For some time now, the radio industry has been pushing to get mobile device builders to include FM receiver chips in their sets, and if they didn't, to get Congress to mandate installation and use of those chips. For several years now, manufacturers have been including the chip in handsets, but mobile systems in the U.S. have kept them turned off.
This week, RIM and Blackberry announced that they'll be the first of the major operators in the U.S. to turn the chips on. Customers who use several of the Blackberry Curve units and install the forthcoming BlackBerry 7.1 OS will find an app that allows them to use those devices to listen to local FM stations, without having to rely on data services or data plans.
International experience suggests that this new potential audience is not likely to significantly impact radio listenership or solve radio's financial problems, but it shouldn't hurt, either.
Source: BlackBerry Flips on Radio Switch, RadioInk
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