New technologies have made radio a visual medium. In order to compete, stations need to have interactive Web sites with photos, blogs, podcasts, downloads, polls, contests, and video. Due to the popularity of videos online, DJs are becoming VJs. On-air personalities are online personalities creating video blogs, behind the scenes videos, music news videos, promotional videos with advertisers, etc.

Is this good or bad? That kind of depends on the content you create and how comfortable you personalities are in front of a camera. If you are capable of creating a compelling product with relatable hosts than this can be great. If you can’t then don’t waste your time cheapening your brand.

What do you need to create a decent video? First of all, you need a staff that really wants to do this. If there is no passion there it will show. Second, you need someone with a steady hand and technical knowledge of video cameras. You don’t want your videos to make your viewers feel seasick. Third, keep the videos short! The shorter the better, anything over 3 minutes is too long. There are instances where videos over three minutes will work, such as interviews with artists, or how-to videos. Viewers are willing to give videos more time if they are a fan of an artist or are learning something they find useful. Breaking up interviews or how-to videos into a series of short segments is a good idea if you want to keep the videos short but give viewers the full content.

How do you give your videos the professional edge? If you want to come across as professional you should have someone who knows how to work a video camera and someone who can edit the video. Having someone on staff or a freelancer who has gone to school for video production would be best. It is also important to plan your shoot and be prepared. Sometimes shooting on the fly works and has a reality feel, but it doesn’t always work. Graphics and special effects can make a video look great or extremely bad. Only use special effects and graphics when necessary, overuse will make a potentially good video look amateur.

Are your personalities right for video? Just because your talent is good in front of a mic doesn’t mean they’ll be good in front of a camera. They need to feel comfortable in front of the lens and come off as likeable. It’s not worth it if they look awkward and uncomfortable, this may diminish their on-air presence. If your talent comes off as confident and comfortable then by all means let your listeners put a face to the voice.

What can your personalities do to look professional in front of the camera? They need to be organized and concise. A personality floundering around in front of a camera is not a good thing for anyone. Make sure they get to the point and don’t fall in love with the sound of their own voice. They don’t have to be overly scripted but they need to know what they’re talking about. Having a basic outline and covering topics that they know well works best. Do multiple takes and run the camera when they are practicing. If they don’t know they are being recorded they may be more natural. Be honest with them, it will only make them better.

Commitment! Don’t expect to do a new video everyday. It takes time and effort to produce and edit videos. Once your personalities and staff realize the amount of work that goes into a video they may lose their excitement. Shoot multiple videos at once and release a new one every week. This will give you time to plan the next group of videos. Just don’t post videos consistently for a week and then trail off to whenever you get to it. Your listeners will stop looking for new videos if they don’t know when they are going to be there. Condition your listeners just like you condition them with on-air specialty shows.

What are the downsides? Putting out poor videos may affect your listener’s perception of your on-air product. If you post your videos yourself on your site you may get a surprise when you get your hosting bill. Bandwidth is expensive. Your best bet is to use a service like YouTube. Even if you have permission to use copyrighted music, YouTube may extract the audio from your video because of their deals with the major record labels. Camera and editing equipment can be pricey. It takes time and effort to create videos. Always factor in the time it takes to produce and edit the video as part of the cost. Once you start doing videos your listeners may expect them. Make sure you’re committed before you start.

Conclusion:
Video can be compelling content for your Web site visitors but it takes time, effort, and talent to produce them. Getting clients involved with sponsorships can more than make up for the costs. The problem is that online videos are easily measurable and clients won’t pay top dollar if you don’t have the numbers to support it. So before you jump in, make sure you factor in all of the pros and cons. Videos can definitely be compelling content for your listeners and an alternate source of income. They can also give listeners a less than professional view of your station and be a drain on your staff and your wallet.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

Radio has long been recognized as the theater of the mind but more and more it is becoming an interactive medium. New interactive technologies are opening up new and possibly fruitful opportunities for radio stations – but they also require a fresh new approach for salespeople.

Today selling radio also includes online sponsorships, videos, text messaging, online streams, podcasts, display ads, etc. One size fits all packages are not the way to go when you have so many new weapons in your arsenal. To be successful, account executives must create custom solutions that both benefit their clients and the radio station they represent. The perfect ad buy not only brings in fresh new revenue but also drives traffic to the on-air product and reinforces the power of your station.

First you must evaluate your client’s needs and then figure out the best way to achieve an effective campaign that uses only the appropriate technologies. Selling a complicated technology-rich ad campaign to a client that would be more than happy with a simple spot buy creates a lot of unnecessary work with the possibility of scaring the client off. Technology sales work best with clients looking for something new and exciting. The car dealer looking for a fresh way to highlight the latest hybrids on their lot, the clothing store that wants to dress your morning show up in the latest fashions and have them do a pose-off, the coffee shop that wants to use text messaging to give away free coffees to your listeners, etc.

Thinking outside the box is a great way to impress your clients and can get them excited about working with you. But don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Always check with your technical staff to make sure what you want to pitch is possible. If not, your technical staff should be able to give you alternatives that may be even better. You certainly don’t want to get a client excited only to pull the carpet out from under them.

Another important aspect of the technology sale is how you present it. Having the right attitude and dressing sharply can be undermined by handing your client a proposal that looks like someone with minimal design skills created it in Microsoft Word in five minutes. This simple detail can send a very negative message to your client. It says that even though you look sharp on the surface, the product you’re selling may be less than professional. Consider having a designer on staff or outsource your promotional materials to design professionals. This will ensure your station looks like the cutting edge, technology savvy radio station it is.

Lastly, don’t cannibalize your on-air product just because you have shiny new toys to pitch. Selling clients technologies for half the price of an on-air buy is not a good idea. Make your clients happy but don’t lose focus on the bottom line. If your client is happy on-air and that means more money than selling them a technology campaign then don’t remake the wheel.

In this technological age the average person expects more from every medium, make sure your radio station is ready to deliver and reap the rewards.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

With music and content available almost everywhere, how does the radio industry compete? The average person, with little effort, can receive a huge variety of music, talk, and information on their computers, mobile phone, GPS devices, and now through their car stereos. Blaupunkt and miRoamer will be announcing a new car radio that will not only receive AM and FM radio, but also connect to thousands of internet radio stations. Should the radio industry be concerned or are the multitude of devices and technologies too confusing for the average person?

The radio industry should be a little concerned and definitely keep an eye on emerging technologies that are becoming easier to use and more intuitive for the average person. Radio still has some big advantages over technologies that serve a mass audience. One of the biggest is location. Local content tapping into local pride and, of course, local advertisers is huge. Local DJs, talk hosts, and news personalities covering a listener’s backyard is very compelling and relatable. It will be very difficult for an online station to deliver fun banter about local happenings.

Also in radio’s favor, is a recent study by Paragon Media Strategies that reported an increase in radio listening by 14 to 24 year olds over the last few years. Even with 10,000 songs on your iPod, there is still a thirst for new music and local information.

The radio industry shouldn’t lose too much sleep right now but it should keep an eye on these new technologies and be prepared to evolve. To quote a Chinese proverb: “When the wind rises, some people build walls. Others build windmills.”

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

Listen to the top (music) radio stations around the country and you will hear a great mix of music for the masses. Experienced program directors know that success hinges on the right mix of popular artists, up-and-comers, and an occasional surprise or two. This intricate balancing act will keep a mass audience coming back day after day, but what happens when that same audience goes online? Music for the masses becomes music for me.

The internet delivers more of a personal experience than any terrestrial or satellite radio station can even imagine. People are like snowflakes and so are their musical tastes. While many people may agree that The Beatles were one of the greatest bands, online they can find other bands similar to or influenced by The Beatles. The may not hear these bands on the radio because, lets face it, these people have more songs on their iPod than their favorite station’s entire music library.

This abundance of content on the internet is being referred to as the Long Tail. Combine the sales of all the non-hits online and they out sell the hits. This goes for music, movies, books, etc. The ease of distribution means that music and books don’t need to go out of print anymore. I searched all over for a book about The Beatles, that my brother once loaned me, only to find that it was out of print. Not anymore, a quick search on Amazon.com shows that it is now available. When you go to a bookstore in search of a title and inquire when you can’t find it, nothing happens. The inquiry is most likely not recorded and it is localized to that store. How many people are looking for that same book at that location? Go to Amazon and they recognize that a lot of people from all different locations are searching for the same thing. An audience is identified and the presses are running again. If distributors don’t want to spend money reprinting the book they make a digital version available for devices like the Kindle.

So what does this all mean for your on-air product? You can’t play every song out there; that will only drive your audience away. Remember, people are snowflakes and you can’t please them all, but even snowflakes have one thing in common. They are all made from water and that commonality is something you can tap into by playing the hits. With that in mind, your online product has a much broader reach than you may even realize. By creating a more diverse experience on your Web site you can tap into your audience as individuals.

Why not highlight your core artists on your Web site with a list of artists that influenced them, sound similar to them, or are influenced by them. Connect this information with an iTunes or Amazon affiliate program where listeners can purchase their music and merchandise and generate a little non-traditional revenue. How about a podcast about some of the unsung heroes and artists on the rise that listeners may not know about or a second online stream with more variety? Of course these can be available for advertisers or sponsorships. Your Web site doesn’t have to be about only the best of the genre, it can be about the whole genre.

Of course there are a couple of caveats. Online content is easily measured and it may take time to generate a large enough audience for advertisers. Also you have to make sure your Web site’s content makes sense to your listeners, unrelated content can scare them away. It’s important to remember that your Web site is not only a potential source of income; it’s also one of your best promotional tools. Seamless integration of on-air and online can be very beneficial to your station and your listeners that are looking for a more complete experience.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

Are your clients less than impressed by your Web site’s stats? How does your web traffic compare with your competitors?

It’s important to keep track of your Web site’s statistics. These numbers can tell you where your site is excelling and where it is falling flat. Having detailed stats is a good way to show your clients the potential your Web site offers. Even if you have stats through your hosting provider, it would still be a good idea to sign up for a free service like Google Analytics. Google Analytics provides a lot of useful information and it is a great source to check your current stats against.

Having detailed stats is important but it would be even better if you could prove that you get more traffic to your Web site than your competition. If you know where to look it should only take a few minutes to compare your station’s Web site to your competitors.

There are many sites on the web that will give you a good idea how your site compares to your competitors. Three free sites are Alexa.com, Compete.com, and Quantcast.com. All you have to do is input your site’s URL and your competition’s URL to get a graph that displays the results. These sites aren’t 100% accurate but they do give you an idea how your site measures up. If you are way ahead of the competition then keep the good work up, if not then you have some work to do.

Just like ratings for traditional radio, Web site stats are becoming increasingly important to clients. Going into a meeting with hard numbers and a comparison chart showing how you compare to your competitors can go a long way.

It is also important to be familiar with common technology terms. Being an educated sales person can give you an edge over the competition and give you more credibility in the client’s eyes. Visit the RadioGlue Resources page for definitions of common internet, advertising, technology and design terms.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

What is radio going to look like in the future? There are a lot of opinions, both positive and negative. One strong possibility is that radio is going evolve into something new and exciting – something beyond terrestrial and satellite. A new breed of smartphones are on the streets and shaking things up, including radio. Are you ready for Radio 2.0?

With T-Mobile launching it’s iPhone-like G1 based on Google’s Android software, more mobile music applications will be in the hands of the general public. This new breed of smartphones are intuitive and feature rich. It doesn’t take the average person very long to learn how to navigate and use many of the powerful features these devices provide, including music related apps that are a very popular application category. With Pandora, Last.fm, and the ability to access a multitude of radio station’s streams, more and more people are finding that radio transmissions aren’t the only way to get the music they like. Smartphones still have issues with connection speeds, battery life, etc. but eventually these issues will be worked out.

This is just the beginning of the mobile revolution. These devices are already fairly powerful little computers. They aren’t going to replace your desktop or laptop yet but they are making some rather large strides in that direction.

In light of this technology the HD radio push may be trumped when automakers and car stereo makers allow their components to receive audio via WiFi or Bluetooth signals from mobile phones and MP3 players. It will become more common for automakers and GPS companies to supply updated local traffic and weather reports through their GPS units. News will be supplied by services such as CNN Mobile news from your mobile phone to your car stereo. Unless the RIAA finds a way to shoot itself in the foot again, there will be a ton of options for music and talk content.

Where do terrestrial broadcasters fit into this new technology? Many people will still want a local/community connection with the content they listen to. Local issues and topics with personalities that have a connection to their community will be more important than ever. In order to stay relevant, stations should embrace this new technology and use it as an additional revenue source. Listeners are going to expect online streams, SMS texting, and mobile content – just as they now expect a station to have a Web site.

How do these devices play into ratings? They should be counted the same way your online stream is counted now. This technology also creates a great opportunity for Arbitron to hook up with mobile companies and create an application for one or multiple devices that will work like the Portable People Meters. People carry their mobile phones everywhere and they wouldn’t have to carry a second device like the PPM.

All this new technology may sound overwhelming but it can also be an opportunity to reach out and connect with your audience in ways you may never have thought of. You can be with your listeners everywhere they go. They can take your station from home to their car into the office back to the car and home again. They will text in their song requests, to win tickets, and text or call to give you their opinions. They can buy the song you just played instantly through the mobile web. Of course you will get a portion of that sale. This is not the death of radio…this is an opportunity. Embrace Radio 2.0.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
Let RadioGlue help you with your new technology initiatives. Contact Tom for more information.

Is your station ready to join the social? Social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace are huge. Out of all of the millions of sites in the world, Facebook is ranked #5 and MySpace is ranked #7 according to Alexa.com. So is it time to test the social waters? Let’s find out.

What’s so great about having your own social network? Primarily it’s a great way to interact with your listeners and earn their loyalty. It’s empowering for your listeners to be able to post on their favorite station’s social site. They feel like they have a say in the station and to a small degree they do. If you have a bunch of people say that they would love to hear the new Coldplay single and you put it in rotation, they feel like you listen to them and care about them. Also, as members of your social site your listeners will be able to tell you where they listen to your station and when, what they would like to hear on the air, tell you who their favorite artists are, where they like to hang out, what they like to do for fun, etc. In addition to all of that, your DJs can interact with the listeners, and have their own blogs.

Wow that sounds great, how could that possibly go wrong? Well, your DJs and listeners are free to post what they feel like on the site. Not only that, but they can also post questionable photos and videos. This can definitely be a problem. You will need someone or several people you feel are responsible to moderate the site and remove any questionable material. Removals have to be done tactfully and fairly or you will become Big Brother stealing your listeners’ freedom. A line will have to be drawn and all of your moderators will have to be on the same page. More than one person should look at any post teetering on the edge of that line before action is taken. A certain degree of freedom is necessary for your listeners to feel at home. Another thing to consider is your competitors’ ability to sign-up and bash your station. Banning members from your social site should only be done in extreme cases. Social sites can be a bit damaging to your image if they are not properly moderated.

Also, you should consider your station’s demographics. While social networks appeal to many different demos, a younger demo will most likely have a better chance of success. Having a social site without members can be very embarrassing and can make your station look weak. Finally, people who have a Facebook profile and a MySpace profile may not want to join yet another social site. Some people have trouble keeping up with all of the sites they are already members of.

So you’re willing to have moderators that will taken action and keep your social site going in the right direction. How do you get people to join and stay active? All of your DJs will need to get involved and promote the social site on the air. It is also important that your DJs are willing to interact with listeners through the social site. Listing where your DJs will be and have them promote it on the social site can drive more traffic to your events. Asking local musicians and bands to add profiles and maybe even highlight some of them on the social site’s homepage. Local musicians and bands are normally passionate about what they are doing and will sometimes invite their fans to join your network to support them. Contesting through your social site, maybe even including local artists, can drive traffic. Allow your listeners to interact with major label acts that drop by your studio through the social site. Create groups in your social site based on your on-air programs that listeners can join and add their comments. Let your listeners know that this is a site for them. You listeners will be a part of your station’s extended family.

Okay, I want to do this and I have an idea how to drive my listeners to join. Can I make money with this? Well, Facebook and MySpace are still having trouble with that, so it’s certainly not easy. You can try the traditional methods you probably already use on your Web site, such as banner ads. You can also try to get the social site sponsored by a client or have each group you set-up sponsored by a different client. The problem is that potential content your listeners may add can scare away some clients. You could charge a fee to join the social site but I wouldn’t suggest it. Charging to join may cause a very anemic social site. It would be much better to have an open-minded client to power the social site. Although this will put much more pressure on your moderators to be fair. Any negative action from your moderators will also reflect on the sponsor.

Should your station be social or anti-social? It can be a great new technology, which can give you a good idea where your listeners’ interests are at. It can also be an embarrassing disappointment. You will have to decide if your listeners are right for this sort of technology and if you have people in-house that will be able to moderate it properly. In your next email blast, ask your listeners if this is something they would want. If you don’t get much of a response you may have your answer.

–Tom Stark, Partner, RadioGlue. tom@radioglue.com – 732.416.0900
If you are seriously considering a social site you can contact RadioGlue. We will answer your questions and can set-up a social site for you.

Posted by Tom Stark

Texting (SMS) is huge and many stations have a texting program or are thinking about adding one. If you are the later, there are a few things to consider before you take the plunge. Is texting right for your station or is it going to be monthly money pit that is a drain on your resources?

Take a look at your station and think about your station’s audience. While text messaging companies may say that parents and soccer moms do a lot of texting, it is mainly a tool for the youth. Teens and twenty somethings might not own text messaging, but they have embraced it as another way of communicating. If your demo skews from teens to thirty somethings you are more likely to get a big response with a text messaging program. Not to say that a station with an older demo won’t have success, it will just be easier with a young demo.

I don’t know if there is a magic bullet that will make a text messaging program successful but there are things you can do to increase your chances of success. First, remember that people listen to your station because they like it. Don’t go off on a tangent with your text program or you might end up confusing your listeners. Tie it into your normal routine and make it a way to enhance your great product. If you’re a music station, have listeners text to win concert tickets or interact with the DJs. If you’re a news/talk station have listeners text in their opinions or even traffic reports. Of course you don’t want to ask listeners to text while driving but when they are at a safe place to text they will be more than happy to tell you about a traffic back up that your report missed. Many people that fear calling a radio station may feel more comfortable texting, plus they know they don’t have to wait on hold.

Another thing that is key to your text program’s success is your on-air personalities. Every time they mention your phone number they should also mention your short code (texting number, normally 5 digits). Not only does this brand your short code but it also tells your listeners that you are serious about the texting program. Your personalities should feel comfortable using it, if they don’t embrace it your listeners will give up on it. If you’re not willing to make texting part of your on-air product, don’t waste your time with a text program.

Another thing you may want to consider is how the text program may make your station look. On one hand it can make your station look like it is up on new technologies and accessible to its listeners. On the other hand it may not fit your audience and make them feel alienated from a station they thought they knew. Surveying your audience through an email blast may not be a bad idea. This can give you a lot of insight as far as how interested your listeners are and whether text messaging is worth the effort.

Okay, you believe your audience is perfect for a texting program but you can’t afford the costs. Cost should be a concern but there are many opportunities to make a decent income with this technology. Most texting campaigns can be sponsored including the generic message texters receive when they text a keyword that is not attached to a campaign. You will have your own short code with your texting program, and some texting companies will allow you to lease that code to your clients. That way, clients will be able to add a keyword with your short code at the end of their on-air spots. Listeners will know your short code from your on-air branding so all they have to remember is a keyword. Example: Text FLOWER to 12345 for information & directions to Jill’s Flower Shop.

One of the first things you should do when considering costs is look at your sales staff and ask yourself if they will be able to embrace and understand this technology. Some texting companies will assist your sales staff and put together pitches for them. It is extremely important when pitching your program that a sales person considers your station’s interests, their client interests, and the potential for texting to help both of them with a campaign. Some clients are just not suitable for a texting campaign. There will be some hits and misses all of which should be used to guide your program in the right direction. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to set-up criteria for your text campaigns to help your sales staff prevent poor choices.

Another way to save money is to get a random short code and not bother with vanity codes. Short codes are normally 5 numbers which your listeners will have no problem memorizing if you brand it well. You can ask your texting provider for a list of available numbers and pick one that you feel has a nice ring to it (no pun intended) or is easily memorized. Vanity short codes are costly and not necessary.

If you feel your station is perfect for a text campaign and you can handle the costs, your next step is to decide on a company to go with. Look at what they offer, sometimes companies that are more expensive will give you great support. If texting is new for your sales staff the extra money for the additional support will pay for itself. Have the texting companies walk you through their demos. Also have a list of some of your key clients and ask the texting company how a text campaign would work for them.

Hopefully you have a good idea whether a texting program would work for your station or not. A successful texting program is a team effort. If you feel you have the right audience and a strong team then there is money to be had. If you feel deficient in one or more areas, put your money towards something else. New technologies are popping up all the time, some will work for your station and other won’t. Take your time and pick the ones that make the most sense. Don’t confuse a loyal listener base with a technology that a majority of your staff doesn’t understand.

Posted by Tom Stark

The online radio station – Pandora is out of the box, i.e. your computer, and roaming freely around the world. How did this happen? Apple launched its new App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch on July 10th, giving birth to hundreds of useful mobile applications. One of the most popular apps so far is the mobile version of Pandora.

What does this mean for terrestrial stations? To be blunt, it’s scary. Think of this, listeners control the programming of their own station and they can listen to it anywhere without advertisements. All the buzz we’ve been hearing about mobile devices is now showing some real signs of life. The industry is going to have to embrace technology and innovate to survive. For an example of what new technologies can do, take a look at what the internet did to the newspaper industry.

So what about local content? Your listeners want up-to-date weather, traffic, and news reports. I hate to say it, but that is all easily accessible on many mobile devices. Not only do you get local content, but with GPS and Wifi enabled phones you can get it for the town you’re in, even if you are on a business trip across the country. Plus you get that info when you want it and it doesn’t interrupt the music on your favorite station.

So this will mainly effect stations with younger demos? Never mind teens who soak in new technologies like sponges, this is easy enough for the average listener. Mobile devices like the iPhone are going to become the norm. Just look how the whole mobile industry is feverishly trying to create the iPhone killer. If you haven’t used Pandora, try it out and see how easy and fun it is. You don’t have to buy an iPhone to hear how innovative it is and how easy it is to use.

Well, how will local advertisers use this?  I’m sure you know that Google is making inroads in all media. This is the perfect fit for them. Get rid of the :60 and :30 ads, people feel they are an interruption. Replace them with :05 and :10 ads every three or four songs. It’s a lot less annoying for listeners and possibly helpful. Let’s go back to what I said about these devices having GPS and Wifi. With those technologies it won’t be difficult to have a powerhouse like Google deliver really local ads.  “Get 2 free toppings with the purchase of a large pie at Mario’s Pizzeria on 5th.” Not only do you hear the ad but now your mobile device has the address and a coupon on it. Press navigate and your mobile device will take you there, or hit delete if you are not interested.

Don’t people care about DJs and personalities? Yes and no. Some people just want music with limited interruptions. Others relate to their favorite DJ and think of them as a virtual friend. This is something that radio stations can take advantage of. Make sure the voices that drive your station are compelling and likable. Be careful with who you put on-air, someone that is grating can drive listeners to technologies like Pandora.

Okay, having compelling DJs and personalities is important, but what else can a terrestrial station do? First, keep an eye on new technologies and if they work for your station embrace them and let your listeners know that you are keeping up with the times. Adding technologies that don’t fit your format can do more damage than good. Look at new technologies and really think about how you can connect it to what you’re doing. If you can’t find a connection, neither will your listeners. Second, give them what Pandora isn’t right now. Band interviews/live performances, ticket giveaways, contests, specialty shows, local artists, station sponsored concerts, and likable DJs with a real knowledge of the format.

Services like Pandora will be adding some of this content and radio will have to adapt. The radio industry has been around for a long time and weathered a lot of storms. It’s time to hunker down again, a new storm has just hit land and it’s a strong one.

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.