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Digital future or rainbows end? --- Michael Hedges November 7, 2007
Digital radio has made exciting advances over the last decade, leaving little doubt of a digital future. Broadcasters have invested in a range of technologies, which continue expanding into their own universe. A UK consultancy has taken exception to all the happy talk.

Digital discontent : hit the re-start button --- Michael Hedges October 22, 2007
It seems like a different century. Digital broadcasting could offer everything to everybody…and more. There was enthusiasm. There was hope. It was a different century.

Germany’s Digital Free-For-All – Nothing Will Be Free --- Michael Hedges October 23, 2006
Mobile media is all the rage. Telecoms and hand-set makers say it’s the future, a pay-to-play future. Even Germany’s conservative publishers are throwing their weight around. It could be another one-way trip, say German broadcasters, with a wink and a nod: remember the 300 million receivers already in households.

Is Anybody Home? More Mobility Hits Media Measurement Hard --- Michael Hedges October 2, 2006
The hot prospect exciting the advertising people today is mobile media. They will not sleep until ads appear on your mobile phone. Their simple logic: the most desirable audience is not at home.

HD Radio Goes Alpine --- Michael Hedges October 1, 2006
Interest in HD Radio received a boost from Swiss broadcasters after a successful demonstration in and around Luzern. Over 200 broadcasters, technical specialists and regulators from six countries attended the two days of discussion and explanation. Swiss technical consultant and broadcaster Markus Ruoss, a strong proponent of HD Radio, organized the event as the first public HD Radio demonstration in Europe.

Eurovision Song Contest 2007: the Devil is in the Details --- Michael Hedges June 26, 2006
Hardly more than a month since a Finnish hard rock band called Lordi gave the Eurovision Song Contest an essential boost and it’s time to gather the shock troops and the funds. Finland and its public broadcaster YLE will host.

Finnish Government Shuffles, Expands Commercial Radio Licenses --- Michael Hedges - June 3, 2006
Publishing giant SanomaWSOY received two new radio licenses while MTV Media and SBS each lost one. The Transport and Communications Ministry issued six national and 47 local radio licenses for the five-year term beginning January 1, 2007

From Podcasts to Mobcasts: Broadcasters Take Big Leap --- Michael Hedges April 10, 2006

With More than 2 Billion Mobile Phone Users in the World Of Which 236 Million Use 3G, Can Advertisers Be Very Far Behind? --- Philip M. Stone - March 30, 2006
It’s already well understood that advertising money is flowing away from traditional media to more unconventional channels, and a survey by eMarketeer points out that the two tactics that advertisers want to experiment with this year over any other are video and the mobile phone.

Which Country’s Entry Into the 3G Mobile World Will Reduce Handset Costs Globally? Which Country in 2005 Added 59 Million Mobile Customers? Which Country Expects to Have 440 Million Mobile Users This Year? One Answer Fits All: China --- Philip Stone March 9, 2006
The statistics coming out of China recently has staggered the mobile telephone world. China expects to add 48 million mobile subscribers in 2006, which actually means things are slowing down a bit –it added 58,604 million new mobile subscribers last year. And according to the Information Industry Ministry that means a third of China’s population will have a mobile phone by the end of the year. Is it any wonder that you mention China to content and equipment providers and their eyes glaze over?

Wake Up, Catch Up and Overhaul! --- Michael Hedges - March 6, 2006
European media policy all-stars gathered in Vienna to confer about digital content. The big message: Don't just sit back and watch, do something!

Will We Use Our Mobile Phones To Watch Enough Television To Make It A Viable Financial Proposition? Various UK trials and Tests Indicates the Answer is Yes, No, and Maybe. --- Philip Stone January 19, 2006
Since November Sky Television has provided more than 5 million live-TV streams in its Vodaphone 3G service, so there certainly is an interest in using mobile phones to watch some television. But in a just concluded trial by BT with Virgin Mobile users said they preferred listening to digital radio on their phones than watching TV and they were not wiling to pay as much as operators wanted. And in yet another trial, this one by O2, 78% of users said they would buy a TV service.

Virgin’s Deal In the UK To Become A Quadruple Player – Fixed Lines, Mobile, Broadband, and Television – Is A Forerunner of What Will Occur Elsewhere. And Suddenly BSkyB Has A Real Program Competitor On Its Hands -- Watch Those Sports Rights! --- Philip M. Stone December 5, 2005
It’s the kind of deal that, when announced, seemed such a natural, and it propels Sir Richard Branson yet again into the limelight, this time as the biggest shareholder in a company that will deliver broadband to 2.5 million customers, that already has 4.3 million fixed-line accounts, more than five million mobile customers and 3.3 million cable TV subscribers.

A Clear Internet Message for Traditional Media: Besides Developing Your Own Branded Information Web Site, Buy Whatever Else Is Available On the Web Whether It Has Anything To Do With News or Not! --- Philip M. Stone November 7, 2005

In Switzerland You Can Already Watch 21 Television Stations on Mobile Phones. Almost Daily, Television Networks and Producers Throughout Europe Announce New Mobile Video Projects. The Mobile Phone Is The Marketer’s Dream Come True! --- Philip M. Stone - October 24, 2005
Swisscom Mobile now offers 21 television stations in four languages to its Vodafone Live mobile phone subscribers in Switzerland. Need a news fix --- watch CNN; sports – then its Eurosport, and if it’s the latest music hits there’s always MTV. Add the six national Swiss stations in the three main official languages (two each in Swiss German, Italian, and French) plus other stations from France, Italy, and Germany and with coverage available in 99.8% of the country – not bad considering the Alps – and there’s no reason why anyone should be out of touch.

Where Is Newspaper and Television Advertising Going? It’s Transferring Slowly But Surely From “In Your Face” to Encouraging the Oldest , Most Successful Advertising Forum of All – Word of Mouth - September 26, 2005 --- Philip M. Stone September 26, 2005
A recent survey from Intelliseek said that 88% of consumers trust “word of mouth” and 65% of consumers trust friends for product recommendations. Compare that to 56% who trust newspaper advertising and the 47% who trust radio and television advertising and it’s not too difficult to figure out why some advertising spend is shifting to word of mouth.

Can Television Survive Broadband? --- Philip Stone August 8, 2005

Delivery of Video Via Broadband Is A Powerful Reason to Visit Internet News Sites --- Philip Stone July 13, 2005

Mobile Phone Penetration is Approaching Saturation --- Philip Stone July 13, 2005
The really good news is that mobile phones usage in Europe Is around 80% with the UK and Italy at saturation point. The bad news for media vendors and phone operators is that customers don’t seem very interested in the premium services on offer. What they really want their phones for are to, well, talk and communicate with one another.

DAB Catching On With Commercial Broadcasters --- Michael Hedges July 11, 2005
Danish and Swiss private, commercial radio broadcasters announce new DAB plans. But a UK broadcaster is resisting more multiplexes.

The Most Striking Pictures of the London Terror Attacks Came From Mobile Phones --- Philip Stone July 11, 2005
When the bombs hit the three London Underground sites last week Londoners knew it was no use trying to use their phones to contact the outside world because there are no signals within the underground system. But that didn’t stop them from using their phones, and many became on-the-spot video journalists.

Coming Soon to Your Mobile Phone --- Philip Stone June 13, 2005
>But unfortunately the killer application doesn’t involve the media professional – It’s Peer-to-Peer transmission of audio, still pictures and video.

Newspapers Take Advantage of Digital Revolution --- Philip Stone June 6, 2005
Back in 1971 Intel developed its first memory chip – it stored all of 128 letters. Today a Samsung 8-gigabyte memory card can store one million newspaper pages – equivalent to about 90 years of a daily newspaper. And such changes in the semiconductor industry are only the tip of that iceberg that will help newspapers to continue reaching the masses.

Media Moves into the Personal Space --- Michael Hedges May 30, 2005

NYT Baits Bloggers --- Michael Hedges May 23, 2005
By September access to opinion columnists on the New York Times web-site will come with a charge. This newspaper has decided that there’s money in weblogs.

Any Newspaper Site Not Using Local Video on Its Web Site Is Already Behind the Times. --- Philip Stone May 23, 2005

Digital Legislating --- Michael Hedges April 28, 2005
Governments are attacking the digital media problem and warming, again, to analogue shut-off dates for radio.

If the Cell Phone Rings During Sex, Do You Answer It? --- Philip Stone April 14, 2005
Anyone who has visited Italy knows how much the Italians love their cell phones. If they’re not talking on them they’re sending SMS messages. But when it comes to amore the Italians know their priorities (as we would expect) and only 7% say they would interrupt their lovemaking to answer their cell phone.

Now On a Mobile Phone Near You: Visual Radio --- Michael Hedges April 9, 2005