RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter

From Radio & Records: "Eddie Fritts [says] Web opportunities abound. 'The Internet people are coming to broadcasters almost daily seeking partnerships,' the NAB President/CEO told convention-goers in Las Vegas yesterday. 'The very fact that these high-tech, dot-com companies desire partnerships with broadcasters should tell us something.'

"Fritts added that 'Net companies 'have investors with money, but they don't have the eyes and ears that broadcasters can deliver. They don't know how to aggregate an audience as we do.'

"Redstone [says] radio is a fantastic medium: 'How ironic is it that an 80-year-old technology would play such a key role in helping to launch the dot-com gold rush?' Viacom Chairman/CEO Sumner Redstone asked the crowd at the NAB Convention.

"'Radio is reaping enormous rewards as young companies realize how cost-effective and efficient it is...' Echoing Fritts' mantra, Redstone says broadcasters will prevail over the Internet because it has content and creativity."

Read all of today's Radio & Records Online here. A more-detailed CNET News story is here.

RAIN reader Lou Josephs writes: "The Internet's ultimate aircheck website, 'Uncle Ricky's Top 40 Radio Repository,' located at www.reelradio.com is in financial trouble. The curator of the site has applied for 501(c)(3) status and recognition as a non-profit organization. This process will take several months. The site's immediate need is to secure new web hosting now, before its current arrangement (up to this point, free) expires.

"Contributions made to the Media Preservation Society for the benefit of ReelRadio.com are fully tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations, and will directly support the continuation of the ReelRadio website. All contributors will receive an acknowledgment of their contribution directly from the Media Preservation Society.

"The goal is $7500, which will fund web hosting operations of the site for one year. Contributions may be sent to: ReelRadio Fund, Media Preservation Foundation, Box 61223, Longmeadow, MA 01116-6223.

"You may read the full text of this request here."

While you're there, check out the aircheck of Jack McCoy's "The Last Contest" -- about halfway down this page -- and last week's 40 most-listened-to classic Top 40 airchecks here.

BY KURT HANSON
At last week's Internet World convention in Los Angeles, I saw one possibly paradigm-shifting device, which I'm holding in the photo at right. It's the Nomad Jukebox, which supposedly will be available this summer.

What it is is an attractive, streamlined, lightweight device that looks almost exactly like a portable CD player...except that it holds your entire CD library! (Well, maybe not all of yours, but a large library nonetheless.)

As promised yesterday, here are the product specs (as they were announced last January):

"The Creative NOMAD Jukebox is a USB, multi-format portable audio player/recorder. This new light-weight (14 oz.) digital audio player, in the size of a CD disc player, features high capacity storage capabilities with 6GB of built-in storage that holds an entire music collection (over 150 albums) or up to 2,600 hours of spoken word."

[Note that 2,600 hours would be a full year's worth of Howard Stern and Steve Dahl's shows combined!]

"It features a Line-In for analog recording from external sources and dual Line-Out connections ideal for connecting a four-speaker system... Unlike other hardware-based solutions, the NOMAD Jukebox also features an onboard real-time digital signal processor (DSP) for superior audio playback and customization. A Headphone-Out jack supports headphone spatialization and equalizer effects.

"This SDMI-capable portable digital audio player supports multiple formats including MP3, WMA and WAV file formats. Unlike other hardware-based solutions, the NOMAD Jukebox also features an onboard real-time effects processor for superior audio playback and customization. The NOMAD Jukebox also supports downloadable features including new effects algorithms, security features, and auto playlist generators."

Contribue your comments and questions here. (I believe they also have a booth here at the NAB that I plan to visit tomorrow.)

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I'm here in Las Vegas to cover the NAB convention, including Multimedia World, for RAIN. So is RAIN reader

Mel Taylor, who'll be contributing reports on various topics. Watch for reports

later this week.

And while I'm here, I'm looking into organizing an adventure for RAIN readers -- either a trip to a nearby restaurant for some Chicago-style deep-dish pizza or an away team mission to "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton.

So if you're here and would like to reach me, look for me at the Internet/radio events...or try my cell phone: 1-312-656-KURT...or e-mail me here.

In the most exciting contest in the history of Web-based newsletters about radio and Internet issues -- the RAIN Viral Marketing Contest, Phase Three -- we're giving away

this week, to one lucky RAIN reader, a fantastic prize package.

We've previously announced that that fantastic prize package includes a state-of-the-art Sony digital music player and a state-of-the-art wireless-Internet-ready Nextel cell phone. And now this week we're adding something even cooler -- a Kerbango Internet radio!

It's a gorgeous-looking little table-top-sized radio that will be able to pick up hundreds or thousands of Internet radio stations, with no PC required. (Read more about it here and here.) Kerbango's marketing director, Mark Auerbach, has promised that you'll receive one of the very first delivered

units -- in fact, you may even get to be one of the beta users!

And all you have to do to be eligible to win this fantastic prize package is to recommend RAIN to friends and colleagues in your address book who you think would enjoy reading RAIN. (And let us know by "cc:"ing kurt@kurthanson.com.

As we've told you before, if you've already recommended RAIN to some of your industry colleagues, then you're already eligible to win. (Check the list here to make sure your name has been put in the hat. (NOTE: WEEK #3 NAMES ADDED 4/10/00 AT 2PM CDT.) However, it would no doubt be good karma if you could think of a few more people (whether superiors, subordinates, or peers) you could also drop a line to.

So, why not tell a dozen or two
of your industry colleagues
about RAIN today?

If you need sample e-mail verbiage to use in making the recommendation, click here. Although your own words would probably be even better.

That way you'll make sure your name is in the hat for this week's drawing to select the winner of this fanatastic prize package.

Thanks...and good luck!

More coming soon! Contribute your suggestions here. (Suggestions already in the hopper include CableMusic.com, RadioWoodstock.com, Nerve Radio, Radio Gogaga, and HotCountryHits.)