[BC] can technology create a significant revenue source

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

Technology usually adapts something that is already being done to some improvement. For instance, the automobile was an improvement over the horse and buggy. The horse and buggy was an improvement over the rickshaw, tractors were improvements over teams of oxen, etc.

Technology in itself does not create markets even when it seems obvious that it does. For instance, the cell-phone was created from the car-phone which was created from the telephone, etc. People wanted to be "connected" when they were mobile. There were intermediate solutions such as pay telephones and CB Radio, but the underlying demand was for "connectivity."

Currently, there in an unfounded belief that Internet Streaming can replace Radio. The IGMP protocol with its single stream to multiple clients solves the bandwidth problem only at the originator. On the "last mile," so called, if you have 1,000 subscribers, you have 1,000 streams, which is not very efficient. The redeeming quality of true broadcast is its efficiency, there is only one copy of the program, and it is sent everywhere. However, as previously stated, this liberty is going away.

Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Book: http://www.AbominableFirebug.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Glass" <Xmitters at aol.com>

In a message dated 11/22/10 8:00:32 AM Central Standard Time, 
broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

> At 01:09 PM 11/21/2010, Alex Hartman wrote:
>  >The hard part in the online arena is competition. 
>  
>          Quite. SO .. the question, again,       
>          Can new technology create a significant revenue source for radio?
>  

NO, it can't. We're looking at this back asswards. Technology does not 
normally create a demand. Demand creates a need for technology.  There are some 
obvious exceptions to this rule. 

If the technology is the result of responding to a real demand, then new 
technology can create additional revenue.

Some people believe that Internet streaming is the way to go, and I agree 
with that. Based on the fact that there are significant number of Internet 
surfers who are willing to listen to radio via the Net, it makes sense for 
broadcasters to employ that technology.