More Competition for Your Radio

When it comes down to all the available choices in terms of media for the average consumer, radio has always had three trump cards. One it is a local medium, two it’s free and three it’s portable. The “local” argument is debatable as more and more stations are being forced to slash their operating budgets, lay off staff and pipe in voice-tracking from outside markets, that in a lot of cases meets the bare minimum requirements for “local” content. “Portable” and “free” have always seemed like the biggest advantages, but in the near future “free” will more than likely be the only trump card left. Cadillac for example has just rolled out an in-car wireless Internet option in its CTS sport sedan. It will cost five hundred dollars for the radio and twenty nine dollars a month for the wi-fi service. You can bet that it will only be a matter of time that the cost will come down dramatically as more competition emerges in the in-car internet industry. This should make broadcasters more than just a little nervous as now the possibility of streaming any station in the world from you car radio is only a few sleeps away.