Tag: radio

Crazy Frog Radio

Post ImageI was reminded again today why I don’t listen to the radio. I was driving along when I finished my CD, so I decided to change to the radio, just because it had been so long since the last time I tuned in. First, I checked out The Bear, only to find commercials. So I next switched to The Bounce, and to my surprise, I heard that annoying Crazy Frog Axel F song!

You know, the song based on the ringtone that knocked Coldplay out of first place in the British music charts a while back. I couldn’t believe it! Anyway, I switched to Joe FM, and listened to that for a while. Then, around six, I switched to 96X and guess what was number eight on the hot 9 at 6? That damn frog!

So I’m going to have to burn some new CD’s tonight, or transfer more music to my Zen. In case you’re new to the frog, here’s the story from Wikipedia:

Crazy Frog is the marketing title of a ring tone based on The Annoying Thing, a computer animation created by Erik Wernquist. The animation was originally created to accompany a sound effect produced by Daniel Malmedahl whilst attempting to imitate the sound of a two-stroke moped engine. The advertising of the Crazy Frog brand has drawn a great deal of criticism, with advertising authorities being inundated with complaints about the frequency and focus of the adverts, and the display of the frog’s genitalia.

I guess I should just be happy I don’t live in Britain.

Read: Wikipedia

Roadcasting

Post ImageMy “wireless everywhere” mantra is becoming more and more of a reality every day. The latest wireless technology (and also the latest “add -casting” buzzword for 2005) is Roadcasting, a project developed by current and former master’s students at the Human Computer Interaction Institute.

Roadcasting uses a variant of the popular Wi-Fi technology to create ad hoc networks between vehicles. Each vehicle then acts as a “node”, extending the network’s reach a mile at a time. Essentially you get to have your own little radio station, and instead of tuning to a frequency to listen to music, the system will find music that you’ll like from other people’s collections.

The system — still largely theoretical — will also feature a collaborative-filtering mechanism that compares music in a recipients’ collection to that of the broadcaster. The filter will pump out a mix of songs matching the listener’s tastes.

“What’s really cool about this is that while you’re busy (driving), Roadcasting will just pick songs that you enjoy,” said Mathilde Pignol, one of the Roadcasting developers, “and then it will let you influence the songs with your music taste without you having to do anything.”

Makes one wonder what the RIAA would have to say about this. Considering that in Canada (and perhaps elsewhere) doctors offices and similar entities must pay a yearly fee to play music for their clients, I can’t see how the RIAA would let something like Roadcasting slide. I suppose stranger things have happened though!

I rather like the idea of Roadcasting. Their process page has a really good description of some of the positives and negatives of both radio, and of being a DJ. Apparently the system is in the prototype stage, though its unlikely to take off without major automobile manufacturer support.

And I thought podcasting was cutting edge!

Read: Wired News

Podcast Radio Station?

You’d think I would be excited about the launch of the world’s first “all-podcast radio station,” but instead I’m disappointed. San Francisco’s 1550 KYCY will now become KYOURadio and will feature content submitted by listeners. The problem? It’s not podcasting at all:

In part because of licensing requirements, which usually cover only broadcast and streaming, the company has no plans to provide downloadable program archives.

More and more, individuals and organizations are attaching the term “podcast” to their audio endeavours, trying to jump on the bandwagon. This is very clearly one such example, and it’s disappointing. KYOURadio is not a podcast radio station – they simply play content submitted by listeners.

Read: Podcast Wizard

There can only be one #1, can't there?

In Edmonton, like any other city, we have a number of different radio stations. In the last two years, we’ve had quite a few format changes for both AM and FM stations, and at least two new FM stations have appeared. One of the new stations is The Bounce, at 91.7 on the dial. Their main competition is 96X at 96.3, one of the old stations. It is these two stations I want to take a look at.

As you can see from the Bounce website, the station advertises itself as “Your New #1.” That seems logical I suppose, considering they are new, but are they really #1? Their arch rival, 96X, advertises itself as “Edmonton’s #1 Hit Music Station.” How can they both be #1? Sounds like one of the two stations has to be wrong!

The two radio stations are making a claim about their position in the radio market in Edmonton. According to the Competition Bureau here in Canada, a misleading representation about market position is prohibited:

Representations about the nature, size and market position of a business…fall within section 52(1)(a), which prohibits representations that are false or misleading in a material respect. Words such as “only” or similar claims of the exclusivity or superiority of a supplier should not be used if the result is to deceive or mislead.

I think it is quite intuitive that two stations cannot be #1 at the same time, so one of the stations must be making a misleading representation! Unfortunately, I do not have any data on listeners, but I would assume that 96X has the largest part of the market, especially considering The Bounce is so new. Now I suppose by saying “YOUR New #1” and not “EDMONTON’s New #1”, The Bounce may be on safe footing, despite the fact that by “your” they probably mean “edmonton’s” anyway.

In the grand scheme of things, they could both advertise using the same words and it wouldn’t affect my life in the slightest (especially thanks to my Zen Touch). I’ll still flip between stations when the commercials start. I just think it’s interesting to be aware of how these companies market themselves.