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Even though today, we’re enabling “Interactive Radio” on state of the art FM receivers via RDS, HD Radio, cell phones and MP3 players, the practice of capturing “Now Playing” data began for more “analog” reasons. Here are some pictures from the early years of developing “Interactive Radio”, starting with the “Now Playing” billboard years leading to Tagging… Allen Hartle |
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Mike Fowler, the “Perfect” GM of KZOK FM Seattle asked for a “Now Playing” billboard.
This Prototype billboard utilized six LED panels, screwed into a metal box at the Ackerley Outdoor operations dept.
Because at the time LED’s were so directional, the metal box was hinged to swing one end out towards the street, to optimize the viewing angle.
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This is to my knowledge the first example of technology to “capture”
on-air activity and process it it for distribution. My friend Bob Arnold wrote the
first VB app to drive the primitive sign.
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We retired the LED prototype when driving down Denny way in Seattle, Bob said: “We need a sign… like that!” while pointing at a commercially available incandescent sign manufactured by ISE. Nice wide viewing angle from real light bulbs. |
| A nice 3D electronic billboard for Fox 97 in Atlanta.
A 20′ x 10′ Styrofoam radio was created to wrap around the sign and give it that jumbo radio look.
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These things are big!
Not to mention up in the air!
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Birmingham, England
Low to the ground?
One week later a truckload of vandals attacked the sign with bricks! |
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That’s funny,
A “Now Playing” Birthday cake! |
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Surprise!
Sometimes I’d fly to a city to help “install” a system, and a new experience would present itself.
Like climbing into a hydraulic lift on a windy/rainy day.
This was the first site using new untested “MusicBoard”
software. Because the electronic letters were fairly big, we had to swing the bucket out into the open air away from the sign so I could read the messages. |
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There I was at the 1993 NAB, selling Now Playing software for RDS!
If only I had known it would be a decade before radio stations would get on board!
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| A little publicity keeps the phones ringing! |
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In 1995 the EIA (now known as the CEA, home of CES) purchased 500 RDS encoders & 500 copies of our Now Playing RDS software to give away in an attempt to seed the marketplace.
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This is a “public” demonstration of our “Interactive Radio” technology in 2002. An outdoor billboard showing the results of our database “lookup” and then broadcast over RBDS. |
| A full color electronic billboard! |
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| Here, an AM station’s billboard was enabled via their sister station’s RDS signal delivering the news headlines. |
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Broadcast Electronics purchased The Radio
Experience in 2005 |
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2007
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Jump2Go Launched
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2007
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June - The RDS Forum in Glion Switzerland
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Cue the music: The Hills are Alive…
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Martin Page (Visteon), Treasurer/Secretary, Johnny Beerling, Chairman, & Dietmar Kopitz, Chief Executive Officer
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The amazing people at this conference are responsible for the creation of RDS (Radio Data System) and it’s relevance today.
In 2007 one chip manufacturer alone sold over 100 million RDS radio chips! |
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At the 2007 RDS Forum, Joe D’Angelo - Corporate soldier for iBiquity Digital took in the Jump2Go presentation & recognized that we could assist with the initial deployment of iTunes Tagging for HD Radio.
Interesting that “HD Radio” is “learning” from the RDS Elders eh?
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2007
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August - Jump2Go enables first stations for Tagging in Seattle, San Francsico & Cupertino
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 But we’re gonna need some test stations, what broadcaster is visionary enough to let us deploy such innovative technology… Why Technical Director of Entercom Marty Hadfield of course!
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August - These screen captures are from the first two stations we enabled ”iTunes Tagging” for HD Radio and RDS.
First in Seattle at Entercom’s KNDD
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Then a couple of weeks later in San Francisco at Entercom’s KBWF.
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RDS Tagging!
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At the same time we enabled iTunes Tagging for HD Radio, we installed our
RDS Tagging solution as well. Two groundbreaking technologies enabled on the same day!
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Helping Hands…
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The engineer above sacrificed precious time assisting us in our efforts.
Also thanks to Shingo Kamada Director of Engineering for Entercom San Francisco
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 Helping us at our second test station (KFOG/KFFG) was Steve Cordova
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The very “glamorous” world of transmitter sites
Interesting thing about the KFFG installation, is that it sits atop a hill,
right above Apple headquarters in Cupertino!
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One incredible engineer, one *wild* driver! Tweaking the KFFG installation.
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Let’s not forget Broadcast Electronics who provided our modified TRE software and HD Radio Importers
for test stations. Ray Miklius and Jim Roberts helping…
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Last but not least, one very important office/meeting room in Cupertino…
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