Copyright ©1996, RF Specialties Group.
RBDS has the sort of unbridled potential that makes one wonder if the marketing folks might be tampering with our intellectual voltages again.
But RBDS, or "Smart Radio" as it is now called, really does exist in all its money-making potential. And, broadcasters have the receivers to prove it. There are now 13 RBDS receiver models, with a strong possibility of more to come, according to Lisa Fasold of EIA. In addition to Delco, Pioneer and Denon, Fasold ventures that at least two other receiver manufacturers will have RBDS receivers by the end of the year. And, there's the potential for at least 20 other receiver manufacturers to eventually join the foray, since these manufacturers can easily transfer their RDS receivers (the European RBDS equivalent) to the United States with a mere component change.
Just as important is the acceptance of RBDS by stations. There are at least 240 stations in the United States now using RBDS, and EIA is now targeting 500 stations in the top 25 markets to receive encoders at no charge!
Here are eight money-making RBDS applications that are either being considered or in use by stations, all for gainful profit:
1. TEXT NEWS SERVICE: An RF Specialties client is transmitting a news service over RDS to LED reader boards on buses. The owner's stations transmit text newscasts so bus commuters can read the news on their way to work and back. The station owner charges a fee to advertisers who insert their messages during the newscasts. RF Specialties-supplied RDS data receivers, by Gian Technologies, have buffer memory for repeat scrolling of news. The stations are transmitting to some 24 buses, bringing in approximately $20,000 additional advertising revenue every month.
2. CREDIT CARD VERIFICATION: The same station owner is also leasing his stations' RDS subcarriers to local stores for transmitting credit card verification information. RDS receivers receive the credit card denial list and store it in RAM memory, making this an ideal application for fast-food restaurants, whose credit card volume would be too much for servers to wait for dial-up telephone service during every transaction.
3. TEXT ADVERTISING: Stations are already picking up additional advertising revenue by displaying their advertisers' logos and names on RBDS radios.
4. AXCESS PAGING: Axcess Global Communications recently entered into a global joint venture with Panasonic, and plans are to cover the entire United States market with a paging/electronic messaging service next year. The company is offering free RBDS encoders to select stations and it estimates stations can make between $500 to $10,000 monthly revenue with their service.
5. LOCAL PAGING: Another money-maker: Offering local paging to companies which regularly page contractors in the field. CRL's new SC-100 RBDS generator has a built-in paging terminal for this purpose.
6. TRAFFIC CONTROL: Contact the local department of transportation about leasing RBDS instead of burying cable to change the synchronization pattern of traffic lights.
7. BILLBOARD OR IN-STORE SIGN MESSAGING: Lease your RBDS subcarrier to companies with billboard or merchandiser variable message signs (VMS). Billboard messaging is generally controlled by state transportation departments, and prior to RBDS, the alternative was to relay messages over costly cellular phones or dedicated phone lines. Modulation Sciences has an RDS data receiver which has almost unlimited addressability, so stations can transmit a number of messages for the same company or provide the service to a number of companies. (See the article on data receivers in this issue.)
8. ADVERTISING SERVICE VIA COMPUTER: Here's a new twist on the information superhighway: Advertising text over RBDS to computer workstations. There are RDS data receivers on the market which can decode RBDS for office workers using a personal computer (providing it has sufficient memory and appropriate software).
If you have questions about the above RBDS applications, or have ideas for other RBDS uses, call or FAX RF Specialties. RF Specialties carries both RBDS receivers and generators.