[BC] iBiquity was Digital Radio Express

[Ernie Belanger]

> I wonder why iBiquity can't learn something from these guys! Just make the
> box, sell it, and butt-out.

Short answer P.T. Barnum is said  to have stated it  best but in this case 
it is the Broadcast industry as a whole and not a person.

"....there is a sucker born every minute"

Long Answer:
It is simple. iBiquity is a very greedy and hungry wolf in sheep's clothing 
and broadcasters have become a bunch of not to very bright sheep, at lease 
when it comes to this matter.

First, iBiquity helped create the panic (like a wolf would as it sneaked 
into the pack pretending to be one of the sheep)By pretending to be the 
friend of broadcasters. Ibiquities  friends Glynn and Mel Karmazan (SP?) 
lending creditability to the company  "idea".

(SIDE BAR: if HD was so great by the way then why did Mel Jump to Satellite 
Radio. VS starting his own group he had enough $$ and for sure could get the 
backing with his track record. Wake up Broadcasters)

Once Ibiquity had them (the broadcasters) convinced It is their savior and 
has their answer It  leads the herd our of arena of common sense and 
business smarts (like a wolf would slyly lead a heard away from the watchful 
eyes of a sheep dog and shepherd)

When business smarts and common sense are but a distant memory (when the 
herd is away from its protection) The wolf then pounces on as many sheep as 
he can. In this case iBiquity dictates all the terms to the broadcasters. 
Who are still too dumb to figure it out and say NO WAY!

The industry has bought this thing hook line and sinker. Industry leaders 
really didn't think things through or look at what really was being 
presented. The big guys are like the government when it comes to money. 
Knowing they have to just sell some more stock to pay for the damned thing 
so as long as it doesn't effect the millions they personally make each year 
they don't care about the cost. IT is a capital expenditure not an 
operational expense and one that they have convinced themselves is needed so 
it is justified. (some day remind me to write a post about the 
rationalization and justification that is our natural way of coping with 
decisions we make so we can live with them)

IB(tired of typing iBiquity) figured the broadcasters would pay anything to 
get protection for the big bad satellite radio and they were right.

Also IB decided early on to blind charge the stations with a set fee charged 
to exciter MFGers that of course is built into the product cost and passed 
to stations who now pay twice for Hradio(royalty direct to IB and $3K per 
exciter back door to them per exciter) IB also figured the receiver 
manufacturers would pony up per radio sold to make receivers for the 
consumers who would be clamoring to get them

But IB's money chain doesn't stop there. You see what is not being nailed 
down by the broadcasters upfront )in their initial contract with IB is just 
how much IB is going to get into their pants for when all of the aux 
services become available. That percentage should be laid out upfront so 
prudent and sound business decisions can be made.  (this is right up there 
near the top of the list of the most ignorant things I have ever seen in my 
life)

When it comes to IB , I have not yet seen a broadcaster make a prudent or 
sound decision except for those that I have personally spoken with who are 
going to wait a few years to see if it all flies or  if consumers let it 
die. To them the few grand extra in royalties they will pay by signing later 
Vs sooner is worth paying when they may not have to spend hundreds of 
thousands buying Hradio gear to put a signal on the air.

It was once was said that the devil is in the details of a contract.

In this case broadcasters are blindly signing up for this technology which 
consumers could care less about and in doing so they are marrying IB 
forever. In fact they are stupidly supporting this unproven (in the consumer 
market) technology to become the default standard which then limits this 
industry to once again become technologically frozen in time and forced to 
pass up on what could be a better and less expensive technology when it 
becomes available now or in the future.

Ernie Belanger

NOTE:This is my personal opinion and in no way reflects the belief or 
position of my employer or the employees of the company for which I work

.

>> Indeed, DRE has customer service all figured out. "We'll make the box,
>>  and let each of our customers do with it what they want".
>
>>
>>   If any one has any concerns about this post, just spell the name right.
>>
>>               tom bosscher
>