iPhone app has some wondering if radio's future is on demand


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Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 21, 2009 at 10:25:07:

iPhone app has us wondering if radio's future is on demand

On-demand moves off the laptop and into your pocket as public radio's wonderful new iPhone app lands. Ars explores the new app and thinks about a future where radio is on demand.

By Nate Anderson
Last updated July 21, 2009 6:03 AM CT


Public radio's existing iPhone app was already cool -- it allowed listeners to hear public radio stations from across the country on their phones, live. But the new version of the Public Radio Player, released this weekend, adds an incredible new set of features that provide a glimpse at the future of "radio." Welcome to the on-demand, in-your-pocket future, today.

The upgraded app adds the two most-requested user features: station schedules and on-demand access to past shows. Dialing in my local station (WBEZ in Chicago) starts the stream and displays the currently playing show, along with the schedule of the next show. Users can also tap to see the station's complete lineup for the day; because the app allows access to streams from across the country, it's possible to hear just about any show at any time.

Tuning into the show of your choice can also be done by checking out the new on-demand feature, which provides access to podcasts of just about every public radio show. Click on the show's name, click on the episode you want to hear, and kick back while it starts to play. Because the on-demand feature downloads each show as an MP3 file, a 30-minute production doesn't use the cell radio for more than a couple of minutes -- a huge bonus for battery life.

Each stream and podcast is served up by its creators, not by a central repository, and what's available varies widely by show. This American Life, for example, makes only its most recent episode available on demand (just as it does through its website and through iTunes), while my usual dinner prep companion Marketplace provides access to numerous past episodes.

The ability to call up on-demand episodes of A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, and other public radio favorites isn't new -- it's been possible on the Web for some time. (NPR, in particular, is great about making all of its news segments available as free streams from its website.) But who likes to listen to "radio" segments by cracking open a laptop and setting it on the counter while you chop the bell peppers?

Providing on-demand access in a mobile device isn't quite new, either; one could always achieve the same effect by subscribing to particular podcasts and syncing them to the phone or music player. But the Public Radio Tuner makes it truly on-demand and dead simple to find shows; with TV.com's video streaming app already out and a rumored Hulu iPhone app coming soon, the on-demand world is quickly migrating from the lap to the pocket.

Public radio is a unique animal in the US radio ecosystem, as it's supported by listeners and corporate sponsors rather than advertisers. While a siphoning of listeners from the airwaves to the iPhone will make a difference in its Arbitron ratings, the audience shift shouldn't affect its core business too much. Public radio's talk-heavy format also lends itself very nicely to an on-demand format. With commercial radio relying so heavily on ads and Arbitron ratings, an iPhone app that gives listeners this much control over how they interact with the content is going to be a tough sell to broadcasters. But as consumers become increasingly accustomed to an on-demand world, radio is going to have to figure out a way to change with the times.



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