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Back in 1995, the hot radio technology was the Radio Data System (RDS), a digital subcarrier that can be carried by analog FM signals to provide a low-rate (but super-useful and robust) data broadcasting capability. Eager for its members to sell new radios that support RDS, the Electronic Industries Association (EIA, precursor to the Consumer Technology Association, CTA) launched a program to provide 500 radio stations across the U.S. with RDS encoders to seed the market and break the “chicken or the egg” dilemma that plagues so many new technologies. In return, EIA asked for $5,000 in advertising time per station to explain the capabilities of the new technology.

Metadata is defined as “a set of data that describes and gives information about other data.” When applied to radio broadcasting, the term metadata is referring to data which describes or augments an audio program. Song title and artist, an album art image, a station logo, an advertiser’s web address or a textual news story description are all examples of metadata. It has never been more important for radio broadcasters to include metadata in their broadcasts and audio streams.

Paul Jacobs and Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media hosted the Jacobs Media Virtual CES 2021 Tour, focusing on radio at CES, which was attended by over 200 people. Lasting over three hours, this virtual tour [...]

The evolution of radio receivers in cars over the last 25 years has been quite remarkable and beneficial for broadcasters, listeners and automakers. With the advent of hybrid (over-the-air plus internet) radio, it’s more important [...]

In September 2019, at the Radio Show in Dallas, Texas, “Tech Tuesday” debuted with an all-day program featuring content on the latest developments in radio technology. Shown above is a panel from Tech Tuesday on [...]

A previous PILOT blog highlighted the introduction of hybrid (over-the-air plus internet) radio receivers in Audi and BMW vehicles in the United States. Both automakers are using technology defined in open technical standards developed by [...]

With the ubiquitous availability of mobile broadband, consumers are becoming accustomed to using streaming audio services in vehicles either through projection systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto or through apps built-in to the vehicle’s [...]

It is well-known that 7th and 8th harmonic FM broadcast emissions have been a source of contention between cellular carriers and FM stations. Such harmonics are rarely radiated from the broadcast antenna itself. Usually, the [...]

The 2019 Automobility LA Show was held just before Thanksgiving, with thirty-four car manufacturers (in auto parlance, original equipment manufacturers or OEMs) displaying the latest and greatest in automobiles. While this show focused primarily on [...]

Radio broadcasters from around the country converged on Dallas last week for the 2019 Radio Show, co-produced by NAB and the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).  Kicking things off was the first-ever “Tech Tuesday,” a full-day [...]