Why Sprint's Adding Radio On Smartphones Matters

Yesterday while I was sitting at my desk, my cell phone made an alert noise (even though the volume was turned down) and an Amber Alert flashed on the screen. That reminded me of the need to put radio on mobile phones, not only so radio can entertain, but so alerts can go out to phones even when cell towers are down or not functioning, as during Hurricane Sandy.

Coincidentally, Ed Ryan yesterday broke the story that Sprint had announced that several models of Android and Windows smartphones will be enabled over the next few years with FM radio chips and the NextRadio platform, developed by Emmis Communications.

Though Sprint has already had offered some phones with FM chips in the past (I had it on my HTC Evo two years ago), this is the first time FM will be offered on a wide variety of devices.

Why is this a big deal? As I have written in the past, radio transmitters work when the power is down and when cell phone towers are not working. An FM chip can send emergency messages to all enabled phones during a storm, a power outage, or a national emergency. The cell companies can't do that without placing expensive generator plants at all cell tower locations, a virtual impossibility.

Additionally, some claim the carriers cannot possibly keep up with ever-growing bandwidth consumption, and this will allow radio listening on a phone without the need for streaming. Phones may soon be able to transparently switch between streaming and a local radio signal, saving both bandwidth and battery life.

Radio's big win here is that now we have expanded our potential reach. We're in 100 percent of cars and now on more smartphones. Though it's only Sprint so far among the major carriers and won't include Apple devices, this sends a giant pro-radio signal to the marketplace, offering Sprint a competitive advantage until others catch up. After all, radio listening remains strong, and we will see increases in listening with the convenience of a radio in the pocket.

Will others follow? Hard to tell, but this is great news and a giant leap for radio, thanks to the leadership of Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan, who has made this his top mission for the industry.

Last year Radio Ink and Dick Orkin's Radio Ranch made radio spots available to put pressure on wireless providers and consumer electronics manufacturers to offer radio in cell phones. Many stations are still running these spots, and they continue to be available here.

Though the battle to be on all mobile phones continues to be a lofty goal, congratulations are in order to Jeff Smulyan and his team.

Eric Rhoads

Comments

[To Tired to Care Anymore]

I wasn't around back then but am sure that this chatter sounds very much like the "Whoa is me..." conversations telegraph operators resorted to upon introduction of radio.

It would be prudent to remember that those telegraph operators were the same people telling the pony express riders "look boys, times are changing."

When will radio broadcasters get the message?

[PanamaJack]

Good comments regard "FM" as a emergency warning device. Most cell towers I'm aware of have backup power; probably more reliable than Radio, an industry desperate to "cut costs".
But the biggest issue I have in this regard is Radio's inability to provide important news and information to a specific locality in an emergency. Consolidators have eliminated staff to the point where in many cases an actual qualified person may not be available, at least for several hours, in the case TSHTF.
IMHO this is a clear requirement to keep a broadcast license but the current paradigm hasn't really been tested yet.
SO the idea of justifying adding FM to smartphones for this purpose is very remote.

[Greg Smith]

Including analog FM chips in the Google Nexus One Android and Windows Phone 7 Series phones was decided before Smulyan ever came along. Does Smulyan really deserve any credit? What does Sprint have to do with the manufacture of these particular cell phones, anyway? Did Smulyan just convince Sprint to supply the backend bandwidth for those silly interactive Coupon displays?

[Greg]

The only ones that care about this are iBiquity investors, as this is just a ruse to get iBiquity's junk-technology installed and collect royalties.

[Scott Clifton]

...one more thought... If the spirit of the FM chip is to enable the ability to provide the public EAS type notifications, we're doing an about-face and asking for a responsibility we really don't have the expertise to handle. As I previously stated, FM's are primarily and understandbly "entertainment" based stations. Being one who was once certified as an Incident Commander, I can appropriately say I am not comfortable having a minimum wage to morning Shock-Jock personality handling emergency communication in which I am to rely upon.

I can say that pretty much through my career, all the program directors would love for nothing other than eliminating the whole EBS/EAS deal. Especially after the transition to the EAS system did it enhance their dislike of it, as the so called "turkey farts" didn't and pretty much still don't mean anything to the listener. ...other than being an annoying racket.

I'm not even a license holder and will not be happy with adding another burden of commitments or requirements enforced on us by the FCC, I'm guessing most coporations and individual owners won't either. THAT may be the very price we wind up having to pay for something like this if the selling point for the chip is considered for the "in case of emergency" situations. You can make up your own jokes adding "break glass here."

[Scott Clifton]

Eric,
Your take on the FM chip add is assuming THAT radio will/would be integrated with the phone’s systems. I have two Sprint phones now with the FM chip and it is purely an APP that runs only when I want it to and when I have headphones plugged into it. The latter is a current issue I have with it, but the argument there is the cable acts as the antenna. Putting that aside, from an entertainment perspective, I never use it! I can download hundreds of APPS that provide me access to tens of thousands of streaming stations, many that sound much better than my own and don’t have censored or bleeped out content an none to few commercials.

The reality is that there is a significant amount of work that will be needed to standardize on any system integration with the phone that would also be required of the broadcaster to adhere to and manage appropriately. This from an industry that can’t get EAS or HD radio systems standardized in decades of trying. I know, I was one of the original ACORN IBOC field engineers and have known for years and recently replaced a guy here who has been very instrumental in the EAS development since its birth, as well as others around the nation who have also been involved.

The other reality is the added drain on the batteries. I have the iPhone 5, which is nearly worthless when used for anything other than a phone call, as the screen being on alone sucks the life out of the battery. Adding Bluetooth, wireless, cellular radio’s and now an FM chip will make the device only useful for a fraction of time. At least with most other phones you can swap out the battery, but not with iPhones. Being that a great percentage of the mobile industry is an Apple device, this is a consideration. As well, what percentage of the other phones users are carrying, actually carry spare batteries? It is well know that if you are in an emergency response industry, you cannot rely on smartphones for your business needs.

It’s a grand idea, but the lack of consideration for AM’s (the other half of the radio broadcast environment) consolidation of the industry and the growing unwillingness of broadcasters to spend money leads to a lot of failure points for this to be anything other than another item that people will shut off in their settings and not see any value to if not somehow interwoven into the phones system, which I really don’t see happening. Even at that, there’s no video component and it seems more and more the users of smartphones are as or more judgmental of an APP because of its look, even if the “look” is not the main point of it.

FM broadcastings focus is primarily entertainment, not news. The viable source of the content/product for the FM chip integration is not completing the connection to the true source of that in most cases. There are few markets where there are news only FM’s and just a hair more markets that the FM’s even have a news update. There is so much in the way of making this much of anything viable for the consumer and therefore the broadcaster. I would classify this as another chicken and egg deal and 15 years too late.

I hope I’m wrong, but I am batting a thousand with regard to Sirus, XM, SirusXM, EAS and HD Radio to date.

[Holly Hall]

A giant leap for FM radio. AM is still alive and somewhat well in our small towns as we continue to serve the local audience but this will do nothing but hurt us.

[Bill Goldsmith]

Couple of things: An AM antenna would add way too much heft to a phone. It will never be included. Forget it.

As for the additional data channel on the NextRadio app -- which presumably could trigger things like the Amber Alert that Eric mentioned in his post -- is that data delivered via FM subcarrier, or via the cell network? If the latter (& I suspect it is) then there goes a huge chunk of the emergency-services advantage.

I have a smartphone with an FM tuner. I rarely use it because I almost always have a much better radio nearby (like my car stereo) -- or I don't have a pair of earbuds with me. Earbuds are required, as they're the antenna for all FM chips.

[Ron Erickson, CEO Erickson Broadcast Sales]

FM broadcasters are cheering...but wait a minute. Local AM news-talk stations are much more likely in the event of an emergency to broadcast local information than the sat fed automated FM's. Oh sure, larger markets have seen FM go news-talk, and sometimes back again to music. AM is where people turn for information. If the cell industry is going to do a good service for customers, they'll include an AM chip in the next smartphone.

[Rick Hayes]

Eric

I have a couple of issues with your recent blog. First of all, this is NOT a win for radio. It's a win for FM. I'm shocked and amazed that you would be willing to throw AM radio under the bus. The industry should be ashamed of itself, too. AM and FM ARE BOTH "radio". There has to be an all-band rule mandating AM and FM receivers in cell phones. Are you willing, Eric, to write-off AM radio? FM ONLY is NO solution.

The generator argument is pretty weak, too. Cell phone companies can equip their tower sites with generators. All it will take is legislation. Cell phone companies have a boat-load of money and can more easily afford generators than broadcast station owners. Your blog makes it sound as though every FM station has a generator. Not quite true.

A smart phone RADIO solution which does not include AM is no solution at all and should NOT be supported by our industry. You do not do our INDUSTRY any favor by writing-off the thousands of AM station owners who have been busting their butts to serve their communities and eek out a living. If you support the idea that AM should be left out of the game you are advocating the death of half our industry and forcing AM radio to accept the death knell.

IS Radio Ink writing-off all AM stations in the USA?? If so, you can bet your subscriber numbers will reflect that stance.

[Michael Robertson]

Adding cost to a phone to gain access to a very limited set of radio signals just makes no sense on the grand scheme. I get why FM station owners would like it, but we're moving to an all digital world - one with unlimited options.

The safety angle is a red herring scare tactic which denies the digital inevitability. Net access, including mobile phone, has been remarkably robust even in the most major of recent incidences.

The radio industry needs to embrace digital fully and not try to push old work tech that is fading out. That's swimming against the tide and you won't get anywhere but you'll get real tired.