We Suck, But We're Free! More Scare Tactics From the NAB

With Howard Stern moving to Sirius Satellite Radio in less than a month, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is stepping up its scare tactics to keep people away from alternatives to broadcast radio. Here is another spot the NAB recently released to commercial stations all over the country (MP3), including the NAB introduction. It doesn't mention Sirius or XM by name, but you know who they're talking about. (Here's a previous post about the NAB's last scare-spot.)

In this spot, the NAB paints an absolute nightmare scenario for its core constituency of male radio listeners: during a baseball broadcast, it's two out, bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded, when a hit is headed out of the park - it's going, going, when suddenly the broadcast is interrupted by an a long distance operator requesting 25 cents for the remainder of the broadcast. The horror! What more proof do you need that the good Lord ordained that radio should be free?

The spot is remniscent of the famous Heidi incident in 1968, when NBC cut off a New York Jets game during the critical game-deciding moment so they could cut start the TV version of the movie Heidi on time. The ensuing outcry changed the nature of sports television in the US forever.

Clearly, the NAB sees Sirius as a huge threat. My colleagues in non-commercial radio see podcasting as a bigger threat than Sirius or XM. People who work in radio are running scared, which makes sense, if you see new technologies as a threat instead of the opportunities they could be.

Comments

[Listener Paul]

But nuthin' scares Ken. Not even Scadenfreude.

[Benny Hill's Balls]

Clearly, the NAB sees Sirius as a huge threat. My colleagues in non-commercial radio see podcasting as a bigger threat than Sirius or XM. People who work in radio are running scared, which makes sense, if you see new technologies as a threat instead of the opportunities they could be.

Very well said. Frankly, one of the reasons why I love Sirius is becuase the stations try to work together. I'll be listening to one station and they'll tell me something worthwhile that's going on at another station. I love it. So, instead of banishing Satellite Radio into "time out," why must commerical stations automatically take the defensive? They're (podcasts included) doing something different in a medium that's been stagnant for years. Come on, NAB, quit whining and know what you're talking about (i.e. would XM REALLY cut out during an MLB broadcast asking you for more money? Give me a break.).

[ralph]

If they think of themselves as being in the business of building big towers and being FM broadcasters (or even more ridiculous, of being incipient "digital broadcasters" with IBOC/HiFi Radio), then they have reason to be scared. My wife and I just finished a week of being an Arbitron family a couple of days ago, diligently filling out the little diary with all the details of our weekly radio listening. There were a few hours of WFMU (over air and podcasted), a couple of hours of Air America, and hours and hours and hours of XM and Sirius (I have XM in my car and in the house, and my wife has Sirius in her car).

When they figure out that they're in the business of producing interesting programming, they should find a way to survive. Otherwise, they're right to feel threatened. Other people who have already figured that out, like the satellite broadcasters, or like WFMU, are going to eat them alive.