[BC] Turning lemons into cherry cola

[Robert Orban]

At 12:01 PM 7/28/2006, you wrote:
>Subject: Re: [BC] Turning lemons into cherry cola
>To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <001101c6b1eb$cbfe9d50$b302a8c0 at walker>
>Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>         reply-type=response
>
>Bob, I believe this comes from the fact it doesn't work. Wait, Rich Wood
>says there are no known problems with IBUZ. At any rate, I remember when the
>first Orban hit the market. Stations, overnight, sounded huge! I remember a
>college buddy of mine saying (as he'd tune the AM dial) that station has an
>Orban online. They worked. They didn't crap all over the band. If it took 10
>years to develop something that isn't working properly I can see why some
>feel as they do. Hey, they took the R&D risk and if it's got problems (and
>apparently it does) fix them or take the hit and fold or move on but don't
>bilk people during the tinkering process. Is my thinking flawed?

I bought a Boston Acoustics radio, hooked it up to my outdoor antenna, and 
immediately got a choice of ~20 new HD2 channels that I didn't have when I 
only had a analog radio on my nightstand. At least that part of HD Radio 
works fine.

As for the AM side, there are a lot of compromises to be made, Rich Woods's 
wearisome facetiousness aside, there are plenty of known problems with 
IBOC. We all know what they are and maybe they will turn out to be 
unacceptable. This is for the business management side of radio 
broadcasting to determine. However, doing nothing is dangerous because 
demographics are not on AM's side. The current analog audience is skewing 
older and older. This is a double-whammy, because anyone 55+ is of very 
little interest to advertisers. So even 55+ AM listeners who are still 
alive might as well be dead as far as Madison Ave is concerned.

I have to wonder if this blindness towards the 55+ audience is going to 
change now that the first baby boomers are turning 60. This is a lot of 
people, many of whom are financially at their peak, have a lot of buying 
power, and are used to getting what they want.

Bob Orban