CC Radio offering RDS traffic system
Also announced at CES in Las Vegas: CC Radio announced a new service that delivers real-time local traffic data directly to vehicles. Beginning immediately, traffic data authored by Clear Channel Radio's network of reporters, traffic cameras, helicopters and airplanes and will be offered via an annual subscription to owners of vehicles equipped with Audiovox Radio Data System Traffic Message Channel (RDS-TMC) equipment.
In-car navigation systems, available from Audiovox, are immediately available as an after-market installation to U.S. vehicles, creating digital transmission of traffic information that will be fully integrated into the vehicle's navigation system, allowing the subscriber to view a real time traffic information overlay on a moving map display. Drivers don't have to be tuned to a CC Radio station to receive the service. Audiovox's subscriptions for the service are 59.90 per year and 95.90 for two years. The fees are very competitive with XM and Sirius' traffic services, which are only available in the top 20 markets, considering satellite subscribers have to pay the base subscription fees of 9.95 a month plus $1 a month for the traffic services.
The data network provides live, local traffic in the 48 of the top 50 U.S. markets, and is available 24/7, 365 days a year. CC Radio currently provides local traffic reports to stations in 105 markets.
RDS-TMC traffic data are already being broadcast in over 10 European countries.
"The problem up until now in the states has been that there was not an agreed upon set of codes, and that was solved about a year ago," Jeff Littlejohn, Executive SVP of Distribution Development for CC Radio tells RBR. "There was no broadcasters using the technology, so we decided to adopt it...This is such an easy technology to roll out from an RDS standpoint because it's already available in Europe and Japan.
He adds, "The data that we're broadcasting here will easily translate into HD Radio - - they're working on receivers out there right now."
The solutions are on display at Booth # 11006.
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