Charting NextRadio adoption: 1M downloads; new features coming

NextRadio announced an adoption milestone: one-million downloads of the NextRadio app. With the announcement of one-million downloads comes an update of the app (scheduled for this Friday, October 17), that will put new, more interactive features into the NextRadio experience. We tracked and charted the history of NextRadio’s key adoption metrics. Continue Reading

86

Michael Robertson: 5 Reasons Why NextRadio Makes No Sense

This guest contribution by Michael Robertson, founder of Internet Radio Search Engine and DAR.fm, was originally posted on Google Plus. On that site, the article is followed by an interesting comment discussion featuring James Cridland, a frequent RAIN contributor. Here, Roberston takes NextRadio to task. Right or wrong? Leave a comment! Continue Reading

NextRadio app gets aesthetic updates, but audience size unlikely to change

Emmis Communications unveiled new a feature for its NextRadio smartphone app called Live Guide. This update is a visual representation of the currently playing music on local stations, an addition meant to make browsing easier. The app also got updates to its navigation tools and will now show listeners extra information about station songs and programming events during broadcasts. Continue Reading

Can FM Radio Be Liberated from the Car?

“The once-ubiquitous FM radio is today primarily enjoyed in the car, where a growing variety of audio consumption occurs. But stored and streamed content on mobile devices is steadily marginalizing the broadcast portion of in-car listening, sucking the audience lifeblood out of the medium.” Connected-car analyst Roger Lanctot contributes this guest column that examines how Sprint is handling its NextRadio implementation of FM in smartphones. Continue Reading

2

Coleman survey reveals how under-40 consumers use radio and streaming

A small but revealing study by Coleman Insights illuminates how consumers think of radio, how they listen to music in different locations, and how the NextRadio mobile broadcast app could be more effectively marketed. The key takeaway is that radio is conceived as an in-car medium, but not a mobile one. Continue Reading

1

Campaign escalates to activate FM in phones

“Wireless carriers are dragging their feet and won’t activate the FM chips that are in every smartphone.” That’s the blunt message in a website campaign mounted by NPR, American Public Media (APM), Educational Media Foundation (EMF), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and, of course, NextRadio. The campaign hopes to stir activism. Continue Reading

Public radio execs call for FM in smartphones, and they are right

In a collaborative open letter, Paul Haaga (acting President and CEO of NPR) and Jon McTaggart (CEO of American Public Media Group) call for all smartphones to contain activated FM chips, citing radio’s role in emergencies. We agree with the emergency angle, but also regard FM as a desirable mobile feature in all respects. Continue Reading