Traditional radio continues to be the favorite audio medium in cars, reaching an 8-year high, which it shares with the other audio media in the USA in 2023.
By: PhD, IEEE Carlos Pantsios Markhauser*
Today, despite the fact that there are very powerful competitive technologies in the market, digital broadcasting radio still has a considerable audience among the world's motorists. Broadcasters are also proud of their digital applications offered to listeners that complement linear broadcasting for additional exciting experiences.
It is vitally important for broadcasters that car manufacturers understand the attitude of users towards the broadcast radio on the dashboard.
But can we continue to be confident that this large audience will continue to find radio programs and app-based services in the cars of the future quickly and conveniently?
Consider, for a moment, the novel voice control feature of today's digital radio. Is it possible that this recent feature could become the established way of interacting with digital radios in the vehicles of the future, as it prevents driver distraction by allowing them to keep their attention on the road?
Unlike a web browser, voice interfaces typically return a single result. Something similar happens with podcasts: when asking for a particular podcast by name, which platform will be used to stream back to the corresponding user?
Even leaving voice control aside and looking only at interfaces equipped with knobs and touch-screen displays, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the radio in modern vehicles. Very often it is hidden behind a number of menus, or is found on a list linked to some connection standard such as USB and Bluetooth.
All this happens despite the fact that radio continues to be popular with the public. It is, by a good margin, the preferred medium in vehicles worldwide. According to research conducted by WorldDAB/Edison Research in 2021, two-thirds of car users in the European Economic Community showed that digital radio was the most widely used audio source in cars.
If you ask the audience, what is the reason why digital radio is so attractive in the car? The answer is its simplicity of operation – at the touch of a button everything is ready to receive the radio signal. However, this simple access to radio is currently disappearing and the situation only gets worse if something is not done about it. The challenge becomes even greater when it comes to the applications that accompany the radio. While broadcasters can, today, deliver a unique world of desired content through their apps, other streaming services offer greater prominence on consoles. The most reliable sources of content become harder to find – at a time when trust really matters.
An interesting controversy over the validity of radio appeared some time ago and, in particular, the permanence of the AM band on the radio dial. This discussion has recently reoriented industry discussions in the United States.
Electric car manufacturers have proceeded to remove AM radio from the car under the pretext of electromagnetic interference and the additional cost of isolating the wiring.
Traditional radio continues to be the favorite audio medium in cars, reaching an 8-year high, which it shares with the other audio media in the USA in 2023. Radio is currently an imperative medium in the car as a stable and reliable source of essential information in times of crisis.
In response to the situation, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the operators of Euroradio and Eurovision commissioned Sweden's Sveriges Radio to find a solution that benefits all parties involved. The project was titled "Car Paybook."
The Car Paybook began with the search for the consensus necessary to create a common and clear roadmap, with the purpose of uniting the key players that make it possible for audiences to continue to easily locate and listen to the radio content they prefer. Here, all elements of the value chain – the automotive industry, operating system suppliers, application generators and the radio industry – must work together in order to achieve this goal.
In this sense, a first proposal for Car Paybook was presented to the EBU and the extended radio community at various international events and forums.
Some companies proposed that AM radio could be removed from the dial and offered via streaming devices via Blootuoth or USB or the car's entertainment center. A new application called CarPlay app was tested, which turned out to be a real failure due to its complexity of use, generating the fear that, if the audience is lost in the vehicle, the broadcasting radio would be in great trouble.
Broadcasters found that the placement of streaming services on the dashboard of vehicles favored paid services, disfavoring automakers, despite countless new applications that combine linear radio channels along with on-demand news, music, and podcasts.
The EBU currently has a task force that coordinates the different communities related to the radio, digital, technology, and legal group in order to define and implement what is required to achieve objectives related to that standard of fast and convenient access to radio. This means that the EBU, together with its members, is reaching a final agreement with automakers and other relevant participants, in a coherent and unified manner.
Text written by Carlos Pantsios Markhauser, PhD, IEEE. he is a Telecommunications Engineer, PhD in telecommunications electronics, Master in Communications from the Simón Bolívar University, with a Specialization in Satellite Telecommunications and Networks from The George Washington University - School of Engineering & Applied Science, Specialization in Digital Telecommunications from the University of Colorado Boulder. He works as a postgraduate professor in the telecommunications schools at the Simón Bolívar University and Andrés Bello Catholic University. In addition to being a professional consultant in TV projects based in Argentina.
