The Big Picture: Skip Pizzi

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To Ride the Radio Comet
Where We Consider How Chris Anderson's 'The Long Tail' Might Apply to the Radio Business

RIAA's License to Bill
There's a Fine Line Between Streaming and Downloads. New Devices Are Erasing That Line

A Night on Space Mountain
The IBOC Conversion May Hit Some Unforeseen Ups and Downs, But Its Path Is Largely Predictable

Conquering the Digital Media World
... One Format at a Time

Stuck in the Middle With UGC
Broadcasters Are in Unfamiliar Territory When Their Podcasts Compete With User-Generated Content

The Value of a Clean Windshield
Negotiating the Road Ahead Requires A Long, Clear View

Digital Media's Global Warming
The Frequency of Disruptive Events in Media Seems to Be Increasing. Anomaly or Trend?

Radio's Command PERFORMance
Although we rarely acknowledge it today, the process of sound recording must have seemed almost magical when first introduced.

Broadcasters, Pick Your Poison
Many of the competitive concerns on broadcasters' minds today involve fear of satellite radio's further incursion into a marketplace formerly held exclusively by terrestrial AM and FM stations.

$$ for Nothing and Your Tunes for Free
Much has been made recently of the swell deal that U.S. radio stations have in their free access to published music.

Surround Compatibility Revisited
The Feb. 1 issue of Radio World included an opinion piece on the editorial page titled "Compatibility Begins at Home."

Solving the Digital Music Puzzle
Everyone agrees that the music recording industry has traveled a rocky path into the digital domain. Beyond that, however, concurrence is scarce.

Pledging Allegiance to the Audio Flag
There's an old saying referring to Congress that goes: "Whatever they're talking about, they're talking about money." The recent congressional action on content protection for digital radio has been no exception.

A Race Against Rhyme Time
IBOC Will Have To Play Catch-Up With Satellite Radio, But Will Other Similarly Named Competition Interfere?

IBOC: The Next Copyright Battlefield
You may be wondering why record labels seem to have recently discovered IBOC technology, and are rallying regulators, legislators and anyone else who will listen to add content protection to music broadcast over HD Radio.

Radio's Future Hits the Front Pages
The changes that the U.S. radio broadcasting industry faces are now widely enough known that they have become fair game for the likes of the mainstream press and D.C. policy wonks. Much attention has been directed at what was considered a mature and stable industry that now faces dramatic upheaval.

When Telcos Run the Transmitter
Radio Controls Its Own On-Air Delivery, But Relies on Others for Online Carriage

Different Strokes for Different Blokes
In the United States, as in other countries, we often observe the new-media experiences of other regions as bellwethers for what might happen at home under similar circumstances. For example, the recent U.K. experience with DAB frequently is referenced as predictive of how IBOC will fare here.

RIAA Lobbies for IBOC controls
Last time we discussed how the FCC's attempt to institute a backward-compatible content protection scheme for digital television was rebuffed by the courts, and how TV content providers have been working ever since to have the system reinstated.

Content(ious) Protection for IBOC?
A Quiet Battle Is Raging Over Consumers' Usage Rights for Digital Radio Content

When Streams Become Files
A New Battle Is Brewing Over Usage of Digital Music Delivered Via Digital Radio

Making the Podcast Grade
Much Radio Content Is Intended for Real-Time Use. But Then What Happens to It?

IBOC Questions Remain Unanswered
Let's conclude our recent look at the next steps for IBOC with consideration of a few unsettled areas: datacasting, transition beyond the Hybrid mode, IBOC surround and content protection.

Tuning to Multicast
Multicasting Is Embraced Quickly, But There Is Still Much to Learn

Next Steps for IBOC Are Critical
Station Conversion Is Only One Part of the Process

The Architecture of Spatial Coding
A Look at the Proposed MPEG Standard for Sending Surround and Stereo Over the Same Channel

Bridging the Surround-Stereo Gap
The Developing MPEG Spatial Coding Specification Attempts to Add 5.1 Surround to a Digital Stereo Channel

Some Issues Surrounding Surround
How Should Radio Carry Multichannel Audio to Listeners?

Upmix, Downmix - The Series
Creating Compatible Content for Surround Radio May Be Challenging

The Value of Here and Now

Terrestrial Radio's Future Relies on the Leveraging of Its Unique Attributes

Under Construction: Radio Rules
Now That NRSC-5 Is in the FCC's Hands, What Happens Next for Digital Radio Regulation?

The New Convergence: Broadcast + Telco
Future Receivers May Incorporate Broadband Wireless, Broadcast Services in a Single Device

It's Radio, Jim, But Not as We Know It
The Divergent Paths Open to Broadcasters Could Make the Future a Very Different Place

Will the Courts Waive the Flag?
The FCC's Broadcast Flag for DTV Is Under Siege. The Outcome Will Weigh on Digital Radio

Radio's New Venues and Ventures
The Audience Is Changing. Can Radio Keep Up?

One Song, Many Voices
Broadcasters' Content Can Flow to Listeners by Multiple Avenues

The Single-Platform Era Is Ending
Over-the-Air Delivery Is Becoming Just One of Many Paths to Listeners' Ears

Surround: One Small Step for a Radio ...
...One Giant Leap for an Industry?

Where No Radio Has Gone Before
A Look Back at Surround's Development While Radio Was Avoiding the Technology

Is Radio Really Surround-Sound Bound?
As Radio Looks at Enhanced Audio Formats, Consider Options And History of Surround Sound

Digital Radio, Surrounded
Adding Surround Sound to Digital Radio Is Under Serious Debate Worldwide

Raising the Digital Radio Flag
There is no equivalent to the DTV 'broadcast flag' for digital radio, but this could change soon

Is There a Flag in Radio's Future?
New Rules Will Add Content Protection Measures to DTV. Is Digital Radio Next?

More Ideas on FCC Restructuring
There's No Shortage of Suggestions On How to Retool the Commission

How to Renovate Radio Regulation
A Look at Various Plans That Have Been Proposed for Restructuring the FCC

Around the World in 80 DABs
The 80+ Members of the WorldDAB Forum Met Recently to Consider Digital Radio's Status Around the Globe

Radio Sports: Another Format at Risk?
Once a Revered Part of Radio Broadcasting, Sports May Be the Next Lost Format

Digital Radio's Sweet Spot
The Fungibility Limits of the DAB Ensemble's Bitstream Are Being Tested in the U.K.

Taking Public Radio Private
XM Is Now Producing Original Programming in the Public Radio Style

Radio Subtracts the Ads
Converging forces are causing the radio industry to rethink its revenue model.

Rethinking DAB North of the Border
Canada Considers Subscription Radio Services, Including Eureka-147 Terrestrial Broadcasting

Duking It Out Over Datacasting
Will digital radio data be able to compete with other emerging services?

Radio Copes With Insufficient Data
As the Industry Considers IBOC Datacasting, Uncertainty Reigns

Dawning of a New Day for Data
Will Data Broadcasting in IBOC Succeed Where Other Services Failed?

Until the End of (Real) Time
Delay makes real-time broadcasting a thing of the past in the not-so-distant future

The Fundamentals of Supplementals
Some FM Broadcasters Consider Their Options for Supplemental Audio Services on HD Radio

Digital Music Gains Legitimacy
The Emergence of Legal Digital Music Downloading Means More Competition for Listeners' Ears

The Curious Challenge of Coexistence
Some Food for Thought About the Future of a Hybrid Terrestrial-Satellite Radio Marketplace

Down Home From Up High
The Issue of localized content delivered via satellite radio stirs debate.

Grace Under Pressure
New satellite services are driving FM broadcasters to improve a format that hasn't seen significant change in decades.

The BritDAB Invasion
As digital radio succeeds in the U.K., the rest of the world should learn why

Productivity's Pendulum: More Is Less
Do Quality and Quantity Have a Zero-Sum Relationship?

Gained in Translation
As A Purveyor of Language, Radio Reflects Our Changing Habits of Speech

Reinventing U.S. Patent Policy
Government, Industry Agree: Something

Acacia, Eolas and Other IP Landmarks
U.S. Patent Law Is Under Review, Spurred Largely by Recent Trends in Digital Media

Sleepers Awake!
A New Scrolling Display Livens Up RDS Radios

A New Year's IBOC Scorecard
As an Active Year for Digital Radio Comes to a Close, Here's a View of HD-Radio's Ups And Downs

Nested Rights? The IP Wars Rage On
Digital Media Are Causing Substantial Revision in the Field of Intellectual Property Law Worldwide

What PARs Will Mean for Radio
The concept of local storage on a radio is new and could provide golden opportunities.

PAR for the Course
How Likely Is the Success of the 'Personal Audio Recorder'?

Wi-Fi May Rock Radio's World
Today's Technology May Be Just the Beginning of a New Era for Wireless Media

Wi-Fi's Impact on Digital Media
For broadcasters, Wi-Fi's success means consumer demand for rich online content will increase dramatically.

802.11: Cheap, Easy, Efficient
As Wi-Fi Continues to Evolve and Expand, A Closer Look Reveals Its Strengths and Weaknesses

Whither Wireless?
Widespread Wi-Fi May Have a Significant Impact on Future Internet Radio Usage

Of HAPS and Strats and Stratellites
A New Class of Transmission Systems Splits the Difference Between Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting.

A Launch PAD to the Future
Program-Associated Data Is an Important Feature of Emerging Radio Services

What's Ahead for Menu-Driven Radio
Broadcasters Should Be Cooking Up Services Now To Appeal to the Tastes of Future Users

Tomorrow Radio Could 'Save IBOC'
NPR's Bold Move to Add Secondary Audio Might Drive Consumer Demand for HD Radio Receivers

Will HD Radio Be a Royal(ty) Pain?
Once broadcasters have crossed the IBOC Rubicon, the RIAA will be in a strong bargaining position.

It's About Time
Keeping Track of Time Around the World Requires a Complex Algorithm

Zeroes, Ones and Pullman Coaches
The Transition to Digital Media Technology Mimics an Earlier Process of Time Management

To Look Ahead, Try Looking Back
A Historical Analysis of the Transition to FM Sheds Some Light on the Prospects for HD Radio

Is That a Symphony I Hear?
Motorola's New DSP-Based Receiver Core Could Be Music to Broadcasters' Ears

At IBC, New Directions for DAB
European Developments Address Slow Growth of Digital With New, Non-Audio Services

The Bar Continues to Move Higher
The Ear Is a Stern Judge of Quality, and Radio Must Measure Up

Rubbing Listeners the Wrong Way
Some Hands-On Research Reveals Deep Tensions and Puts the Finger on Solutions

Radio Applications of MPEG-7
Practical Uses Are Emerging for This Metadata Standard

IBOC DAB, in the Public Eye
Pubcasters Press for Standardized New Services and Elimination of License Fees

Concerns About IBOC Grow
Numerous Issues Have Emerged That Could Block The Progress or Threaten the Ultimate Success of Ibiquity's Proposals

Response to Guy Wire’s 3/13/02 posting
Guy Wire has presented a thoughtful and metaphorically rich rebuttal to several points from my Big Picture column in the March 1 issue of RW. Let me respond, in turn, to a few of Guy’s comments here.