Streaming Radio On The Road
Posted by Tom Stark
It’s not here yet, but it’s not far off. I’m talking about listening to online radio in the comfort of your car. This week Chrysler announced that it will be adding a wireless Internet option to its 2009 model cars.
The service will be part of what Chrysler is calling its ”uconnect” system. The system will provide Bluetooth connectivity for cellphones and MP3 player integration with the car stereo. The system also has navigation and real-time traffic features, controlled by voice recognition or a touch screen.
Chrysler’s system uses the 3G cell network instead of a high-speed WiMax network, so streaming audio and video won’t likely work well but it is definitely a step in that direction. Ford already has a system called Ford Sync which they developed with Microsoft.
Here’s a video that demonstrates how you would listen to internet radio with Ford Sync system:
With smart phones, such as the iPhone 3G which will be on-sale shortly, you will be able to listen to internet streams almost everywhere. What does this mean for terrestrial radio? We probably won’t know for a few years, the technology will take time to go mainstream. Satellite radio will most likely be affected before terrestrial radio. Why pay for satellite when online streams are free?
This is certainly something radio stations should be concerned about. With sites like Pandora and BlogTalkRadio, dedicated internet only radio stations are connecting with a new generation of listeners. Unlike the RIAA, radio stations should embrace this new way of broadcasting and let their listeners know they can listen to their station online. Get them accustomed to your internet offerings, one day this may be the bulk of your station’s audience.
Tags: 3G, chrysler, ford sync, mobile, online, pandora, streaming radio, uconnect, wimax
June 26th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
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