O regresso de uma rádio mítica (em liberdade)

Da California (de um lugar que se chama Freedom...) para todo o mundo, está de regresso uma das mais míticas rádios dos EUA, a KPIG. Foi das primeiras a emitir na net (em 1995), interrompeu e está outra vez on line. Em http://www.kpig.com/. Até é possível ver a sua playlist.

Mas, apesar da playlist (que lhe retira o âmbito «free form» ou rádio de autor) o que distingue a KeyPIG é o facto de se manter irreverante. Eles próprios se consideram um anacronismo: «We're an anachronism - a throwback to the days when real DJs picked out the music, and listeners expected something more from a radio station than just a couple of hundred songs repeated over and over, with some "big voice" guy yelling about how great it all is. We're also - to the amazement of all of the radio "professionals" who make the rules we thumb our noses at - very successful, though we try not to let it go to our heads»

Aquilo que um iPod nunca poderá fazer - a voz na rádio!

«How about bringing back the disc jockey? Technically, I realize, the DJ never went away. There are still voices on the radio that introduce what you’re about to hear and, if you’re lucky, that tell you what you were listening to a few minutes ago. Sometimes the person speaking is actually there in the studio as you listen to him in your car. But aside from a few creative outlets scattered around the country-Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, KPIG in Freedom, California-you aren’t going to hear a knowledgeable jock who picks (or at least plays a role in picking) his own music. Someone who knows how to mix old records and new ones, classics and obscurities, songs that obviously fall into a station’s genre and left-field choices that fit in unexpectedly. Someone who has a personality that’s made for the intimacy of radio, a knack for introducing people to records they’ll probably like, and a sense of how to experiment without turning people off. Someone, in short, who treats music the way a good talk show host treats the news of the day.

That’s something you’ll never get from an iPod on shuffle. You can get it from radio, but most music stations don’t bother to provide it anymore. Radio is a medium with unique strengths -why not use them instead of burying them?»

fonte: «Do what an iPod can’t do», RBR, By Jesse Walker (from March’s RBR/TVBR Solutions Magazine), Abril 06, http://www.rbr.com/epaper/pages/april06/06-76_media1.html

 

Uma previsão animadora (de finais da década de 90...)

«A pesar de las aciagas predicciones de la segunda mitad de los años noventa, la radio está de regreso y, en muchas maneras, mas fuerte que nunca. Las ganancias están aumentando y la audiencia es constante. A medida que avanza un nuevo siglo vemos también como las fortalezas tradicionales de la radio siguen realzando el atractivo del medio. Ahora también es posible acceder, por medio de un teléfono celular, a estaciones de radio por Internet. Lo que hace de la radio parte esencial de esta época es su capacidad para llegar hasta nosotros mientras hacemos otra cosa. Podemos escucharla en el trabajo, en el automóvil o mientras hacemos ejercicio»

(Hausman, Benoit e O'Donnell, 2001: 351) 

Características do modelo de diários da Arbitron

«El método de la bitácora o diario es una de las razones por las que las estaciones no escatiman esfuerzos para que el "sello" de su estación sea memorable. En Estados Unidos son muchas las estaciones que se anuncian como "Kiss (FM)" o "Lite (FM)" cuando sus letras de identificación a veces sólo tienen una semejanza pasajera con Kiss o Lite. En parte, se debe a que buscan desarrollar la identidad de la estación, en general, pero otro factor importante es que Arbitron por lo general acepta Kiss o Lite en una entrada de radio como prueba de que el escucha sintonizó esa estación» (Hausman, Benoit e O'Donnell, 2001: 303) 

O que parecia impossível em 2001...

«La audiencia de la radio sigue aumentando. Las cifras más recientes muestran que el ciudadano estadounidense promedio pasa más de mil horas por año escuchando la radio (38.6 por ciento del tiempo promedio que dedica a los medios). Esto equivale a casi tres horas al día, más tiempo del que el consumidor de medios de comunicación promedio dedica a ver la programación de estaciones de televisión afiliadas a una cadena, y diez veces más que el tiempo dedicado a leer revistas. Y aunque los nuevos medios de comunicación tienen una oferta atractiva, tan sólo piense en el siguiente comentario bastante revelador sobre la fuerza de la radio: Trate de navegar por Internet en su automóvil» (Hausman, Benoit e O'Bonnell, 2001: 2)

Hausman, Carl, Benoit, Philip e O'Donnel, Lewis, B, Producción en la radio moderna, Thompson Learning, México, 2001, 5ª edição

Perspectivas publicitárias para a rádio

«A rádio, fruto da sua polivalência (tanto pode ser consumida no interior como no exterior) apresenta grandes vantagens competitivas ao nível da cobertura de audiências. Todavia, a valorização da rádio enquanto veículo publicitário está, em larga medida, confinada ao período que os potenciais ouvintes passam no interior dos seus automóveis. Analogamente à imprensa, também a rádio se encontra ameaçada pela propagação da tecnologia digital que disponibilizam produtos/serviços semelhantes aos da rádio»

fonte: «Evolução do investimento publicitário mundial por suporte de comunicação» Obercom, (E.P) 19-04-2006

Um leitor mp3 para o carro

O carro é a próxima aposta dos fabricantes de LAD. E a Sony acaba de dar um bom contributo: criou um leitor de mp3 que suporta, com um giga, até 500 musica (informações do fabricante).
A coisa funciona assim: destaca-se o painel do rádio e, através da porta USB, liga-se ao computador onde temos as músicas; com o painel carregado, volta a colocar-se no carro e boa viagem!

O telemóvel vai ultrapassar o computador como acesso à net

«the personal computer remains the dominant platform to access the Internet globally. However, Internet access via the mobile phone actually outpaces wireless access from a notebook PC in many of areas of the world – a statistic driven largely by the massive install base of mobile phones throughout the world as well as more developed wireless networks, according to The Face of the Web, the annual study of Internet trends by global market research firm Ipsos Insight. »

fonte: «Mobile Phones Could Soon Rival the PC As World’s Dominant Internet Platform», Ipsos News Center, 18/4/06

CNN aposta nos podcasts (audio)

Muito interessante a aposta da CNN nos podcasts - não, não são videocasts, mas sim peças de som, criadas de propósito para o podcasting - a partir do que chamam de «CNN radio» (e que não é mais do que o aproveitamento da produção noticiosa do canal de televisão)

Ouvir rádio no iPod

Por um lado, o fenómeno iPod é demasiado importante para ser ignorado, por outro porque não potenciar as suas capacidades para associar a rádio? É o que faz a empresa norte-americana Griffin com este programa iFill: uma vez descarregado (custa 20 dolares mas há uma semana de experiência à borla), permite receber e gravar directamente no iPod as rádios com transmissão na internet.

É uma ideia bem interessante: escolhe-se a rádio que passa a música que nos interesse, põe-se o ipod a gravar e de manhã é só ouvir! (pelo que percebi não utiliza o iTunes, mas se estiver errado corrijam-me por favor)

 

 

Sirius chega a acordo com editoras para vender músicas

O receptor portátil da Sirius que grava a emissão e faz ficheiros em mp3 tem sido contestado pela industria discografica. A Sirius resolveu o problema, negociando com as «majors»:

«Sirius Satellite Radio’s fight with the major labels over its S50 portable receiver is over. EMI today became the fourth and final major to ink a deal with Sirius that allows for sales of controversial device. Details of the agreement were not disclosed but it is believed to mirror similar pacts Sirius struck with Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group in mid-March. According to sources close to the agreements, Sirius will pay the labels an undisclosed fee for each S50 sold and will cap the number of devices it sells.
Sirius has not disclosed sales figures for the S50. Analysts expect no more than 1 million will be sold»

fonte: «Portable Player Dispute Ends Between Sirius, Major Labels», April 14, 2006, By Brian Garrity, Billboard

A publicidade na internet vai superar a da rádio

«the largest local Web site in most markets, typically run by a local newspaper, will generate more in ad sales this year than the largest-grossing radio station in that market»

«Borrell estimated that 1,700 to 2,000 radio stations of a total 6,700 stations are selling advertising on their Web sites. Radio stations grew ad sales by 70% from their Web sites in 2005 to $60 million, up from $35 million. That’s still only a small portion, about 1% of total local online advertising. Average revenue from a site was $34,024»

fonte: «Borrell: Web Is The Place To Be», Billboard Radio Monitor, April 19, 2006, Katy Bachman

Vender iPods como pão quente

«Apple posted another strong financial result for the quarter ending April 1st, with revenue topping $4.36 billion. That represents a 34 percent jump over the year-ago period, and the second-highest quarterly result for the company. The three-month period - which technically corresponds to the second fiscal quarter of 2006 for Apple - also saw robust iPod sales and strong overall profits. Specifically, Apple shifted 8,526,000 iPods in the period, a 61 percent surge over the year-ago quarter. And earnings surpassed $410 million, or $.47 per diluted share, a 41 percent rise»

fonte: «Apple Posts Strong Quarterly Earnings, 8.5 Million iPods Sold», Digital Music News, 20/4/06

O ouvinte da RFM não tem paciência para o podcasting???

"«Acho que ninguém sabe para onde a rádio está a ir. Aquilo que se sabe é que, de acordo com o se viu nos últimos 30 a 40 anos, a rádio já não é só o FM. Pode haver outros suportes», defende António Mendes , director de programas da RFM. Reconhece que a relação da internet com a estação jovem adulta da Renascença é de complementaridade e que sobre o «podcast» «fala-se mais do que se adere»: «o ouvinte da RFM não tem muita paciência para isso. Não sei como é que se será daqui a um ano ou dois»" (Público, 15/4/06, «A rádio está a mudar. E vai ter de mudar»)

Um comentário meu: ou António Mendes perguntou aos ouvintes da RFM (sondagem?) ou como é que chega a essa conclusão se a RFM não tem podcasts? Ou será que o problema é que não há na programação da RFM programas/rubricas que se adaptem ao podcast? (Não faz sentido estar a reproduzir música, como é evidente)

Publicidade na net ultrapassa rádio

«Um estudo recente da firma americana de pesquisa de mercado PQMedia apurou que o investimento publicitário em blogues, podcasts e RSS duplicou em 2005 - cifrando-se mesmo assim nuns relativamente reduzidos 16 milhões de euros; mas a firma estima que, até 2010, o investimento publicitário nesses meios chegue aos 620 milhões de euros anuais. Outra firma de pesquisa de mercado, a Zenith Media, estima que em 2005 a quota da Internet no mercado publicitário mundial era de 4,5 por cento; e que em 2008 essa quota chegará aos 6,5 por cento. Ainda segundo a Zenith media, a publicidade na internet irá ultrapassar em volume a publicidade em outdoors; em 2008 irá alcançar a publicidade na rádio».

fonte: «E de onde vem o dinheiro» Publico, 15/4/06, pag 5 

«A rádio é uma causa perdida?»

«During a Tuesday morning conference call with Wall Street analysts, Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan addressed the question, “Is radio a lost cause? Standing up for the radio business, Smulyan replied, “It's not a lost cause, because we reach almost every American. If you look at leading forms of media, they are incredibly fragmented, and narrow. We reach almost every American, almost every day, where they live. We're relevant to them. They use us as companions. They use us as a source of entertainment. They rely on us for information, especially in critical times. For some reason, this is a business which has the perception that it's over. It's not over. It's a business that's been able to produce 45 cents on the dollar and still does. It's not over, but it's struggling."

He continued, "What I've seen over the thirty some years I've been in this business is that every industry has its ups and downs, but the basic relevance of this industry has not diminished. It is a fragmented world. It is a world where people have lots more choices. But we can't find another business which reaches people where they live, and which has such universal distribution, and which we think has the ability to be leveraged into some new areas."(...)»

fonte: «Smulyan On Radio: “It's Not Over”», Radio Ink, 19/4/06 

 

iP...obre

Um LAD à venda em Portugal por €79,90 (e 512 MB; e rádio!)

A questão é importante porque a banalização dos LAD só se fará pela queda dos preços. E quanto mais LAD mais conteúdos serão necessários (e mais o podcasting terá viabilidade)

(iPobre? Obrigado E)

 

O medo que a rádio ainda tem do podcasting

Reproduzo quase na íntegra um artigo que clarifica algumas coisas: 

«When National Public Radio (NPR) started offering a free podcast of its popular quiz show "Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!" it did so with lttle fanfare. That didn’t stop hundreds - and perhaps thousands - of people from downloading the satirical look at the week’s news on a Sunday afternoon back in February. By Monday morning, the show had joined Apple Computer’s list of the day’s five most popular podcasts.

It was good news for NPR, which has become a major player in the podcast world. Not so for the 350 NPR member stations that broadcast "Wait Wait." They’re worried that making the program available to iPods could mean a loss of listeners - and consequently the donations and ad dollars that keep the stations afloat. "Anytime customers can find your product in another place, it’s going to cause some concern," says John Decker of San Diego’s KPBS-FM. He says the podcast trend makes some public radio programmers "nervous."

(...) As more people watch programs on their computer or iPod, network affiliates worry about lower ratings - and lower revenue from commercials.

The vast majority of TV viewers, of course, still watch "60 Minutes" or "The West Wing" the old-fashioned way: on a television tuned to a local station. But that paradigm is fading out. Last week, ABC announced it would offer shows for free - although with commercials - for viewing directly over the Internet. ABC and NBC already offer shows like "Lost" and "The Office" as $1.99 commercial-free podcasts, viewable on computers or video-equipped iPods. NBC and CBS, meanwhile, will offer on-demand versions of their shows through the Comcast cable company. And tens of thousands of people routinely download illegal bootlegs of popular network shows.

(...) The situation is somewhat different in public radio. Member stations pay NPR to air its programming. So far, NPR is tiptoeing around the on-demand issue.

Between August 2005 and March 2006, listeners downloaded 18 million podcasts of the shows and individual stories it made available for free. That compares with a weekly listenership of 26 million.

But neither of NPR’s two signature daily news shows - "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" - are available as podcasts, nor are they aired on NPR’s channel on the Sirius satellite radio network. The shows "were specifically designed to be a vehicle for the local stations" to provide their own bits of programming, says NPR spokeswoman Andi Sporkin, and they’re staying that way.

Mr. Decker, the San Diego programmer, says those who worry about the impact of podcasts miss the big picture about access to public radio. "I do believe that we’re better off in the long run if we make ourselves as available as possible," he says. "We can’t stand in our own way."

fonte: «Podcasting shakes up local media», Christian Science Monitor, April 17, 2006 edition, by By Randy Dotinga

(obrigado E.)

O apelo da publicidade na emissão satélite (XM)

lembram-se da rádio via satélite nos EUA ser «commercial free»? Belos tempos...

«As XM and Sirius continue to evolve, it looks as if commercials will become more and more prevalent on the satcasters’ stations. Already, XM has altered its slogan of "100% commercial-free music" to having the "most commercial-free music channels." Last month it was revealed that ads would be placed on Clear Channel-controlled XM stations as part of the companies’ agreements. XM SVP of Sales and Marketing D. Scott Karnedy tells Business Week, "Advertisers were concerned about mass. When we broke through six million subscribers, we saw that as a tipping point [with advertisers]." In 2005, XM tripled the amount of ad agencies it was involved with as ad revenues have skyrocketed in the past two years, reaching $20 million last year. Karnedy says that XM "can’t keep up with the demand." The company expects to up its amount of ads on its talk channels in the near future. As for Sirius, ad sales grew to $6.1 million last year. The satcaster is also considering increasing the spotload on Howard Stern’s show from six minutes per hour up to nine, reports Business Week. Stanford Financial Group analyst Fred Moran tells Business Week that he predicts both satcasters will bring in 10 percent of their sales revenue via advertising by 2011. Sirius predicts they will reach that amount in the next few years, though advertising only makes up under one percent of their current sales.»

fonte: «Satcaster Advertising On The Rise», FMQB, 17/4/06; o artigo da Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060413_150389.htm?campaign_id=search

Até por isto...

«The $600 million financial restructuring offers another reminder of just how capital-intensive the satellite radio sector remains. But beyond capital outlays for infrastructure, overhead, and satellites, a great deal of money is being used for attention-grabbing content. Both XM and Sirius have been criticized for spending excessively to secure big personalities and sports packages, and XM board member Pierce Roberts even resigned over a lack of cost controls» («XM Initiates $600 Million Debt Restructuring Plan» Digital Music News)