Ford Engineer Tells Radio To Keep Up With Technology

Jim Buczkowski

A FORD engineer is telling radio to get on board with technology -- and with HD RADIO. RADIO WORLD reports, "JIM BUCZKOWSKI is a HENRY FORD Technical Fellow and Dir./Electrical and Electronic Systems Research and Innovation for the car manufacturer. In a letter to the industry, he writes, "AM/FM now competes with -- music and talk radio sources in the car like PANDORA, SPOTIFY, MUSIC UNLIMITED, SLACKER, STITCHER, iHEARTRADIO. Many of these new offerings are being driven by the popularity and pervasiveness of 'apps' which are accelerating the pace of change and the pace that new forms of entertainment are brought to customers."

FORD has partnered with MICROSOFT to create "SYNC,"which integrates digital offerings for drivers in cars with the system. In fact, FORD has gone as far as dropping CD players in some of it's upcoming models (NET NEWS 7/27). BUCZKOWSKI NOTES, "virtually all car makers have embraced the integrated digital media platform."

FORD includes SYNC on over 3 million vehicles (NET NEWS 1/4). BUCZKOWSKI wrote that "consumers have come to expect the same consistent 'look and feel' from their in-car media experience as they experience with their iPODS, smartphones, Internet radio and other digital technology."

iBIQUITY DIGITAL SVP/Marketing STEVEN BALDACCI told RADIO WORLD that BUCZKOWSKI is "the guy who decides where radio is in the pecking order of entertainment features at FORD."

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