as out-of-home media and videogames will be the only major segments to achieve accelerating growth in the forecast period compared with the 2001-2006 timeframe. Overall consumer time spent with media will increase at a CAGR of 0.5% from 2006 to 2011, compared with 0.8% in the previous five-year period. The VSS Forecast is the only source to track, analyze and forecast spending, usage and trends in all 19 segments and more than 100 sub-segments of the U.S. media industry. The VSS Forecast also features the industry’s most accurate spending forecasts, producing a margin of error of +/- 2% for 9 of the last 10 years. The margin of error for the 2006 forecasts was + 0.4%. In addition to shifting their attention to alternative media, consumers are also migrating away from advertising-supported media, such as broadcast TV and newspapers, to consumer-supported platforms, such as cable TV and videogames. Time spent with consumer-supported media grew at a CAGR of 19.8 percent from 2001 to 2006, while time spent with ad-supported media declined 6.3 percent in the period» (fonte: «New VSS Forecast Released», VSS, 7/08/07)

A rádio convencional, sobretudo musical, é estruturada de forma a que - por muito que se ouçam declarações de intenções dos realizadores - o ouvinte seja um consumidor passivo. Existiam formas de convocar a participação dos ouvintes (até como forma de procurar saber de que é que eles gostam...) mas sempre minoritárias (ainda que, em mercados competetivos, haja rádios que testam previamente as suas escolhas). No fundo, a rádio convencional estrutura-se assente em dois conceitos das teorias da comunicação, muito antes das teorias da comunicação se dedicarem a estudar estes fenómenos: há um gatekeeper (o director de programas, o autor da playlist, o autor do programa) que define, de acordo com critérios variados, um agenda setting: esta passa, esta não passa; esta presta, esta não presta; esta enquadra-se no espírito da rádio ou do programa, esta não se enquadra. A rádio, ouviu-se muitas vezes a acusação, por causa deste agenda-setting, é ela própria um «problema de representação do real» (SANTOS, 2001: 114)

A digitalização, ao oferecer um conjunto de ferramentas de interactividade, acaba com esta ideia de produto previamente concebido por um e dirigida a muitos. Os ouvintes afinal têm poder, e não é apenas o poder de ajudarem a escolher as músicas que passam na rádio; é o poder de escolherem efectivamente o que estão a ouvir - LastfM ou PAndora, por exemplo.

Westergren responded by saying that licensing structures create inherent limitations in the service he can provide to his customers. Nordling commented that these restrictions affect her ability to respond to listener requests – she can’t even play a requested song until 20 minutes after the request is made (stations are also limited the number of songs they can play in a row by an artist and pre-announcing songs). These restrictions turn away listeners; if the music industry were serious about their business, the last thing in the world they’d want to do is send consumers running.

Both agreed that one key problem facing their industries is the DMCA. Designed to protect copyright holders, the act also limits new media’s ability to interact with customers. The DMCA states that delivery services can’t replace commerce, despite the fact, as Westergren noted, Soma and Pandora lead to commerce. Because labels continue to wallow in the notion of “hits” and slotting, they are in actuality limiting artist exposure.

(...)

A key aspect limiting online music services is cost. Sound Exchange, which collects fees for the RIAA takes approximately 12% of every dollar earned by stations like Soma; the fees are 14% for music delivered via satellite. Sound Exchange is lobbying Congress to increase this amount to 37% of receipts. Just for the privilege of playing a song on the newfangled version of the radio. While presumably this benefits artists in some way, it also kills innovation

It should be noted that these fees are not imposed on traditional radio, to quote Station Manager Ken Friedman of WFMU,

Broadcast stations have never been asked to pay this performance royalty. (On the contrary, record labels have traditionally lobbied, bribed and paid radio stations to play their records. Believe it or not, many stations will now be charged for webcasting the same songs they are paid to play over the airwaves.)

fonte: «Radio Killed The Radio Star, Part One» March 20, 2006, Medialoper; e «Radio Killed The Radio Star, Part Two», 22/03/06, Medialoper 

« (...) In Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission are seeking smart ways to work with new media. The CAB…

…believes that traditional radio could lose between 4.9 and 8.5 per cent of its listeners by 2010, with revenue losses of between million and million.

The CRTC has said that the rapid changes in digital technologies and distribution of media – such as music and other programming have “presented the radio industry with new opportunities, but also new challenges.”

It cited satellite radio, file-sharing and downloading, podcasting and audio streaming on the internet as “new and more flexible alternatives to the traditional practices of purchasing recorded music and listening to radio broadcasting.” »

fonte: «Radio Killed The Radio Star, Part One» March 20, 2006, Medialoper

Mais sobre esta previsão:

«New technologies like satellite radio and digital players are changing the traditional radio landscape and the industry says it wants help from the CRTC to survive. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission had called for submissions that would be considered in its current review of the country's commercial radio policy. (...) "We no longer have one single and regulated system of radio services delivered over the public airwaves and free of charge to Canadians. Instead, we have both a regulated system of the past and a largely unregulated, parallel system of new delivery platforms for audio content," the CAB said. Canadian private radio is confronted with an unheard-of array of competition for listeners and for revenues." The existence of these new competitors does not necessarily mean that more regulation is required from the CRTC, the group said, "but rather that smarter and more effective regulation needs to be designed." The group believes that traditional radio could lose between 4.9 and 8.5 per cent of its listeners by 2010, with revenue losses of between million and million. The CRTC has said that the rapid changes in digital technologies and distribution of media – such as music and other programming– have "presented the radio industry with new opportunities, but also new challenges." It cited satellite radio, file-sharing and downloading, podcasting and audio streaming on the internet as "new and more flexible alternatives to the traditional practices of purchasing recorded music and listening to radio broadcasting."»

(fonte: Radio group calls for 'smarter, more effective' CRTC policy», CBC.ca, March 16, 2006 )

«Vários operadores de Internet de banda larga do Reino Unido estão a criticar o iPlayer da BBC, serviço que permite realizar o download de programas da estação, devido aos elevados custos inerentes ao streaming de vídeos on-line. De acordo com o Independent as operadoras estão preocupadas com o possível estrangulamento das suas redes por causa de centenas de milhares de cibernautas que querem ver os programas da BBC no iPlayer. Estas já ameaçaram que podem limitar a largura de banda da estação caso não contribua com os custos, o que como consequência diminuiria também o tráfego on-line disponível para a utilização do iPlayer. Para um porta-voz da Tiscali «o potencial que o iPlayer tem para sugar a banda larga é uma preocupação e temos de ter um melhor dialogo com a BBC sobre isso». Tal como o serviço de áudio «Listen Again», que permite ouvir programas de rádio emitidos pela BBC Radio até sete dias antes, o iPlayer vai permitir a quem faça o download do serviço aceder a conteúdos televisivos que passaram nos últimos sete dias. Estes conteúdos ficam depois disponíveis até 30 dias após download e podem ser vistos durante sete dias a contar da primeira visualização. O iPlayer entrou em fase Beta no passado dia 27 de Julho e deverá estar completamente funcional durante os próximos meses.»

fonte: «Operadores de banda larga contra iPlayer» Sol, 15/08/07

«That's up 11% from the first quarter according to NDP Group. The explosion of music-on-mobile phones has implications for radio, which is increasingly developing cell strategies for both programming and strategy. Also of note - NDP says 11% of new mobiles are smartphones, which is the kind Ipsos and The Media Audit intend to use for a ratings service.»

fonte: newsletter Inside Radio, «45% of new cell phones play music», 15/08/07; ou «Forty-five percent of new phones were able to play music in the second quarter of 2007 (up 11 percent, since the prior quarter)»

Radio Regenbogen is in the Rhine-Nectar area of Germany.

Helping to support the tests are: Ibiquity Digital, audio expert Georg Neumann, Orban/CRL Systems, Broadcast Electronics and Ruoss AG, which is also assisting with HD-R tests in Switzerland.

Initial test results are to be revealed at a communications event in Stuttgart on Sept. 27»

fonte: «German HD Radio Field Test Slated to Begin in August», RW on line, 8.17.2007 

«Twelve million people in the UK are listening to the radio digitally, new audience figures have revealed. More than 25% per cent of all listeners regularly tune in to stations using digital radio, TV or the internet.  And listening to digital-only stations has risen from less than a million in 2003 to six million in 2007, according to radio industry analysts Rajar.  Overall radio listening figures have also risen, with 91% of the UK population now listening to the radio. The number of people tuning in rose by 600,000 during the last three months, Rajar said.  Commercial radio has registered its highest listening figures in four years with a regular audience of 32 million, up more than one million compared to the same period in 2006.»

fonte: «Digital radio draws 12m listeners

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6948970.stm)», BBCnews, 16/08/07

«WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 40 percent of consumers report having satellite radio capability in their new-vehicle's audio system-marking a considerable increase from 26 percent the previous year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study(SM) released today. Additionally, 94 percent of owners indicate that their satellite radio is factory or dealer installed-increasing from 92 percent in 2006. "Buyers want the latest technologies included in their new vehicle's audio system, and the increase in market penetration is a reflection of auto manufacturers' response to consumer demand," said Allison LaDuc, senior research manager of automotive product quality at J.D. Power and Associates. "New and redesigned vehicles-particularly those within the luxury segment-are increasingly being equipped with the latest multimedia features, including satellite radio, MP3/auxiliary output and navigation systems. Market penetration for these audio features will likely increase as time goes on."»

fonte: «J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Market Penetration for Satellite Radio Increases as Consumers Demand High-Tech Multimedia Features in Their New Vehicles», J. D. Power and Associates, 09/08/07

«Estamos a deixar um mercado de massas para regressarmos a uma nação de nichos, desta vez definida não pela nossa geografia mas pelos nossos interesses» (Anderson: 2007: 42) 

«Ainda há procura para os grandes êxitos culturais, mas estes já não são o único mercado. Os hits agora competem com um número infinito de mercados de nicho. de qualquer dimensão. E os consumidores estão a premiar cada vez mais aqueles quc lhes dão mais escolhas. A era da uniformização está a terminar e no seu lugar está a surgir algo de novo, um mercado de diversidade» (ANderson, 2007: 6)

«O novo mercado de nichos não está a substituir o tradicional mercado, apenas a partilhar o palco com ele pela primeira vez. Ao longo de um século, desprezámos tudo o que não fosse um best-seller, com o intuito de darmos o mais eficiente uso ao dispendioso espaço nas prateleiras, ecrãs e canais, bem como à atenção dos consumidores. Agora, numa nova era de consumidores ligados em rede e a tudo o que é digital, a economia desse modelo de distribuição está a mudar radicalmente, à medida que a Internet absorve cada indústria em que toca, tornando-se uma loja, um cinema e um canal de emissão cujo custo é apenas uma fracção do custo tradicional» (Anderson, 2007: 7)

«Mas e se houver espaço infinito? Talvez os hits sejam a maneira errada de olhar para o negócio. Afinal de contas, existem muitos mais não-hits do que hits e actualmente ambos estão disponíveis em pé de igualdade. E se os não-hits todos juntos - desde o saudável produto de nicho aos mais completos fiascos - contribuíssem para criar um mercado tão grande, se não mesmo maior, do que o dos próprios hits? A resposta seria clara: isso transformaria de forma radical alguns dos maiores mercados do mundo» (Anderson, 2007: 9)

«Os grupos relacionam-se mais por afinidades e interesses comuns do que pelos horários fixos das emissões. Actualmente, os nossos 'dispensadores de água" são cada vez mais virtuais - existem muitos e diferentes, e quem se reúne em torno deles é auto-seleccionado. Estamos a deixar um mercado de massas para regressarmos a uma nação de nichos, desta vez definida não pela nossa geografia mas pelos nossos interesses» (Anderson, 2007: 42)

«Actualmente, tanto a realidade em torno dos canais de TV como a natueza efémera da televisão são resultado do estrangulamento da distribuição na área da emissão por cabo. A TV continua a viver na era do espaço de prateleira limitado, ao passo que a lição da Cauda Longa é a de que mais é sempre melhor.» (Anderson, 2007: 209)

«Cresci no auge da era da cultura de massas - os anos 70 e 80. Os adolescentes dessa época tinham acesso a meia dúzia de canais de TV e praticamente todas as pessoas assistiam à mesma mão-cheia de programas televisivos. Havia três ou quatro estações de rádio em qualquer cidade, que ditavam em grande medida o tipo de música que ouvíamos; apenas alguns miúdos ricos com mais sorte faziam colecções de discos um pouco mais ousadas. Todos nós víamos no cinema os mesmos êxitos de bilheteira no Verão e as notícias que recebíamos tinham origem nos mesmos jornais e emissoras. Os poucos lugares onde podíamos explorar o que estava fora da corrente dominante eram a biblioteca e a loja de livros de banda desenhada. Tanto quanto me recordo, a única cultura disponível sem ser a cultura de massas era a dos livros e aquilo que eu e os meus amigos inventávamos, e isso não ía além dos nossos próprios quintais» (Anderson, 2007: 3) 

«A grande vantagem das emissoras [clássicas de rádio e tv] é que se pode levar um programa a milhões de pessoas com uma eficiência sem par. Mas não se consegue fazer o oposto - levar um milhão de programas a cada pessoa individualmente. No entanto, é exactamente isso que a Internet faz tão bem. A economia da era das emissoras exigia programas de sucesso - grandes êxitos - para conquistar grandes audiências. A economia da era da banda larga exige o inverso. Para uma rede de distribuição que está optimizada para as comunicações ponto-a-ponto é extremamente caro e é um desperdício servir o mesmo fluxo a milhões de pessoas ao mesmo tempo» (Anderson, 2007: 5-6) 

Os primeiros resultados da PPM nas duas cidades analisadas mostram que as estações mais ouvidas, de acordo com o sistema antigo dos diários, afinal têm menos ouvintes. Será o fenómeno da inércia provocado pela vontade de muitos em querer estar com os vencedores, na linha da espiral do silêncio? em Portugal isso - penso - irá reflectir-se na Renascença, quando o registo de audiências for menos «humano».

«A reasonable worry with the rollout of Arbitron's Personal People Meter was that the new measuring device would do the same for radio ratings that Nielsen's Local People Meter has done for local TV ratings: knock them down for the bigger stations. That's exactly what's happening, which becomes clear with the release this week of a new set of results from the PPM in Philadelphia and Houston, the first two markets to switch to the PPM. The data are startling. Average quarter-hour ratings are off about 30 percent from those under the old paper-diary system, by Arbitron's calculations, and media buyers say the falloff can be as high as 50 percent or more for some stations. As with Nielsen's LPMs when they began rolling out several years ago, buyers face the prospect of spending more client ad dollars to reach the same audiences they thought they were reaching under the diary system. (...)

fonte: «Radio ratings tank with Arbitron PPM», Medialife Magazone, By Kevin Downey Aug 17, 2007

«Slivercasing, or narrowcasting, is the transmission of video programming to a niche audience, often through relatively inexpensive means like streaming video over high-speed connections. By this means, programming what would not generate enough interest or revenue for broadcast can be made available to a small but highly dedicated audience of viewers. Slivercasting can be profitable because it enables highly targeted advertising aimed at specific demographics or interest groups»

«As Internet TV Aims at Niche Audiences, the Slivercast Is Born», IHT, SAUL HANSELL, March 12, 2006

Mark Ramsey elogia a nova criação da Clear Channel: um portal para vender e comprar carros, chamado DFWAutoplex.com:

«(...) it is an example of a new form of connection linking a station's audience to that station's advertiser so as to generate revenue results and happy customers without depending solely on a station's airtime in an ever-more-cluttered ad marketplace.

This is exactly the type of Internet-based, off-air "connection mechanism" we're going to see a LOT more of in the future, especially when it comes to sales categories of critical importance to the radio industry. It's exactly the kind of stuff I've been talking about on this blog over the past few months. As a radio station, your strength isn't that you have spots. It's that you have listeners.»

fonte: «You're not in the "Radio Business," you're in the business of hand-delivering leads», Hear2.0, 20/08/07

«[As rádios] Vão ter de perceber que não divulgando a nova música estão a matá-la e estão a ser parte do crime. E vão morre com ela. Porque quando ela desaparecer as rádios morrem também. A Internet já está a dar cabo das rádios. As receitas estão a cair e cada vez têm menos ouvintes» (Tozé Brito, administrador da Universal e vice-presidente da AFP, sobre a aplicação, a partir de 1 de Outubro, da nova lei da Rádio, que exige 25% de música portuguesa; in «Rádios sob ameaça», Sol, 18/08/07)

Antes era a rádio que fazia isto...

«Radio Nowhere’, o single de avanço no novo álbum de Bruce Springsteen, ‘Magic’, vai estar disponível para download gratuito durante uma semana no site do Correio da Manhã. O tema poderá ser descarregado através de uma morada que será disponibilizada entre 28 do corrente e 3 de Setembro em www.correiodamanha.pt. sem qualquer custo adicional. (...) ‘Magic’ sai a 1 de Outubro em Portugal e é o 24.º álbum de Bruce Springsteen, de 56 anos, um dos maiores nomes do rock americano. »

fonte: «Música: 1.º single extraído do novo álbum, ‘Magic’»; Correio da Manhã, 22/08/07

ACTUALIZAÇÃO a 23/08/07: «O adiamento foi decidido pela editora do músico, que suspendeu ainda todas as acções promocionais previstas para o lançamento a 1 de Outubro. Em consequência, e ao contrário do que anunciámos na nossa edição de ontem, o CM não vai poder oferecer o download grátis do tema ‘Radio Nowhere’, o primeiro single do novo registo. Esta acção promocional deveria decorrer entre os dias 28 do corrente e 3 de Setembro. O CM, sublinhe-se, é totalmente alheio à decisão da editora que nos impede de oferecer o tema aos nossos leitores»

Actualização a 29/08/07: « editora Sony/BMG Portugal confirmou que a data de lançamento do novo álbum de Bruce Springsteen, ‘Magic’, é mesmo 1 de Outubro. Sendo assim, e tal como noticiámos na nossa edição de 22 do corrente, o CM oferece, até 3 de Setembro, o download grátis do single ‘Radio Nowhere’»

A propósito de um estudo Pew:

«57 million Americans watch online video content every day. That's 19% of American adult Internet users. Americans between ages 18-29 are the most video-voracious; 31% of them watch online videos every day.  What are American adults watching? News, primarily, followed by comedy, movies or TV, music and surprisingly (to some, I imagine) commercials! 13% of American adults report they have downloaded or watched video ads. The upshot of Pew's report is that word of mouth figures prominently in the spread of online video: Two out of three viewers ages 18-29 send links to video files, compared with half of Americans age 30 and older. Forty-two percent of the 18-29 year-olds send video links a few times per month or more. »

fonte: «Why everyone wants a viral video», Church of Customer, 26/07/07

Mark Ramsey dá o exemplo de uma rádio com um canal de vídeo on line nos EUA

«(...) hoje, a rádio já não é o único meio de lançar esses novos artistas. Assim, enquanto preparava a sua estreia na rádio, a Reprise pré-lançou várias faixas em sites de música na Internet, incluindo no Yahoo!, que oferece um serviço gratuito de rádio online chamado LAUNCHcast. Uma das características mais populares do LAUNCHcast é a sua estação de rádio personalizada, que permite que os seus milhões de utilizadores seleccionem os grupos e géneros musicais favoritos e depois oiçam gratuitamente essas bandas e outras semelhantes. A Reprise decidiu analisar se aquela audiência poderia ajudá-la a descobrir onde é que McKee se encaixava.

O LAUNCHcast está alicerçado em torno de um sistema de recomendação "ajustável' que selecciona, com base nas nossas preferências, que outras músicas poderão agradar-nos. Enquanto passa cada música, uma pequena janela incentiva-nos a atribuirmos uma classificação à canção, ao artista e ao álbum, numa escala de uma a cinco estrelas, que varia desde "Nunca mais quero ouvir esta" a "Não consigo cansar-me de ouvir isto", Enquanto ouvimos música e a avaliamos, o software da Yahoo! vai-nos conhecendo melhor e modificando a lista de canções que se seguem em consonância com essa percepção» (Anderson, 2007: 105) 

Interrogações sobre o futuro; dúvidas; hipóteses ( a causa longa aplicada às audiencias da rádio convencional, ao numero de estações convencionais vs internet; à publicidade que é dirigida à rádio convencional???):

«Queiramos ou não, os hits vieram para ficar. O mesmo se aplica às lojas de retalho com espaço de prateleira limitado, às cadeias de televisão, ao mínimo denominador comum e a tudo o resto. Apesar de todo o crescimento do comércio electrónico, as compras online ainda perfazem menos de dez por cento do retalho norte-americano, tendo apenas excedido ligeiramente as compras por catálogo. Nem mesmo os grandes impulsionadores das vendas online esperam exceder 25 por cento dos gastos dos consumidores nas próximas décadas. Não se trata apenas da conveniência da gratificação imediata e das vantagens palpáveis da economia tradicional. Somos também uma espécie gregária, por vezes gostamos de fazer coisas com os outros. (...) Os hits podem não dominar a sociedade e o comércio da mesma forma que no século passado, nas ainda têm um impacto incomparável. E o impacto reside na capacidade dos hits servirem corno uma fonte de cultura comum em torno da qual se podem formar mercados-alvo mais segmentados. Os agregadores de sucesso da Cauda Longa têm necessidade de ambos: hits e nichos. Precisam de abarcar toda a gama de variedades, desde a mais apelativa até à menos popular, de modo a conseguirem fazer associações capazes de indicar um caminho ao longo da Cauda Longa que faça sentido para todos» (ANderson, 2007: 156) 

«Actualmente, tanto a realidade em torno dos canais de TV como a natueza efémera da televisão são resultado do estrangulamento da distribuição na área da emissão por cabo. A TV continua a viver na era do espaço de prateleira limitado, ao passo que a lição da Cauda Longa é a de que mais é sempre melhor. O crescimento da capacidade do cabo ao longo das últimas décadas perde fulgor perante o crescimento, durante o mesmo período, na área da criação em vídeo e perante a dimensão de potenciais microaudiêndas para tudo e mais alguma coisa. O TiVo poderá ter ajudado, pelo menos, a eliminar da equação a tirania do tempo, mas ainda estamos longe do modelo do iTunes, em que somos capazes de fazer o download de tudo quanto já foi produzido,a qualquer momento» (Anderson, 2007: 209)

«We are leaving the Information Age and entering the Recommendation Age. In the past, it was difficult to gather sufficient information to make decisions, and we relied on recommendations to guide us through this lack of knowledge, based on others' prior experience. Today we have too much information, which, ironically, has made recommendations even more valuable. Now, we don't have enough time to sort through all the information, or we need higher levels of understanding to make sense of the information. So recommendations act as shortcuts through the information mass, getting us to the right, or "right enough," answer.»

fonte: Richardson, Adam, «From the Information Age to the Recommendation Age», Frog Design Mind, ?

«Welcome to the new generation of corporate radio, coming to you live from an auto dealership near you. Car manufacturers are racing to establish Internet radio stations and online playlisting tools as part of a new marketing strategy aimed at hip, tech-savvy young adults. The latest, and so far the biggest, effort comes from Toyota's Scion division, which in July added 17 Internet radio channels to its experimental Scion Broadband microsite. Each channel features three hours of music that is looped 24/7 and updated monthly. The company tapped Live365 for the Internet radio technology, and 15 DJs from such partners as Vice Records and Ninja Tune Records for programming. (...) If Scion's online experiment proves successful, it's likely that more consumer brands of all stripes, and not just automakers, will launch their own online entertainment sites. As yet, though, the jury's out. While the main Scion Web site averages around 750,000 hits per month, the Broadband microsite averages merely 10,000. But that's with almost no marketing to date. With the addition of the Internet radio element, the company plans to begin advertising the service in hopes of seeing traffic increase.»

fonte: «Auto manufacturers enter Internet radio race», Antony Bruno, Reuters, Aug 19, 2007

O site da Toyota: http://www.scion.com/broadband/

«Apesar de o fonógrafo ter elevado a música a mais do que um simples desempenho, foi a rádio que criou o ídolo pop. Nos anos 40 e 50, o programa 'Your Hit Parade' tornou-se um evento das noites de sábado, anunciando-se como 'uma classificação rigorosa e autêntica do gosto dos EUA pela música popular'. Depois, com o aparecimento e atracção da juventude pelo rock'n'roll e pelo R&B, chegaram as listas de músicas elaboradas por personalidades e a celebridade dos DJ de rádio. Na década de 50, Alan Freed e Murray "the K" Kaufman ajudaram a transformar a rádio na mais poderosa máquina de criação de sucessos musicais que o mundo alguma vez conheceu» (Anderson, 2007: 31)

«Os problemas na indústria da música não se limitam às vendas de CD. As rádios rock, que foram durante muito tempo o veículo de marketing preferido pelas editoras, estão a sofrer os mesmos dissabores. Em 1993, os norte-americanos passavam uma média de 23 horas e 15 minutos por semana com a rádio ligada. Na Primavera de 2004, esse número tinha descido para 19 horas e 45 minutos. As audiências de rádio estão agora no mínimo dos últimos 27 anos e é a programação de música rock que parece estar a sofrer mais. (...)

Os especialistas continuam a não chegar a acordo quanto ao principal motivo, mas eis os principais candidatos:

.O aparecimento do fenómeno do iPod: Com um rádio personalizado, quem precisa de banda FM?

.O telemóvel: Os condutores a caminho do trabalho ou de casa, presos no trânsito, eram a salvação da rádio nos anos 80. Actualmente, continuamos a ficar presos nos engarrafamentos, mas optamos por falar ao telefone.

. A Lei das Telecomunicações de 1996 (EUA): Ao acrescentar mil estações de banda FM ao sinal de áudio, esta legislação aumentou a concorrência e provocou estragos no modelo de negócio dos incumbentes. A lei também flexibilizou os limites de propriedade em cada mercado, levando à...

.Clear Channel: Frequentemente acusada dos dissabores da rádio, esta gigante dos media é tanto um sintoma da feroz economia desta indústria quanto uma causa. Uma vez que a Lei das Telecomunicações nos EUA enfraqueceu o negócio das rádios locais em finais da década de 90, a Clear Channel podia ir comprando as estações em dificuldades. A empresa é actualmente proprietária de mais de 1.200 dessas estações, o que corresponde a uma em cada dez. (...)

.A punição da obscenidade pela Comissão Federal de Comunicações (FCC): Sempre fez parte das suas funções policiar aquilo que era dito nas emissões de rádio e televisão, mas a FCC raramente exerceu o seu dever com tanto vigor como nos últimos cinco anos. O principal alvo foi Howard Stern, uma personalidade "terra-a-terra" da rádio com tendência para o obsceno. Depois de incorrer em coimas sem precedentes, Stern acabou por desistir das emissões da rádio terrestrce. No final de 2005, transitou para a rádio por satélite Sirius, onde se estreou - praticamente sem censura - para uma audiência de assinantes em Janeiro de 2006. (...)» (Anderson, 2007: 37/38) 

«(...) a música não deixou de estar na moda, muito pelo contrário. Nunca os tempos foram tão favoráveis para um artista ou um fã. Mas foi a Internet que se tornou o irrevogável veículo de descoberta de nova música. O tradicional modelo de promover, vender e distribuir música deixou de ser popular. As grandes marcas e os grandes retalhistas, que atingiram dimensões gigantescas devido à máquina radiofónica de criação de hits, depararam-se com um modelo de negócio dependente dos grandes hits, ao nível da platina - que hoje em dia não existem em quantidades suficientes. Estamos a assistir ao fim de uma era. Todos aqueles que usam os tais auscultadores brancos estão a ouvir a sua própria emissora de rádio, livre de anúncios. A cultura sofreu uma transição» (ANderson, 2007: 38)

«(...) estamos a deixar de ser consumidores passivos para passarmos a ser produtores activos. E estamos a fazê-lo porque gostamos (a palavra "amador" vem do latim amator, "amante", de amare, "amar"). Este fenómeno é visível em qualquer parte - na amplitude em que os blogs amadores partilham da atenção que o público dispensa aos media da corrente dominante, na capacidade das jovens bandas lançarem música online sem possuírem uma editora discográfica e no facto de os consumidores dominarem a crítica online. É como se o parâmetro por defeito da produção tivesse deixado de ser "mereça o direito de o fazer" para passar a ser "o que é que o impede?" .

O escritor Doc Searls designa este fenómeno como a transição do "consumerismo" para o "producerismo" participativo: "A 'economia dos consumidores' é um sistema controlado pelo produtor, no qual os consumidores não são mais do que fontes de energia que transformam o 'conteúdo' em dinheiro. Este é o resultado absolutamente corrompido do poder absoluto dos produtores sobre os consumidores. (...) A Apple está a oferecer aos consumidores as ferramentas que fazem deles produtores. Esta prática transforma radicalmente tanto o mercado como a economia que prospera através dele» (ANderson, 2007: 67) 

«Este é o mundo da "produção entre pares", o extraordinário fenómeno possibilitado pelo voluntarismo e amadorismo de massa da Internet. Estamos no despontar de uma época em que a maior parte dos produtores, em qualquer domínio, não é remunerada e em que a principal diferença entre eles e os seus concorrentes profissionais é simplesmente a (cada vez menor) discrepância nos recursos que lhes estão disponíveis para ampliarem os objectivos do seu trabalho. Quando as ferramentas de produção estão generalizadamente disponíveis, todos se transformam em produtores» (Anderson, 2007: 77)

«A "produção colaborativa" criou a eBay, a Wikipédia, a Craiglist, o MySpace e forneceu à Netflix centenas de milhares de críticas a filmes. Simultaneanente, o self-service permitiu ao Google vender publicidade por uns centavos por cada clique e levou a que o Skype angariasse 60 milhões de utilizadores em dois anos e meio. Ambos são exemplos de como os utilizadores fazem alegremente, e de forma gratuita, aquilo que - de outra forma - as empresas teriam que pagar para ser feito pelos seus colaboradores. Não se trata de outsourcing, mas sim de crowdsourcing» (ANderson, 2007:234) 

«Houve um tempo em que só existia uma forma de fazer com que um álbum se tornasse num hit: a rádio. Nenhum outro meio chegava a tantas pessoas com tanta frequência. Não era fácil fazer parte da lista de músicas passadas por uma rádio (especialmente depois de os subornos aos DJ terem passado a ser puníveis por lei), mas assim que uma canção começava a ser emitida, ganhava logo uma elevada probabilidade de ser mais vendida. Depois, na década de 80, apareceu a MTV, que se tornou na segunda forma de criar um hit. Dispunha de uma capacidade ainda mais limitada para divulgar novas músicas, mas a sua influência sobre toda uma geração foi inigualável. No que diz respeito às editoras discográficas, esses foram tempos áureos. Tratava-se de um mercado fortemente competitivo, mas era um ramo que conheciam muito bem. Compreendiam as regras e era possível ganharem a vida se soubessem mover-se nesse meio.

Mas, agora, a rádio aparenta ter entrado num movimento de declínio termínal e a MTV já não passa tantos telediscos como antigamente. Então, de que forma se pode comercializar a música? As editoras sabem que a resposta reside na Internet e aproveitam as forças do "passa palavra" que estão a substituir o marketing tradicional na criação de tendências da procura, mas continuam a tentar descortinar a melhor forma de o fazerem» (ANderson, 2007: 103)

DAB’s slow, and often strangled, birth is closely related to the lack of a business model across most European markets – except the UK. (...). The real audience break through for DAB in the UK was in 2004 and ironically came through TV – and today up to 17 million people listen to radio via digital television – many discovering the new DAB stations there.

The DAB story might be a cautionary one for anyone doing future studies. No-one in 1996 predicted that TV would play a positive part in securing the future of digital radio and many European broadcasters lost millions on DAB pilots and projects.» (Shaw, 2005: 5)

«"The hybrid or the meeting of two media is a moment of truth and revelation from which new form is born. For the parallel between two media holds us on the frontiers between forms that snap us out of the Narcissus-narcosis. The moment of the meeting of media is a moment of freedom and release from the ordinary trance and numbness imposed by them on our senses." » (Understanding Media, pág. 55)

«(...) what podcasting represents, and it is a moving trend rather than a finished product, is ‘hybrid energy’ – as McLuhan would term it – when one medium, radio crossing into another, the Internet. In this case it moves beyond the classic Internet radio forms, live-streaming, which simply used the Internet as a distribution platform and allows the meeting of radio and the Internet to create something new through a software marriage. The RSS is the facilitator or enabler which is allowing old media, whether newspapers, radio or television, to become something new in the Internet.» (Shaw, 2005: 15) 

The final question may be - but will it still be radio? Predominately it will be an audio service, which will sound and be experienced much like all radio – in the mind because audio content remains the easiest content to absorb in a mobile environment – or in the midst of parallel activities, like driving. But it will be augmented by data and visuals and we will see hybrids emerge where the lines are completely fused. Arte, a TV channel in Europe now has a web-based radio service, several key newspapers now have a ‘radio’ like service online – re-positioning content back and forth in different forms – for different media. We probably have not yet found words for the hybrids that will come – television on mobile is already with us and being tagged mobTV - while podcasts on mobiles are being tagged mobcasting. The clay is still forming – the names are still being cast. Our difficulty now is to keep describing, and naming, the changes as the speed of convergence accelerates» (Shaw, 2005: 21)

Alguém ficará indiferente a isto?

É um marco que muitos julgariam que, tão cedo, não chegaria...

Respondents generally said living without technology would be stressful. Nearly half of young people never turn off their mobile phones, even when they're trying to relax or "chill out."

Harris Interactive asked kids and teens in October 2006 what things made them happy. Having a PC made more than half of both groups happy. Mobile phones were more important to teens than to children.

fonte: «Internet Keeps Young People Upbeat», eMarketeer, AUGUST 27, 2007

«Maybe it’s too unrealistic for a radio guy to expect Apple with its iPod and iTunes juggernaut to pay any attention to the need for a radio in a super smart phone. “Yet others like Nokia and Samsung are doing it,” Guy Wire says. “Our industry needs to keep the heat turned up on the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association to make an integrated radio a basic feature in all smart phones, especially as the HD rollout matures.”

fonte: «Guy Wire Wants a Really Smart Phone», RWOnline, 24/08/07

«Radio listening figures are on the up, according to Rajar, the radio industry analysts. Almost 600,000 more people tuned in between April and June this year than for the same period last year. But that's not the most interesting statistic: for the first time, listening habits were broken down to reveal how many people still tuned in to The Archers on their wireless, and how many were sampling the delights of both mainstream and little-known radio stations via digital radio (DAB) or through their mobile phones.

Listening figures for both have increased exponentially in the last year, with 6.09 million people in the UK listening to shows available solely on digital radio compared to 905,000 four years ago. Meanwhile, 4.4 million people over the age of 15 claiming they have listened to radio on their phone, a 27 per cent rise in the last year, with the largest group of mobile-phone radio listeners aged between 15 and 24. This latter statistic is something of a surprise, as the reception quality of analogue radio on mobile handsets is notoriously patchy, but it seems likely that youngsters are listening to radio on their phones for relatively short periods of time, perhaps while waiting for a bus, or to check on sports results at weekends. (...) "Old" media is alive and well, it seems; it's just finding new ways of reaching its audience.»

fonte: «How digital radio came of age», Telegraph, Claudine Beaumont, 25/08/07

Responde Helen Shaw:

«The future of radio, as we describe it, will be multi-platform with live and recorded audio content being delivered through analogue AM/FM to digital terrestrial to satellite radio and Internet based protocols. Over the next ten years as radio moves further into a digital domain, technology is transforming how we receive radio, what we receive and how we interact with it. This paper looks at the dynamics shaping radio’s future and how the bottom up pressure of consumer/citizen demands – through the development of a personalised media market, like podcasting – is proving more successful than the top down approach of technologies like DAB which have been driven by European policy elités rather than market demand.» (Shaw, 2005: 2)

The digital future of radio: broadcasters and economics; users and content

Listening figures for both have increased exponentially in the last year, with 6.09 million people in the UK listening to shows available solely on digital radio compared to 905,000 four years ago. Meanwhile, 4.4 million people over the age of 15 claiming they have listened to radio on their phone, a 27 per cent rise in the last year, with the largest group of mobile-phone radio listeners aged between 15 and 24. This latter statistic is something of a surprise, as the reception quality of analogue radio on mobile handsets is notoriously patchy, but it seems likely that youngsters are listening to radio on their phones for relatively short periods of time, perhaps while waiting for a bus, or to check on sports results at weekends. (...)»

fonte: «How digital radio came of age», Telegraph, Claudine Beaumont, 25/08/07

Já agora:

«Given that the mobile phone already allows for diverse means of communications; voice, text, video etc, it’s not too difficult to see how a multimedia, or cross-media, handset which expands the general ability to create and share content can become omni-present within ten years. Multimedia as a concept has remained poorly defined but if we talk about cross-media, the meeting of two distinct media – like radio and television, or voice telephony and text emails, it becomes easier. The key for radio is access and mobility. In Ofcom’s research 79% of people stressed being able to access radio on the move, when and where they wanted. And interestingly despite all the recent hype about mobile TV – recent UK audience research shows mobile TV is not popular – largely because it does not allow them to do other things[1]. They want TV on computers and the ability to choose what to watch, when it suits, but for the future enhanced audio based content – like Nokia’s Visual Radio – may fit commuters’ needs[2]. Businessweek estimates mobile phone radio could be worth million in 2005 and that radio could be the trigger for mobile content sales.» (Shaw, 2005: 9) 

«(...) digital technology is creating an iPod generation who see radio, and content, as something they can create and control themselves and is fuelling a wildfire global network of niche, net-based ‘radio’ channels» (Shaw, 2005: 2)

Mark Ramsey alerta para os riscos e as oportunidades para a industria classica de rádio:

«This could work in one or both of two ways: Either you would be able to buy and download songs via WiFi (most likely) or you would also be able to stream or cache content via the iTunes strreaming "radio" channels (perhaps less likely - since a station streamed or cached on an iPod is not a song purchased, thus making the transaction less profitable for Apple. On the other hand, anything that drives the purchase of iPods is more profitable than anything that drives the purchase of songs). The ability to stream iTunes stations means, of course, that YOUR station could be one of those. But your 30 market competitors just became 3,000 worldwide competitors. And counting. (...) This is an obvious evolution for the iPod - WiFi is already popping up on iPod alternatives - and makes them even more of a substitute for radio than they've been in the past since any iPod could be updated wirelessly and on the fly. And anything which makes an mp3 player easier to use and more valuable to own makes it a more potent radio substitute. As I have said many times in the past, stations which live and die on a steady diet of music will be facing stiff competition from devices like these over the long run.
When these devices do not need a computer and feature a music discovery component, that's functionally equivalent to the best music radio station you can imagine: One which matches your tastes exactly.»

Era um dos casos mais interessantes da rádio de palavra nos Estados Unidos, mas revelou-se um fracasso a experiência de trazer os jornalistas do Washington Post para a rádio. Vai fechar.
«WASHINGTON - Washington Post Radio, a station that featured in-depth discussions with The Washington Post’s editors and reporters about the day’s news, is going off the air next month after failing to attract enough listeners during its 17-month run, the newspaper reported Tuesday.
WTWP, which broadcasts in the Washington region on 1500 AM, 820 AM and 107.7 FM, is owned by Salt Lake City-based Bonneville International Corp. Bonneville paid an annual fee to the Post for access to its journalists and for the use of the newspaper’s name. The Post had no direct financial investment in the station. (...) When WTWP debuted in March 2006, the station’s backers said it would be like "NPR on caffeine" - but the station failed to catch on with listeners. During the recent spring ratings period, WTWP finished tied for 18th place in the Washington area, with an average of 1.2 percent of the audience, according to Arbitron (nyse: ARB - news - people ).
While many advertisers were satisfied with the results the station generated, we just did not garner the Arbitron ratings we had hoped for," said Joel Oxley, senior vice president and market manager of Bonneville’s Washington operations.»
fonte: «Washington Post Radio Ending Broadcasts», Associated Press 28/08/07

O comentário de Leslie Stimson: «(...)While an interesting experiment, I’ve got to wonder if the Post reporters received broadcast training, and if they did, what kind, exactly? Some of the “Posties” were good on the air while others sounded uncomfortable. Writing for the “eye” vs. for the “ear” — and being comfortable with the needs of each medium — is different. (...) I’m not saying these were the things going on at “WAPO,” but there’s a lesson in both examples: Radio and print are different in both reporting and presentation. It takes time for someone comfortable working in one medium to achieve that same comfort level and professional expertise in the other. Who knows? Maybe with the proper training and unending financial resources, the idea could have worked. But the outcome of the Post/Bonneville experiment is a cautionary lesson for any “old media” types who are dreaming about such alliances to help them fight more effectively in the “new media” world.» fonte: «Death of ‘WAPO’ Points to Differences Between Radio, Print», Leslie Stimson, 5/09/07  

«(...) the dream of turning cars into digital communication hubs didn't die. Now, car makers and technology suppliers are rallying to take another shot. Car makers and inventors have been trying to develop a safe way for drivers to manage their digital clutter and connectivity angst while on the road. Ford Motor Co., for example, hopes to generate some buzz with a system called "Sync," developed in collaboration with Microsoft and rolling out this fall on about a dozen Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models. Ford's effort to develop a new kind of onboard entertainment system grew out of the frustration of a small group of Ford engineers with the auto industry's tendency to lag behind personal electronics trends, says Gary Jablonski, manager of infotainment system engineering for Ford in Dearborn, Mich. "Customers want the same stuff in their cars that they see in Best Buy," Mr. Jablonski says. "We are generally a year behind." Their idea: Develop a system, using a variant of Microsoft's Windows CE software, that can link to various digital devices using either Bluetooth wireless technology or a USB port. Then, no matter what kind of device is involved, the system can operate it using a voice-recognition system or the buttons, knobs or touch screens provided for the car's basic audio system. If I had a Sync equipped car, my morning drive might go like this: I would plug the iPod into a USB port in the storage bin under the center armrest, and pair my BlackBerry with the car's audio system using Bluetooth (that is, if my phone has the right kind of Bluetooth.) To get the iPod to play, I could tell the system, "play genre jazz" and the iPod would start playing tunes in that category. (...) The marketing research firm J.D. Power and Associates earlier this month released an outline of its latest survey of consumer interest in new automotive technology, which offers some encouragement and some caution for products such as Sync. The good news is that half of the consumers polled for Power's 2007 emerging technologies study said they'd be interested in paying as much as 0 to get a USB interface in their next car. Asked if they'd pay 0 to get an iPod interface, about 43% of the respondents said yes. (...)»

fonte: «Eyes on the road», WSJ, JOSEPH B. WHITE, 27/08/07

De acordo com este texto parece que sim («It appears that podcasts are not picking up steam, and rather, podcasting is actually slowing down. There is not enough incentive for people to jump exclusively into podcasting because of tight competition from video, blogs, big media and a lack of clear monetization methods. However, it does not mean that podcasts are not here to stay. One great thing that we already received from the podcasting revolution is choice. Media companies were forced to micro chunk and give us their content on our terms. We now can consume it in whatever way that we prefer, whenever we want it», via Clube de jornalistas).

A mim, que há muito defendo a ideia do podcasting, como ferramenta de distribuição de programas/notícias da rádio convencional, não me surpreende (por oposição aos podcasts feitos mais ou menos amadoristicamente e que têm poucas oportunidades face à concorrência):

«E então teremos podcasting não apenas de programas mas também de notícias, de modo a que se concretizará o sonho de Bertold Brecht: o receptor não será mais o sujeito passivo da comunicação, mas aquele que escolhe o que quer ver e ouvir, o que constrói o seu próprio noticiário, o que intervém.
Com o podcasting, com este ou outro nome, com esta ou outra forma de eu poder escolher o que quero ver e ouvir»