(( transmitterAugust / September 2014 $6.95 )) A Portable Radio in Every Pocket Over-the-air radio’s future! ALSO INSIDE: IBA Visits with Training for Honoring Silver Dome Congress Success…a Success! Broadcasters Winners OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ILLINOIS BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION FROM THE PRESIDENT (( )) DENNIS LYLE, IBA PRESIDENT / CEO transmitter IBA 2013-2014 OFFICERS EXECUTIVE BOARD Chairman of the Board Sarah Hautala, WJVO/WJIL, Jacksonville Chairman-Elect Coby Cooper, WCIA-TV, Champaign Vice-Chair TV As we do every year with our first industry-wide acceptance of the Frank Whittaker, NBC 5, Chicago issue of Transmitter published NextRadio app which (particularly Vice-Chair Radio following our annual conference, we when combined with TagStation® Doug Levy, Univision Radio, Chicago again provide our readers a great the Emmis-designed cloud-based Treasurer Drew Horowitz, Hubbard Radio, Chicago look back at the just-completed engine that provides data to Immediate Past-Chair IBA2014, plus allow room to NextRadio) allows free, local, over- Earl Jones, Clear Channel Media & look forward to some exciting the-air broadcast radio stations to Entertainment, Chicago advancements for the medium embrace their listeners and, perhaps of radio. It wasn’t that long ago more importantly, allows listeners to BOARD OF DIRECTORS Donna Baker, Cumulus Radio, Chicago (January 8, 2013 to be exact) when embrace radio like never before. Dr. Joe Blaney, ISU, Normal Radio World magazine reported Chris Bullock, Cromwell Radio, Decatur “Sprint (has) announced a preliminary Tom Taylor’s Tom Taylor Now Carlos Fernandez, WGEM, Quincy arrangement with radio broadcasters e-newsletter recently reported that John Idler, ABC 7, Chicago — negotiated principally on the radio NAB-funded research by Coleman John Kennedy, WGEL, Greenville side by Jeff Smulyan — that it says Insights showed FM chips on Roger Lundeen, Galesburg Broadcasting marks the first time a U.S. wireless cellphones can change perceptions John Nolan, Nielsen carrier will offer the ability to access about radio’s portability. Postured Marshall Porter, WHBF, Rock Island local FM radio on a broad array of as a “qualitative prelude” to an Bob Ramsey, WCIU-TV, Chicago Jerry Schnacke, RBC, Chicago devices.”* eventual larger quantitative study Steve Wheeler, WSIL-TV, Carterville about NextRadio, Taylor’s column Marty Wilke, CBS 2, Chicago That news prompted (then) newly quotes Coleman Insights President/ elected IBA Chairman of the COO Warren Kurtzman, as saying “to DIRECTORS EMERITI Board, Sarah Hautala (WJIL/WJVO anyone over 40 who grew up with Emily Barr, Graham Media Group Jacksonville, IL) to encourage IBA’s transistor radios and Walkmans, Marv Dyson, Chicago board of directors to pass an IBA the idea that radio isn’t mobile Resolution in support of FM chips/ is striking.” Taylor’s column went EX-OFFICIO receivers in cellphones. on to report that to the 20-39s in Dana Withers, NAB Representative Emily Barr, NAB Representative this first part of the study from The following day, with that Coleman and knowDigital, radio IBA IBA Resolution in tow, Emmis just isn’t a portable medium and Dennis Lyle, President & CEO Communications’ Paul Brenner that respondents in that age group [email protected] (recipient of Radio World’s 2012 “overwhelmingly cited that they have Debra Gray, Marketing Director Excellence in Engineering Award) and little access to radio outside of when [email protected] Grace Heninger Cromwell Radio Group’s founder they are in their cars, and as a result, NCSA/PEP Administrator & Event Planner and president Bud Walters, (a they turn to other sources of audio Transmitter is published bimonthly by the member of the Illinois Broadcasters entertainment when they are not Illinois Broadcasters Association, 200 Missouri Foundation’s board of directors driving.” Avenue, Carterville, IL 62918, solely for the and current Chairman of the Radio information of its membership and other interested parties. Although every effort is Advertising Bureau) introduced to The study’s follow-up findings made to verify the accuracy of information our IBA2013 attendees the concept indicated that “after being contained in the publication, no guarantee of of NextRadio and TagStation®. introduced to NextRadio and such accuracy can be made, and the IBA, and its officers and staff are not responsible for any having an opportunity to use it errors or omissions of typographical or factual Fast-forward 12+ months and we find during interviews, these consumers nature of contained herein. encouraging progress with the FM expressed the belief that NextRadio Issue copy price $6.95. chip initiative thanks, no doubt, to would make FM a truly mobile the dedication of passionate people medium.” IBA-member Bud Walters’ 618-985-5555, Carterville; 217-793-2636, Springfield [email protected] | www.ilba.org like the above-mentioned persons; Find us on Facebook: but also thanks to the growing continued on page 11 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Illinois- Broadcasters-Association/262888937113153? ref=br_tf 2 transmitter | August / September 2014 OPINION A Portable Radio in Every Pocket Until Now This has Never Before Been Possible BAYARD H. WALTERS President, Cromwell Radio Group I believe that local “over the air” radio has a very bright future if broadcasters offer programming that is unique and if NextRadio is a part of smart devices and the dash board. We are now at a tipping point for that to happen with NextRadio. If it doesn’t, our programming efforts as a local medium will be less and less successful. All of us are using our smart a smart phone that can want to for their most demand more phones devices as an essential download the free APP. successful or youth oriented from AT&T, Verizon, and part of our lives. If local If you have sent in your stations. The whole thing is T-Mobile. There is a web radio is available on our logo to TagStation.COM, really cool. site “FreeRadioOnMyPhone. smart device, “over the air” your logo appears next to Org” that makes it easy. broadcasters will have an your station on the station By year-end there will be Take a look, please. NPR equal shot for the attention guides (lists stations by 10 million phones with is promoting this site as of consumers that internet format and frequency). This NextRadio. By year-end are many of the major programming providers now is all FREE to you and the 2015 my guess is 30 million broadcast companies. enjoy. NextRadio is the key consumer. Then when your phones plus a place on Those of us in smaller to that access that radio station is chosen, your logo the dashboard of new markets should as well. has historically had, but is takes over the screen of the cars. Think how long it no longer assured. smart device. It looks great. took Sirus/XM to reach So…our future is staring The logo comes to the 30 million. They have not us in the face. For those What is NextRadio? It phone via internet, but the yet. I think satellite is now of us who are licensees or is a FREE downloadable audio is “over the air”. The just 26 million after more care about local, it is up to APP that activates the FM listener has no data charges than 10 years. NextRadio us to push things along. receiver that is in practically for audio, battery life is is also outdistancing HD. It “Over the air” radio need every smart phone. Sprint three times that of internet is “over the air” radio with not decline if con-sumers offers the NextRadio in streaming, and there is no all the digital interactivity have an affordable, easy about 20 models of phones. buffering. As you move we want through the to use, NextRadio receiver AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile from place to place, the internet. The system is “in in their pocket and on offer it on the HTC ONE phone geo-positions you place”. Research says that their dashboard. If our (M8) phone. We all have about every six (6) miles consumers love it. Young programming is creditable to work together to get and re-casts the stations people have never known and locally important, consumers to demand that can be heard “over the a port-able radio and they consumers will continue that these carriers turn on air”. If you are in Chicago love that idea. Everyone to choose us and value the NextRadio app in the today and LA tomorrow, seems to understand the what we do. If there are phones they sell. Not only your phone will show you value of having a radio for no radios, we don’t have a does NextRadio offer the the local stations, logos, an “emergency”. By the chance. Oh yes, consumer’s local stations “over the air”, album art, what’s playing way, the radio in the smart will also be able to get us it offers interactivity, album and artist(s), and the other phone works even if the cell and others on the stream, art, “buy music” options, interactivity features…with system does not. That’s the but it’ll cost them more on and ways to communicate more to come. beauty of an “over the air” their data plan, the battery with favorite stations on a radio in your pocket at all life will be shorter, and the variety of topics. If you want your station times. stream won’t be there in an to have the album art and emergency. NextRadio is If you are a station interactivity, there is a $35 The time is now. We need to here. It is our opportunity licensee or employee, your per month cost, which is help get more smart devices for a brighter future.