11-5-14
Despite a negative jab from consultant Mark Ramsey who calls NextRadio "a desperate bid to stay relevant in the cellular age," a Boston Globe piece on Emmis' NextRadio written by By Hiawatha Bray gives NextRadio high marks for what the app provides for listeners and takes aim at carriers for letting the FM chip sit dormant in smartphones. "The FM chips in Apple Inc.?s iPhones don?t work, not even the ones sold by Sprint. I asked Apple why not, but got no reply. I also asked AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon why they don?t activate the FM radios. None would tell me."
The smartphone Bray owned was equipped to launch the app and he was pleased with what he was able to do with it. "NextRadio is FM radio made smarter, but can it compete with the Internet?s deep and diverse audio streams? Probably not. But until AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon end their irrational FM lockdown, most of us will never get to choose." Emmis and The NAB are on a Public Relations kick - they are running ads on Public Radio - to get the app out to the public hoping listeners will put pressure on carriers and force them to turn on the chip, which in many cases is already in the phones. Sprint has been a huge supporter of the FM chip, with NextRadio installed on many of its phones, and has been very helpful with the push to get NextRadio some national consumer recognition.
Read the Boston Globe piece HERE
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