Anyone who is at NAB? Let the rest of us know what you hear and what the mood is about radio!
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NAB: Who is there and what are you hearing?
- Thread starter DavidEduardo
- Start date
It doesn't start until Saturday. Nothing to hear yet. But based on panels and product announcements it all will come down to two letters. A and I.
I'll be going maybe Sunday afternoon and Monday for sure. I will be checking out radio transmitter equipment, airchain stuff, and ATSC3 operations.
Nautel will tell me for the nth year in a row that their HTML5 GUI is still not ready, but I should totally virtualize my airchain and put it INSIDE their transmitter which blows power supplies and fans constantly.
The ATSC3 I am really pessimistic about. I really do not like the DRM road that the big boys are going down. There is a huge disparity between Sinclair/Nexstar/Gray/Scripps, and all the rest of the small fry LPTV operators. Why should I watch the same three networks in the same HD resolution that I can on 1.0? This technology will fail if it does not have compelling content avalable for free. They really don't understand the demo that is still watching OTA. Cord cutters and old folks. There is also a huge disparity between what ATSC3 claimed to be able to do, and what is actually being implemented on the air and in the recievers. It is plagued with compatability issues because it its such a wide open standard.
There are other things I am sure will catch my attention, but I cant think of them now.
Nautel will tell me for the nth year in a row that their HTML5 GUI is still not ready, but I should totally virtualize my airchain and put it INSIDE their transmitter which blows power supplies and fans constantly.
The ATSC3 I am really pessimistic about. I really do not like the DRM road that the big boys are going down. There is a huge disparity between Sinclair/Nexstar/Gray/Scripps, and all the rest of the small fry LPTV operators. Why should I watch the same three networks in the same HD resolution that I can on 1.0? This technology will fail if it does not have compelling content avalable for free. They really don't understand the demo that is still watching OTA. Cord cutters and old folks. There is also a huge disparity between what ATSC3 claimed to be able to do, and what is actually being implemented on the air and in the recievers. It is plagued with compatability issues because it its such a wide open standard.
There are other things I am sure will catch my attention, but I cant think of them now.
Some of these lazy disk jocks need to watch out, because if they keep phoning it in with crappy VTs, they will get replaced by a computer. I can walk through a cluster and tell you which air talent is ready for the future of radio, and who will be looking for a different career path in a year from now. This applies to music pickers (PD's) too.
Many of those "lazy jocks" you mention are doing exactly what they're asked to do. I know talent at one of the big companies that are asked to do too many stations, are not provided with any local show prep, or because of the way the company's internal software is configured need to track multiple days in advance. All for sometimes $25-$50 extra per week. Everyone in commercial radio programming is overworked and under paid.
And even the ones who take the time to go above and beyond will get replaced because they're the ones making a little more money because they are actually skilled at their jobs and all they are considered by those controlling the payroll are line items on a budgetary spreadsheet.
Not everyone. And we all have the opportunity to take matters into our own hands and make a change.
Nautel wants people to virtualize their whole airchain and put it on a computer running inside their transmitter.
Why would anyone do that?
Spoken from a position of privilege, I suspect. People have to do what their employer tells them to do. How are they going to "take matters into their own hands and make a change" without moving up the ladder which isn't easy to do, or walking out the door (and then where are they going to go)?
It's nice to know you have it so easy, though.
No they don't. They're not slaves. They can quit and find a new job. I would recommend those who have experience to go out on their own, Maybe apply for an LPFM license. Take some courses in how to program and do AI so they're on the front end of new technology, rather than being behind. In my case (and I'm not alone), I moved many times in my career to find better opportunities and (once again) get ahead of the curve on various circumstances. So NO, people DON'T have to do what they're told. If they're willing to take chances, it can pay off.
"People have to do what their employer tells them to do -- If they want to keep their job", was implied.
Easy peasy, right? It's radio, just LOADED with better jobs!!
Hahahaha, good luck with that career. But thanks again for all the great advice and making it all sound so easy and obvious.
I had several moments in my career when I just couldn't do what they told me to do anymore. One was when I was a union technician, making a 6 figure salary. I quit and took a job paying less money, but was more to my style. It was a good decision.
Actually, it is, if you're willing to look, and willing to move. As I said, it worked for me. I've never been out of work.
It's not easy or obvious. The easy and obvious thing to do is stay in a job you hate, and feel trapped. A lot of people do that.
One of the presentations at NAB dealt with AI, and quoted a poll that says one in five people say radio already uses AI:
radioink.com
Anstandig: 20% Of AM/FM Listeners Think Radio Has Tapped AI - Radio Ink
1 in 5 listeners believes they already listen to a radio station that uses AI - this is just one of the points of Futuri's AI in Media Study.
radioink.com
Keep in mind there are thousands of radio owners. They don't all think alike. So while some companies may go that way, I doubt all of them will.
To expand on your idea, I always wondered why a nationwide hot AC or top 40 format wouldnt work. Like seacrest but live in all dayparts. Have callers from all over the country
You're sort of describing Delilah. There are satellite delivered 24/7 formats available to all stations. Most large market stations choose not to use them because they would have to split ad revenue.
Delilah isn't a live national feed. She's voicetracked and played out with different songs in different markets.
As I said: Sort of. The part of it I was thinking of was she takes national phone calls. My understanding is that she does both parts and fully produced versions of the show.
But the 24/7 national satellite formats are offered by several companies including Westwood One.