MediaVoice Blog #9

This week; Radio Pause & Play, Radio changes on Agricola, Sack-Vegas Radio, The White Goat and What was the real 'Apple' story this week, even bigger than the iPad? This is DB’s MediaVoice Radio Blog # 9

Several months ago I talked about how valuable dash board real estate is becoming in new cars and I pondered where the FM Radio is going to fit in the rapidly changing interior design of what’s now become the automobile entertainment centre. Well, score a big one for General Motors. I’ve lost count of how many times I’d be listening to a Radio feature, a newscast or a great Radio conversation and upon arriving at work or home, I’d miss the end because I had to leave the car. It happens at gas stations more than you’d think. Finally, and it’s about time… designers at GM will begin to promote what they call the ‘Pause and Play’ with their 2010 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, the Chevy Cruze, the Buick Regal and the Cadillac SRX and JTS. Think of ‘Pause and Play’ exactly as you would your TV’s DVR..but this is for Radio. The first beta versions actually appeared 2 years ago in 2008. Pause and Play records the station you're listening to for ‘later’ playback, any 20 minute audio file from your FM radio. And yes, it also works while the car is turned off. For news junkies who stop to fill up the gas tank or rush into a store.. just hit Pause, exit the car, fill’er up, and when you get back in, hit Play and the entire section you missed replays. Now on the downside, with audio taking up smaller percentages of space on even larger storage hard drives these days, why does this feature only save a mere 20 minutes worth of audio. The Cadillac versions on the other hand each save any 60 minute period of Radio you desire. That’s more like it. Look for future updates of this feature to include much larger capacity. I would easily use this ‘Pause and Play’ feature several times per week. On a related note… I test drove the 2010 Equinox a few months ago at Cornwallis Motors in New Minas and I admit, I was really impressed with it. Had sales rep Garnet Mason told me about that Pause and Play feature, that might have been the clincher and I’d have driven it home that day. Btw, we ended up choosing the GMC Envoy. Remember the name, ‘Pause and Play’ from GM and while it’s quietly been around since 2008, it soon will get the marketing push it needs and look for other automakers to follow in 2011.

By now I’m sure you’ve seen or read about the new Apple iPad. Did anyone else notice how slow the speed on the Internet was in the few hours during and after this past weeks ‘Key Note with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. I tried to download the video and I gave up after 10 minutes of waiting. I heard last night on a podcast that over 200,000 viewers checked out the live ‘keynote’ which may be a new record for an internet webstream. While somewhat impressed with the new tablet and it’s $499 price, I suspect in the year ahead, Apple will add several of the features that many were hoping would originally be included. (i.e Phone capable and a camera for video calls & video conferencing.) One feature I really like…it’s data plan will be available ‘without’ a locked -in contract. Now…while it only received limited exposure during the keynote, I think the ‘real’ story here was actually the launch of Apple’s new iBook store. Just as digital music downloads are off the chart with iTunes, E-Books are going to explode with this new central source of digital books , magazines and newspapers. And, just as encyclopedias disappeared after the arrival of DVD’s…the iBook store combined with the iPad will radically alter the billion dollar + Post Secondary Education Textbook industry. I can see in just a few years or sooner…students at the NSCC no longer visiting the Bookstore to purchase heavy hardcover college textbooks. Instead, they’ll simply carry an iPad with their downloaded textbooks in full color on their tablets. Chiropractors may not be enthused however as student back injuries (due to those 50lb knapsacks) will dramatically decline. In a recent interview on CBC, one Textbook industry expert predicted that along with new digital downloads of textbooks, you can expect Audio versions too. And as for the Amazon ‘Kindle’.…sorry but without a major re-tooling I honestly believe you’ll see Kindles at local Flea Markets within 20 months.

It was great to host a visit from the CHUM Radio Halifax PD’s a week ago at the NSCC. ( yeah, I know.. but it will always be CHUM to me) PD Rob Basilie from 101.3 The Bounce and C100’s Earle Mader along with Promotions Director Matt Cleveland (RTA Alumni,02) dropped by for an intimate visit with the NSCC’s Radio TV Arts students. During a session in the Campus Theatre, all three outlined their inspiring career paths and invited Radio students to dive in and get involved in the local HRM market. It’ll be interesting to listen this spring as the Bounce (formerly 920 CJCH) evolves after Halifax says goodbye to Rob Basilie. While Mader has had his hands full fending off new format challenges from within the metro market, Basilie has had his finger squarely on every minute of the Bounce’s sound from morning til night. Now he’s preparing to head home to Toronto to pursue new projects. I personally want to thank Rob for his support of many Nova Scotia Radio students and of the NSCC’s RTA program. His passion for the business is obvious and speculation is high about what station changes might be in store on Agricola Street after his departure. Launching a Radio station requires both careful planning and a highly meticulous marketing plan and Basilie’s launch of the Bounce a year and a half ago was almost textbook. Now.. about that marketing term, “the New 101.3", yes … times up.

While we’re on radio signals…. Watch for a new FM signal in Sack-Vegas in the months ahead. The drive to bring Classic Country back to Metro after the sale and sign-off of Newcap’s AM-680, KIXX Country is taking a step….well okay… maybe a half step ahead. Al Hollingsworth is one of the driving forces for what is being called a Sackville Community & Volunteer driven Low Power Service playing traditional C & W. No surprise really at all that his is happening. If Traditional Classic Country is your flavor and you’re over the age of 50 .. you’ve been pretty much left out in the cold since the day Frank Lowe got all choked up when he signed off (CFDR) KIXX along with funny man Country BOB.

Finally this week as always…..let’s end with some imagination and innovation…Remember those TPS Reports from the movie Office Space ? Well now thanks to the growing surge of green environmental products, you can now actually change those TPS reports into.. you guessed it… TP. The ‘White Goat’ goes on sale in a few months and after seeing this new ‘green’ office product, my only question is.. just who came up with this idea…and just what were they doing at the time that light bulb flicked on in their head. Check out this short Video for the new ‘White Goat’, coming this May. I have to admit, we should order one for the Waterfront campus.

Thanks for reading,

David 0db Bannerman
Great Audio is Visual.