Apple's Bumpy Relationship with Radio

Image: ChinaWholesaleGift.comAs mentioned in an earlier post, Microsft has taken to the FM airwaves to advertise the new Zune HD, and they may have found a perfect way to reach those who haven't purchased an iPod. If you were a radio exectutive, wouldn't you rather promote the device that allows people to listen to your product out of the box, rather than promote the product that offers no built-in radio option (today), and instead makes it easier for people to forget radio exists?

In the early days, (2001) the iPod offered a radio escape path. It was more of a niche novelty than anything: one that would allow you to take your existing CDs and transfer them for portable use. No harm to radio, right? Then came the iTunes Store, and this was the beginning of an entirely new ecosystem for music consumption and purchase.

As the iPod looked destined to be a thorn in radio's side, along came the addition of podcasts to the iTunes Store. Suddenly radio, or at least certain shows, could be popular regardless of how people listened to music.

Just when it seemed the mighty and powerful Clear Channel and Infinity radio companies would be shutout from the iPod's meteoric rise, along came the touch and iPhone. Now the consumer can choose to stream and listen to many of their favorite stations, even when there's no radio in sight, and do it all on ad-supported, revenue generating apps.

If radio plays its cards right, (which is doubtful, but that's a post for another day) and the companies re-position themselves as content providers rather than broadcasters, they could hitch their wagons to the Apple star, and new-found glory days could be here again. Or they can just hope millions of people magically throw their iPods in the trash and get HD radio-friendly Zunes instead.

Zune Tries a Smart Marketing Angle

You probably have an iPod (iPhone). Your friends probably have iPods. So who doesn't have an iPod? (hey, keep it clean!) I'll tell you who: people who primarily listen to the radio. Microsoft has found a way to cleverly reach that audience without alienating radio stations.

The Zune HD touts as one of its features the fact that it receives HD radio signals. Perfect! Now you can hear all the bad stuff* on radio in higher quality! By working with radio rather than against it, Microsoft can reach those people who aren't already plugged into their white earbuds.

Coincidentally, I was listening to the Kidd Kraddick show yesterday, driving in another town. (probably first and last time listening) The host and his sidekicks started wondering aloud whether Apple had lost its coolness, and was getting too big. This was about 20 minutes after an ad for the Zune HD on the same show. Coincidence? Quite honestly, it probably was, but Microsoft might have just found the right cheerleaders in commercial radio to get those who haven't bought an iPod to choose the Zune.

*Full disclosure: Once upon a time, I worked as a radio DJ (or on-air personality as many prefer). And of course when I say "all radio is bad" that's a generalization. Also, while I didn't enjoy his show, props to Kidd Kraddick who secretly kept the zanies coming on stations with his Bit Board service, that delivered 75% of those cool ideas your morning DJ would "come up with."

Retro Tech Tuesday: AM/FM "Tape" Cartridges

Time for another dose of yesteryear with Retro Tech Tuesday. Today's photo and article comes from the 1972 Practical Handyman's Encyclopedia. I highly recommend picking up a copy of one of these Handyman sets if you're interested in seeing some old tech, coupled with everything you need to know to build a catamaran in just two pages.

We're looking at a "tape" (8-track to most of us) insert that allowed you to play AM and FM radio. Maybe someone who had one of these can shed light on why one would use the tape cartridge for radio since it was far more likely that you already had a radio and wanted to add an 8-track rather than the other way around. This would be the modern equivalent of a blu-ray disc that allowed you to watch VHS tapes. Enjoy!

AOL Radio for iPhone Video Review

Following up on Jamie's thoughts on AOL Radio, here's our video walk through/review of the app: