[SBE] Fwd: NAB FM chip proposal

[Thomas Shanks]

Listening to the radio does not use much battery unless the device is poorly designed.  Making calls and listening to music streamed over the cell network uses much more power, especially if the streamed content is unicast.

Thomas Shanks CBRE
WREK Georgia Tech Student Radio

-----Original Message-----
From: "Dennis C. Brown" <d.c.brown at att.net>

Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:13:25 
To: sbe member discussion mail list<sbe at sbe.org>
Subject: Re: [SBE] Fwd: NAB FM chip proposal


    Every minute that a cell phone user is listening to free radio, he's 
not paying the cellular carrier for entertainment content offered by the 
carrier.  Every minute that a cell phone user is listening to free 
radio, she's draining the battery, increasing the risk that she'll look 
at the battery meter and decide against making a long, billable, phone 
call.  Every minute that the user is listening to radio, he's not 
thinking about making a billable phone call.  Now, if a deal could be 
worked so that the cellular carriers would get paid for collecting radio 
listening information which would be integrated into ratings, maybe CTIA 
would have a different attitude.

Richard Rudman wrote:

> Greetings from Washington:

>

> NAB has launched a major initiative to mandate FM radio chips in all cellphones.

>

> Attached is an Adobe Reader presentation given by NAB at the EAS Summit yesterday.

>

> They are marketing this idea as an enhancement to EAS.  Obviously there are 

> other benefits that would accrue to FM broadcasters. The EAS benefits may not be 

> as clear cut as they think at this point.

>

> Obviously NAB is looking for other industry entities to back their proposal. I 

> recommend talking to NAB about this if the Board thinks the idea has SBE member 

> benefits. One could say that anything that gets more radios in the hands of 

> audience is a good thing for SBE members. I think SBE could make some 

> constructive suggestions to NAB to make it more likely their proposal would have 

> merit for emergency public information and EAS.

>

> Here's my take on what they presented. Clay and Gary and Art were there and can 

> chime in with their takes. 

>

> Advantages:

> 1. Users can tune to an FM station after getting a CMAS warning (coming to you 

> cellphone no sooner than 2010-2012 by some accounts)

> 2. FM is added universally to cellphones as an option

> 3. FM/RDS can display warning messages

> 4. Value added for cell phone users

> 5. Cost to add the chip is low - some phones already have them

>

> Disadvantages:

> 1. AM is left out in the cold

> 2. No recognition in existing cell FM chipsets for either SAME or CAP.

> 3. Not as many FM stations have news departments as AM stations and/or have 

> prepared for severe emergency operations.

> 4. RDS data rate is only 1187.5 bit per second and has other uses now at 

> RDS-capable stations.

> 5. Cellphone displays of RDS date would be restricted so EAS CAP messages would 

> require a lot of scrolling to read.

>

>

> FYI, the CTIA representative on the panel, Brian Joseph, Dir. of Public Affairs 

> for CTIA,  was cool to the idea -- possibly icy.

>

> Regards,

>

> Richard

> >

>   

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