Radio drama and the passing of the PC

Mr. Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect at Microsoft Corporation, has declared the passing of the personal computer as the center of the technology universe. Speaking at Microsoft’s annual analyst meeting on July 27, he said, “In a previous era – the PC era – Microsoft would naturally begin with a PC mind-set.” Ozzie went on to say: “We’re in a new era, an era in which the Internet is at the center.”

This is barely news to the radio drama industry which is already marketing, performing, distributing and selling over the Internet. However, later in his talk he speaks of the possibility of richer experiences due to “the power of software on mobile devices [and on] each device that we carry around.”

Perhaps there’s something worth contemplating.

What if a theoretical Handheld Radio Drama Network was cel-casting to mobile phone and audio-enabled PDA owners? Suppose the people that owned laptop and tablet computers received broadcasts from HRDN?

Don’t like the sound of Handheld Radio Drama Network? Try these: Cel Phone Theatre; Mobile Mysteries; Cel SciFi, or maybe CelFi; ThrillCasts; or even SoapTones.

The point of this is that as our industry produces its entertainment offerings, technology continues to advance and find new applications. CDs, satellite radio and webcasts opened new markets in the past few years. Perhaps the Handheld Radio Drama Networks is the next.

Which begs the question: How might “The Wager” from Lit Between the Ears, Volume One, sound as a ringtone?

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