If you saw our "Bedroom Project" (Arbitron & Jacobs Media's ethnographic study) at the NAB and also Jacobs Summit last fall, you know that one of the big headlines had to do with radio's growing "location" problem. As we saw with many of the young people in our survey, they often don't have a radio in their homes, apartments, or dorm rooms. Or if they do, it's an old boom box or a clock radio.
Well, we're now seeing evidence in our newest Tech Poll that the old bedside clock radio may rapidly become an endangered species. When we asked our more than 27,000 cell phone owners what they do with these devices - other than talk - the third most-used feature was the built-in alarm. In fact, more than half (55%) say they use the alarm feature, and that spells trouble for radio. It means that a sizable percentage of consumers aren't waking up to Ryan Seacrest or Elvis Duran because they're being roused by their cell phones.
It all spells trouble for a medium that was once ubiquitous, but is now being challenged by new devices and gadgets. As we've also seen in our Tech Poll (and countless other studies), the iPod has usurped the Walkman. And they're now finding their way into cars. Of the growing percentage of radio listeners who now own one of these portable mp3 players, more than half say they can plug them into their cars and trucks. And that percentage will grow every year as the automobile companies step up, and update their electronics.
Radio's label as "old media" needs to be countered by the NAB, the RAB, and every major broadcasting group. We need cool new devices that contain radios - and other gadgets and features that are desirable, accessible, and simple. If a consumer's view of radio is that old dusty clock radio or that antiquated boom box from the '70s, it can't match up to the elegance of the iPod, the iPhone, and other cool devices. While Radio has "software issues" to address (i.e., the content), there's no question that hardware is a challenge moving forward, too.
Where's my RaDo (a TiVo for radio)? Why doesn't every radio come with a feature that allows me to record linear programs to save or listen to later. Nothing is more irritating to me than tuning in late to Morning Edition, or missing 10@10 on ThePeak. The hard drive required for this app would be miniscule. Imagine what radio could do if it was freed from its linear chains!
Posted by: Robert Kernen | Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 07:17 PM
I was at a four star hotel in downtown Chicago on Memorial weekend. This beautiful hotel had a huge TV, movies, video games, wifi, a fully stocked refridgerator, coffee maker, etc. The whole shooting match. But it had NO RADIO!
Yes, it had an alarm clock, but no wake-up to music feature. Can you believe that?
Hotels continue to update themselves with more and more amenities to appeal to the masses....but they don't include an inexpensive radio!
Posted by: Don Beno | Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 08:27 PM