What’s the most important feature consumers who took TechSurvey 2022 want in their vehicles? It’s no longer FM Radio. As shared at the NAB Show in a panel discussion on the connected car held Sunday, it is Bluetooth.
In the survey, some 76% of respondents said Bluetooth, compared to 70% for FM radio.
How does Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media respond to this change? “We’re leaking oil. Literally,” he says. “It is slowly going down year after year and people are definitely using their choices.”
Not helping is the finding that “people pig out on satellite radio when they first get it,” Jacobs adds.
What can Radio do to help stem the slide? Metadata is one answer, he believes, as artist and title information and HD Radio “rich data” could greatly assist broadcast radio.
But, what specifically do consumers want? The TechSurvey respondents’ top answer is Emergency weather info, followed by a song preview for music radio stations — a common feature seen on German radio today. Programming details and the year the song came out were also in-demand metadata suggestions, along with the art of the album the song playing is from, name of a caller to a sports station, and live scores for Sports Talk radio.
If they think, HD Radio “rich data” could greatly assist broadcast radio.
Then it needs to be included in new cars at no extra charge. Stations will not put out the extra money until there is a market.
A little misleading this one, Bluetooth is required to connect mobile phones to the car. That is needed for road safety.
FM Radio and AM for that matter are both available and many will listen to the AM radio station of their choice via the radio app as the quality is better.
So all in all the need for Bluetooth really has nothing to do with what people listen to, it does however expand what is available to the listener.
Fred Jacobs needs to go find an industry he believes in.
Since my area (Jacksonville, Fl) has no oldies station I have to listen to streaming oldies radio outside of my area. Bluetooth is doing to FM what FM did to AM plain and simple. Some of the radio apps on Bluetooth you can change the stations that you have as your favorites. As far as hands free some car stereo’s only allow Bluetooth calls only while other car stereo’s allow both Bluetooth calls and audio. Big radio companies are mostly to blame for the rise of streaming services because there’s hardly any local content or stations that don’t play the kind of music that we want to hear (the demise of most 60’s oldies and the slow faze out of 70’s music).
i use bluetooth in the car to listen to radio stations from outside my area, i have their apps on my phone
Download the az hometown radio app and but the Blues in your Bluetooth with our Badass Blues format!
Live DJ’s. Radio is 1 on 1. Now it’s 0 on 1!
When your platform becomes an Emergency based channel, usually based on weather, you’re now in the service industry. Traffic delays and Dangerous weather. The “not-funny” morning show skits along with the same boring artists interviews sent the audience scrambling for entertainment, elsewhere. Congrats, radio! Advertisers are cutting their budgets because you cut your expectations.
You got that right. It’s a lack of INNOVATION that’s driving many operators off the cliff. 70% of buyers think FM radio is important in the new car and that’s “bad” news? We need better strategy and more positive representation as an industry.
Could it be that soooooo many surveys and polls indicate that listeners don’t want 6-8 minute stop sets, but radio keeps on giving them that, usually twice an hour. So yeah, give me blue tooth or satellite radio where I can listen to what I want when I want. It really pains me to say, after all I spent 36 years in radio. Loved most every minute of it. But quite frankly radio stopped serving me ( and of course it’s all about me ) years ago.
Inside the numbers: The reason drivers NEED Bluetooth is to be able to place phone calls from their vehicles. Most communities have outlawed hand held cellular phone use. So rather than seeing this as an incursion on FM radio 70% is still darn good and Bluetooth allows drivers to stream our stations outside of our coverage area. GLASS HALF FULL!!