All we can say is… “It’s about time!”  We’ve been talking about the need for hardware improvements in radio over the past several years!  For way too long you couldn’t find a retailer that sold portable radios, and there was no way to carry one with you like we did when I was a kid. I know, I know… I’m dating myself but when I was a teen, we all had a transistor radio! Stations gave them away with the tuner glued to only one station (which really upset a lot of listeners!)

Today Apple released the new iPod nano which goes well beyond being just an iPod for which to store music!  Now, your station is BACK in the pockets and in the hands of your consumers! If that isn’t good enough to make you want to run out and buy one… how about the TiVo like feature of Live Pause, which allows you to actually pause the radio.  You have to get out of the car for something and don’t want to miss your favorite song or a bit from the morning show? Pause it!

Leave it to Apple! But if you’re still not convinced… how about video recording now on your iPod (even though my iphone 3Gs does that too!)  Still don’t want to give away iPods? Well, I’m happy to say it is time to rethink that philosophy!

The possibilities are endless and the playing field just changed for you and every other brand manager!  Your brand just got a big boost!  Radio has left the proverbial building… and is also now in the pocket of your consumers!  Whether you’re in a diary market, or with a PPM headphone adapter, that translates into ratings!

Robert Lawrence