An industry milestone occurred earlier this week when HD Radio celebrated its 15th birthday – a “glass half empty / glass half full” technology loaded with promise that has either been a major disappointment or a technical breakthrough for the radio broadcasting industry – depending on how you look at it. The story was covered by a number of industry trades, including Inside Radio’s “As HD Radio Turns 15, Industry Looks Back – And Ahead.”
The history on HD Radio is…well, checkered. Back in 2006, broadcast radio was beginning to feel some real competitive heat from outside the industry. Satellite radio was beginning its assault, adding Howard Stern to the Sirius lineup. To say it was a shot across the bow was an understatement.
Add to that, Pandora was generating lots of excitement on the streaming front as more and more consumers discovered its music genome, a sort of algorithm that melded your music taste in a unique way. And in the same year, a newcomer called Spotify debuted. Suffice it to say, it was a period when there was lots of buzz. Unfortunately, little to none of it was coming radio’s way.
HD Radio became the solution – a way for broadcast radio’s tightly programmed formats to have “hidden channels” that could be used to counter just about anything. Many at the time dreamed of a new broadcast model with perhaps twice as many formats as before.
Of course, this cut both ways. Radio companies could innovate exciting new formats that could match anything Sirius or XM were programming. But in the process, incumbent stations could be eroded and even mortally wounded by an HD-2 station programming something more niche.
That dilemma turned into a controversy. And the powers-that-be, not excited about self-inflicted wounds, came up with a novel solution: a “draft” in most markets where companies would be able to declare each of their station’s HD-2 formats, with the group having veto power over any option that appeared to be threatening.
I was able to surreptitiously sit in one of these HD Radio market drafts, and I was able to witness the process. I don’t remember all the particulars and rules, but I do recall that draft order was dictated by the most recent ratings books descending 12+ shares. So, the #1 station in town got to make their pick first, with discussions from the group following each choice over a very crowded conference call.
The draft worked – sort of. It effectively protected the most successful stations in the market. If you were the top-rated Soft AC, you’d be able to pre-empt someone else choosing a similarly programed HD-2 newcomer.
Of course, the unintended consequence of the draft was programming blandness. Because anything that might have had a hint of being innovative, clever, and disruptive ended up getting quashed, most of the new HD entrants were either variations on the tried-and-true themes or were predictably unimpactful.
The other fail with this initial foray into firing up new channels was that most radio companies took a wait-and-see posture on programming, staffing, and marketing them. At the time, there were relatively few HD Radios in circulation. iBiquity – the company that launched HD Radio in the U.S. – initially had a strategy to try to sell these radios to consumers – a piece of gear like a TV or stereo system.
(I still have one of those old Boston Acoustics models on my nightstand, and still see them in radio station offices to this day.)
But that plan proved to be problematic. While many stations jumped on board to give HD Radios away, sales of these units flagged. And broadcasters began to get discouraged by their lack of market penetration.
Of course, PDs were not incentivized on their HD-2 channels. More often than not, neither were salespeople. And we know how they think. You sell what you’re commissioned on – period. Everything else gets ignored.
Broadcasters themselves couldn’t agree on what worked – and what didn’t. Some hated the name “HD Radio.” There were disagreements about how HD-2s were listed and promoted. Some argued for numbered channels; others liked the idea of the master station owning the brand (WDRV HD-2). Suffice it to say, there were too many issues, too many opinions, and not enough resources behind the technology to make it part of the audio mainstream.
Ultimately, new and highly desirable content drives new technologies like HD Radio. And for the most part, it didn’t exist. When you think back to the growth of FM radio in the ’70s, it was largely driven by adventuresome programming heard on rock stations, as well as quality audio exemplified by classical and “beautiful music” stations. Great radio drove consumer demand for and sales of “FM converters,” and ultimately, automakers included the FM band as standard alongside AM radio in every car that rolled off the assembly lines.
But there were efforts made on the content side. Some companies – and stations – committed to HD-2s. Dan Mason (a former programmer) who ran CBS Radio at the time was a fierce advocate for the technology and the programming possibilities. Many of his stations tried myriad content experiments and approaches.
Tom Bender, who managed Greater Media’s Detroit cluster, put considerable resources into RIFF 2, an HD-2 that specialized in new rock, complete with talent, production, and imaging. With all those auto execs living in Metro Detroit, the strategy was to give them something to listen to and talk about. But these efforts turned out to be too few and far between.
There were also disconnects at many levels. While BMW turned out to be an early adopter, broadcasters got discouraged when they walked into a car dealership, where too often no one was familiar with the technology. Similarly, a visit to a Best Buy or a Circuit City often yielded the same shrugs. And there was often little to no signage for these new radios.
And at a time when satellite radio was firing on all cylinders and Apple was heavily marketing its amazing iPod (and later, the iPhone), HD Radio’s advertising program was basically limited to tapping into the commercial inventory of broadcast radio stations across the country.
Describing the technology and why it mattered turned out to be a tall order for what was then the HD Radio Alliance. The chicken-egg-of-it often came down to a lack of HD-2 and HD-3 stations in many markets, negating the “hidden stations” benefit.
Our company was involved on both the consulting and later the creation of some of the messaging and production. It proved to be a daunting challenge for us, and other pros who worked on this project, especially as many broadcasters had moved on long ago.
Perhaps the smartest move made by iBiquity, and later DTS and now Xperi was a refocus on the automotive sector. HD Radio became more present in car industry than in broadcast radio circles as more and more OEMs – car manufacturers – adopted the technology.
iBiquity had presence in suburban Detroit, where they could engage with the auto industry, and worked hard to remain visible and vital at the Consumer Electronics Show. To this day, just about the only “radio” you see at CES is Xperi and HD Radio.
Today, the “Artist Experience” and “Advertiser Experience” display technology represents an opportunity for radio broadcasters to regain an equal footing on dashboard display.
In collaboration with Quu, more radio companies are refocusing their attention on
ever-increasing screen “real estate” in cars – especially electric vehicles.
As the car becomes an even more competitive environment, how radio looks in dashboards may become as important as how it sounds.
Even to this day, HD Radio conversations among broadcasters can become as contentious as opening up the phones on a talk show to talk about, say Donald Trump, guns, or abortion. Opinions run hot on all sides of the ledger. Everyone has a reason for why HD Radio never became the “next big thing” for radio during a time when the industry was looking for good news to tell Wall Street.
Come to think of it, we’re there again. And it will be interesting to see whether HD Radio and its technological tentacles can help radio broadcasters remain a part of the conversation – and the dashboard.
Meantime, what do you get for a 15 year-old?
See if she wants a radio.
This video is on Xperi’s website and might have come in handy a decade or so ago.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I’ll always contend it was a great idea with a horrible name. With TV, yes, radio, not so much.
Scott, a lot of people agree with that. iRadio is still available.
I decided that “HD” must mean hybrid digital, that is, IBOC. And I remember iBiquity’s insistence that “HD Radio” is an adjective, not a noun. Do they still harp on that?
Xperi explicitly claims it did NOT stand for Hybrid Digital.
https://hdradio.com/trademark/
It’s the same thing with HDTV. Here in the New York Newark metro area, all the major stations waste their secondary Channels with a low quality 450P version of their main channel! The other channels are restricted To Mediocre reruns of shows over 2 decades old. I don’t mind the old classic Channel , westerns or a black and white Channel, that is historic and there is a nice niche for that.
Technically it’s signal reach remains limited. I live on the edge of the HD signals in the Philly suburbs and the signal goes in and out. If it had more power while not hurting the main signal it would have a better chance.
Many agree with the signal issues, Joel, especially in places like yours that are in between metros.
A big problem then and now remains, “What do we put on those channels?”
In 2012, I wrote an editorial for Radio World newspaper on that very topic: “Innovate In-House for HD Radio”. In my opinion, the solution I posed is still valid; although nine years later, you would be hard-pressed to find many able bodies left at the station to take on the job.
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/innovate-inhouse-for-hd-radio
Alan’s suggestion is as good an idea now as it was a decade ago. And someone at Hubbard apparently was listening, because in DC that’s essentially how “The Gamut” got its start at WTOP-HD3 (not that Dave Kolesar was being a pain!), and look where that has led: WWFD’s experiment with MA3 that has resulted in a new opportunity for AMs everwhere.
And, by the way, The Gamut is highly listenable, unlike so many of the HD2s that resulted from the “draft” scheme; which sounds to me like a “combination in the restraint of trade,” ie, of questionable legality.
Yeah, I have one of B.A.’s HD Receptors on my nightstand, too. Works just fine.
I’m sure there are more great HD-2s out there. And I hope people tell me about them.
I actually believe that true programmers (there are a few of them left) would know what to program, especially if the directive wasn’t limited to appealing to 25-54 adults.
While many broadcasters found the HD sub-channels useful to light up a translator and start a new format that way. However, the gen-pop is still mostly clueless on how to take advantage of HD on their radio. In this market most of the commercial players that have HD signals either rebroadcast their AM, or have just let it go silent. Also, the consumer has gotten used to the Pandora / Spotify model of instant gratification.
That’s accurate, Joel. Most people who end up with HD Radio in cars “bump into” an HD-2, but often have no idea what it is. And as you indicate, bad timing with all the other tech goodies that came out around the same time.
Is it just a lack of imagination on the part of radio managers? If you’re running in digital with an HD1 and an HD2, surely it’s a no-brainer to add a liner for people inadvertently hearing your HD1 signal.
Something like this: “Have you noticed how great we’re sounding these days? Do you see that orange ‘HD’ icon glowing on your radio’s information display? That’s why we sound so good, and guess what, there’s another great program you’re receiving right now on our HD2 multicast channel. Just tune to it and see if you don’t agree.”
I’ll be recording this later today. 🙂
There’s a shortage of microchips that allow HD in automobiles, and right now; automakers are not producing cars with with HD radios. They say it will continue into 2022. There is still the problem with dealers understanding the tech or why having a radio is important.
You’re right, Lara. Short-term, the chip shortage is a problem. But the dealership disconnect will undoubtedly continue – and it’s real. When I leased my last car, I specifically aske for radio. On the third car they brought out, there was no HD Radio (the sales guy was confusing it with satellite radio). I later asked him how many people ask for HD Radio when buying a car. He’s an old veteran at these dealership, and admitted I was the first.
The rollout was pretty much a mess…
The first batch of radios didn’t work well without a plug-in antenna which came later.
I seem to also remember cramdown recorded promos which were over-produced and did not clearly explain the what, why and how.
Yeah, they used a major agency out of Texas, and the campaign was long on humor and style, and short on substance and message delivery. And yes, the technical aspects were shaky.
I think this came down to two major issues – the name of the technology and the initial marketing strategy. Sure, broadcasters didn’t help matters by essentially making most HD channels throwaway or poorly managed programming (remember this has been around during an era of massive consolidation and dwindling programming staffs). As you stated, they didn’t have much of an impetus to put effort behind create content for something their listeners wouldn’t use.
First, HD Radio created an immediate brand issue – the first impression is that it’s High Definition radio, which isn’t the case. The ads I did hear touting HD Radio were super vague too – I specifically remember one talking about stations between channels and I had no clue what it meant. Add in other emerging entertainment technologies with easy to understand names and HD Radio lost out on an opportunity from a bad brand.
The other issue was that they picked the wrong marketing strategy by focusing on in-home listening too much. They essentially opened the door for SiriusXM to dominate the quickly evolving car entertainment system. How many times was SiriusXM a selling point for an upgraded entertainment system? I remember that being a HUGE selling point across multiple car brands. Now HD Radio is a little more ubiquitous but SiriusXM still has a leg up because it’s easier to use and they likely paid sales staff to know how to sell it.
Looking ahead, the car dashboard experience is its best opportunity at this point. RDS is limiting on analog radio so HD can give a station a fuller experience. If HD radio can make radio LOOK more like an evolving technology and one that can keep up with the times, then it can still create value even if the technology’s original intent is never fulfilled.
Jeff, you boil it down well. I think the other part of the SiriusXM “leg up” (as you refer to it) is also that their content is a lot better than anything you can get on most HD-2s/3s.
And you’re right about the car. That dashboard “look” is key. Thanks for the comment.
Interesting article as always Fred. HD was doomed from the beginning for all the reasons you outline. Lack of investment, market penetration and inconsistent designs between manufactures, etc. I remember years ago showing a friend of mine in Portland how to listen to his favorite AM Sports station on an FM side channel in his BMW and he said, “How did you do that?” “I had no idea it did that!” This was from a highly educated person who WANTED the content and better sound quality. A real word example of why the technology was doomed!
Mike, thanks for this. More reinforcement it was always too complicated. Technology has to be great, time-saving, and awesome. But simple always helps.
I love the fidelity of HD – it as noticeably improved as the move in fidelity from AM to FM years ago. However fidelity is an non-issue for most listeners today accustomed as they are to listening on a phone. Fred…just like apps, HD radio needs a killer format to breakthrough – but when that happens the operator will just move it to an analog signal to reach a bigger audience. Meantime – the HD/translator combo has saved a lot of AM stations from going dark. I imagine for another 15 years we’ll continue to stumble along with HD radio…
Thanks for this, Jackson. You may be right about the analog signal winning in the end, but I would hope that original programming on HD channels could make a lot of much-needed noise and buzz (of which there is absolutely NONE now).
First off, you have to ask the question “Does the general public even know what HD radio is?” And then you must ask, “Do they care?” Many radio stations use the HD2 and HD3 channels as dumping grounds for old formats that they dropped from their main channels. This way when a listener complains about the format change the station can say, “Oh, we didn’t drop the format we just moved it to our HD2 channel.” And then the listener says, “HD What? What is that? I can’t get that channel. You don’t play my favorite music anymore. So I’m NOT listening to you ever again.” Followed by a few expletive deleteds. No sales department would waste their time selling for a station that no one listens to. And most of these HD channels are nothing more than glorified juke boxes with no live air personalities to attract attention and interest. In summation I believe HD radio is a total failure. It’s much ado about nothing.
The
To answer your first questions, no and no. And while no one will argue that HD Radio did not live up (or even close) to its programming and content potential, in our current environment, there’s no reason why it couldn’t. After all, 99% of broadcasters are not putting HD-2s/3-s to good use. Thanks for commenting.
Its clear the original plan didn’t work, it might be better to devise something to succeed now than to do a post mortem on a distant failure.
Here’s an idea – dedicate the entire HD platform to 12-30 year olds and program exclusively to them, See what works, maybe even do some research. K-Pop radio? Indy radio? If you dedicated the whole thing to youth and rebranded it, some of the uncool factor with good ol radio might be reversible.
Bob, there’s a consistent string of comments here. What do we have to lose?
Give them to low-paid kids to run, tell them to make their friends happy, you know like happened with FM when the dinosaurs were still roaming the earth.
There’s a lot of great comments here but this may be the best idea of all.
See my comment to Gary Weiss, Robert. It’s a smart strategy, and if they end up doing something compelling, original, and innovative, I’m pretty confident people will find it.
Fred, you recall my Dad – still kickin’ at 87 – owned stations for years along with the late Norman Wain. “Merged” the group in ’94 with Clear Channel. He now lives his radio life vicariously through me. Not long ago I was explaining how his HD radio works in his new car. Showed him HD2, HD3 etc once the “HD” lights up. He’s says: “why did no one ever tell me this?? You mean if I owned 2 FMs I can actually program and sell spots on 6? This is the greatest thing ever!”
I recall very well as a kid in the mid 60s when the FCC mandated that radio stations – at least in major markets like Cleveland was in those days – set separate programming up on the FMs they had simulcasting the AMs. That gave way to Beautiful Music and Progressive Rock. In the latter case they turned over the stations to the 21 year old overnight/weekend guy and said: “put something on kids like you might like”. The rest is history.
Turn over these HD Channels to “the kids” and limit spot load to say, 4 to 6 min an hour and then let’s see what happens!
Also, if HD radio was not IBOC but rather a separate service (band) it would have taken off. The NAB membership didn’t want that.
Isn’t it ironic that the go-to application for “crystal clear” HD now is to feed 200 watt analog translators, crowding the radio dial now so that almost everywhere you go there is an audible signal on every other channel – at least! In most areas of the country, having 100kw at 1500′ doesn’t get you coverage like what you had because there is a translator the next channel over!
Working for Norm and your Dad was a career highlight for me, Gary. They totally appreciated, loved, and enjoyed the radio business. And they were so good at connecting the dots & understanding opportunities. Nothing would make me happier than HD-2s/3-s being turned over to “the kids.” Just like in the good old days of FM, what do we have to lose? Please give a hug to your Dad for me. He and Norm were a major part of my success in the 80s.
I have a small radi-osophy HD 100 radio…that I never listen to for all-of-the-above reasons. I can’t help thinking about how successful some multicast TV channels are. Me-TV has 27 million viewers weekly–with programming including Ed Sullivan, Leave it to Beaver, Gunsmoke, Carol Burnett and the Twilight Zone. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I read in this column that when using the “metric – physical + digital sales” method of calculation, after BTS, the top selling artists are the Beatles, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Zeppelin and the like? Granted, there are too many HD channels to put a Me-TV RADIO station on (which, as I’m sure you know is also quite successful), but it should at least give us an idea that–much as we talk about innovation and new music discovery–important as those are–in the end, we’re also looking for “ears.” And if the ears follow the example of the eyes, then maybe giving someone the “experience” of their favorite listening days might be worth looking into for filling at least some of those spots. Maya Angelou said it best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When I watch Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights, I don’t feel like I’m watching an “old tv show,” I feel like I’m a kid again. Yes, let’s throw a TON of kids onto these stations to try to recreate what happened with FM, but let’s remember the rest of us used to be kids, too!
HD Radio and the new Digital AM Radio schemes both suffer from an economic disadvantage: radios are scarce and too costly.
When you can get a decent quality AM-FM-HD radio for under $25, maybe you’ll have something. Until then, well…
True that, Alan. Plus, people haven’t really purchased ‘standalone radios” in a good long while.
Boy Fred this REALLY got a LOT of response. I too have one of those Boston Acoustic HD radios and use it primarily for the AUX input. I wanted to hear WJR-AM Detroit on the HD-2 of WDVD, but have to position the single wire antenna just right to pick it up even in suburban Novi, just 22 miles outside Detroit! The same goes for WWJ-AM on WXYT-FM HD-2 and both are 50,000 watt AM’s, but sound better on HD if receivable. I can vividly recall people not knowing they had AM-Stereo years ago and I said see that ST on the dial that means STEREO. Most thought it just meant “station.” Sad.
It’s been said that “if radio (including HD radio) dies, it will be ruled a suicide.” I love radio deeply, but I’m afraid the total lack or originality and creativity is spreading like a cancer.
Art, smart observer of the radio industry as you are, these are all good points. Radio’s had a lot of competition these past couple decades. But we haven’t exactly made it easier for ourselves.
There are two major things that are crippling the growth of HD Radio:
First, the lack of real interest from the consumer electronics industry. As some have mentioned, you did not see huge displays or any promotion in stores. The number of radio models featuring HD were, for a long time, limited to the high end “audiophile” genre and there were very few options for someone wanting a table radio. Competition for the dashboard both in the auto industry and even in the rental car industry has held back HD Radio. When you have these industries reaching sweetheart deals with Sirius/XM, it further keeps HD away from the people. For example, I have yet to get a rental car from Avis that has HD, but no problem with getting a car with SiriusXM, which I can pay for as an extra.
In comparison to Japan. In Japan, the commercial AM broadcasters have pressed the government to permit them to shut down their AM plants and migrate to FM. The FM broadcast band was 76~90 MHz in Japan. With the elimination of analog television in the country, the MIC (their FCC) reallocated 90~95 MHz (most of their former Channel 1) to “complementary” FM broadcasting for AM stations and many AM stations are turning up FM facilities in this spectrum. When I went to Japan back in 2019, you go into a major electronics store like Yodobashi, you are met with huge displays with ワイドFM (Wide FM) and a lot of marketing for new radios that featured as 76~108 MHz. The MIC recently stated that as of 2017, Wide FM receivers have already penetrated over 50% of the market (oh yes, there was considerable participation from the auto manufacturers). It does amaze me how 47 AM stations and their national association had a lot more influence than our NAB with their thousands of member stations does. Our industry definitely failed. (In all fairness, there is no terrestrial DAB in Japan..)
(2) The other thing that has crutched HD Radio is the FCC’s tolerance of allowing HD subchannels to be rebroadcast on FM translators as a “fill in” service. Not only does this devalue the exclusivity and uniqueness of HD content, but it also prevents independent local noncommercial voices from being able to establish 100 or 250 watt low power FM radio stations in urban areas. Instead, HD has been used as nothing but an overglorified STL by allowing a service that was intended to bring FM radio into places where FM stations can’t reach, to be used as additional analog stations and worsened by the ability to use the “fill-in” rules as opposed to the standard translator rules to provide, in some cases, another Class A-like FM signal.
Here on Delmarva at the REC Networks Radio Ranch here in very rural Riverton, MD, we do not pick up any HD signals here at all, despite having an iHeart cluster in the market.
If we want to fix HD Radio, we need:
(1) The consumer electronics industry to step up (I am aware of the chip shortage right now)…
(2) The FCC to start phasing down the use of translators for the rebroadcast of HD subchannels. This can be first done by setting station ERP by “Maximum HAAT” like non-fill in translators and then/or the requirement that a translator must rebroadcast a primary (HD1) program stream of an FM (or AM) station.
(3) Xperi needs to allow commercial FM stations that want to donate their excess HD channels (like their HD3 and HD4) to noncommercial educational entities, that there are no additional licensing fees. (Currently, Xperi does have a reasonable license rate for noncommercial stations which includes subchannel access).
(4) The startup costs for stations needs to be reduced to get more stations interested.
I support HD Radio. I have helped LPFM stations get HD. We need to make HD work as a unique feature of radio and not just an excuse to put up a super powered FM translator.
Michelle, thanks for providing a detailed, step-by-step analysis of HD Radio’s breakdown. I have seen your YouTube shows, and while I don’t understand most of what you’re talking about, your perspective is enormous.
There has been a lot of speculation about HD Radio – what it is, what it isn’t, what it could be, and what it shouldn’t be. Whether you are a broadcaster owner, engineer, programmer, OEM, car dealer, or Best Buy salesperson, you’ve got a stake in this that may run contrary to everyone else.
Oh yeah, and then there’s the consumer, who I would argue whose interests have rarely if ever been considered in all of this. The fact she doesn’t care about HD Radio any more than how her toaster oven works speaks volumes to me. (Actually, she probably cares more about her toaster oven.)
Every time radio plans it’s next initiative around: How can we monetize it? How can we scale it? Can we repurpose something we’re already doing? Can we do it with existing staffers? while skipping over the critical step of WIIFTC – what’s in it for the consumer? – our best laid plans are destined for failure.
At the very worst, HD-2s/3s could have (still could) be used as radio’s farm team for new formats, concepts, talent. Even though companies own a half dozen (or more) stations in a metro (one or two of which are inevitably dogs), there’s never room for format innovation, talent cultivation, innovation, and experimentation. At the very least, these outlets could serve as our AAA team, our D league, etc. As nights, overnights and often middays are voicetracked, syndicated, or otherwise devalued, radio’s chance to beta concepts and people go untapped.
We’ve stopped asking “What if?” and instead wonder how to cut expenses.
Instead, the seed money is now going into podcasting, even though the chance of a breakout successes there goes down with every 1,000 new shows that get dumped into the ever-expanding flea market of crap.
Your items 3) and 4) are really interesting, and sound workable. But would most broadcasters even bother? I worry that HD Radio is so down the To-Do List that even if the powers-that-be decided to make them happen, would anyone would care.
Thanks for engaging here, Michelle. I’m not sure my comments are germane to yours, but I hope we’re advancing the dialogue somewhat.
P.S. My apologies to dogs who are always better than those mediocre 5th FM stations in way too many clusterss.
Having a bunch of extra channels was like doubling the number of brands of hot sauce at the store. Tabasco buyers were not convinced, and Tapatio customers were not listening. Everybody already had a favorite. Worse, you could not get the new sauces without a special plate of shrimp, or tacos, that you could not make at home, cost a lot of dinero, and dropped out just when you were getting your mac on. Enough for the lame analogy.
As usual the big problem was the equipment suppliers who tried not to accommodate the HD thing. Face it, the Ibiquity penalty was bad. We waited a long time to find receivers anywhere. Way too long.
In my hometown, most of the stations who put up HD signals, and some HD2s, pulled the plug after a while and nobody cared. Even HD1 got canceled for some. Who needs the flaky flip from HD to analog and back? This will sound sexist, but this sometimes clunky flip thing was really annoying to more women than men. Need a clue? You only have cume, what, one half of one percent to make the book? I can count the number of successful HD2s in the whole country on my fingers. I bet most are public stations.
What do we have now? Howard Stern is taking summers off. Podcasting is hitting the talent wall. (Lack of attraction. . . ) and the first time your Yacht Rock channel plays something with real soul you are telling Alexa to take a break. (Snicker. I cracked me up.)
The idea from a previous post that we could use HD as a farm system has some merit, I think. But developing talent requires bigger talent to mentor them. I listen, too, and good luck with that. Where’s a modern radio operation gonna get the cash for that level of consulting? (nudge to you larger than life voices who could help)
Lalo, long time no comment. Glad you’re back with your usual “cut to the quick analysis.” Your paragraph about “What do we have now?” is a damn good commentary on the state of the state.
And yes, I’m still holding out home broadcasters would deploy HD-2s/3s are training ground for high school and college kids. And while I’d love them to be mentored, I’m wondering if we just threw them in the deep end of the HD pool, they might come up with more original and compelling stuff than any of us could teach them.
As an AM PD whose programming was simulcast of the HD-2 of a sister FM, the problem out of the gate was the near-impossibility of constructing a clear promotional message describing how to find it. There is little consistency on how HD is treated on car radio screens. I got a text from my 33-year-old daughter just the other day, wondering when Q-102 in Philly had changed formats to “Pride Radio.” Her car radio had somehow shifted to the HD-3 of WIOQ, and trying to explain how to get back to HD-1 left her pretty confused.
Ouch. It has always been confusing, and of course, that made it even harder to market. Thanks, Steve.
One element in the development of HD Radio that I haven’t seen mentioned yet was the radical difference in philosophies between commercial and non-commercial broadcasters regarding the technology. Commercial broadcasters initially did not want any additional channels on the band, and in fact that feature was not originally designed into the development of the technology. I was involved in some of these very early deployments. It took innovation by non-commercial broadcasters (who had more content than places to put it) to add the extra channels. Unfortunately the technology was already carved in silicon, so the available bandwidth was (and remains) rather limited for these additional services. The audio codec used also remains fixed and is unable to be upgraded to newer and more bandwidth efficient encoding.
There were other first and second generation technology issues both on the transmission and the receiver end that soured broadcasters and listeners on the experience as well. Unreliable equipment and digital power levels that were too low for reliable reception were the primary complaints. Add to this time alignment issues between analog and HD1, and it made for a very poor experience indeed. Many broadcasters threw up their hands in frustration and just turned it off, while others pressed on and worked with the manufacturers to improve it.
The current generation of technology (including automatic time alignment) and operation at higher digital power levels makes for a much better overall listener experience, but is it too little too late? Time will tell.
I’m a proponent of the technology and hope it continues to improve and grow as more stations take advantage of features like album art to enhance their position on the dashboard.
With the FCC’s recent decision to finally allow the all-digital or MA3 mode on AM stations, HD’s future looks bright on the MW band. More and more AM stations are finally switching to MA3, albeit a bit slowly initially. Even WFAS 1230 in New York has switched to MA3 even without an FM translator. I have few complaints with HD now that the FCC has smartly and finally acted to allow AM stations to eliminate the hybrid mode or MA1.
Content will always be an issue just as it has always been. Most listeners don’t have time or the desire to listen to multiple-hour broadcasts. Digital content, i.e. traffic, weather, etc,, must play a larger role on HD. Keep those HD screens updated with CURRENT information, broadcasters.
For young people, like the college students who staff the all-digital, post-FM indie-formatted WBRU in Providence, I’m not sure there is any benefit to HD Radio over the station’s internet stream. I’m on the board of directors. We’ve been providing two 24/7 online stations (the other plays hip hop) since the sale of 95.5 in 2017 and we’ve never considered leasing one of the HD2s in the market to extend our footprint. Young people already have a phone that they connect when they ride in a car. Unlike the progressive rock fans of the 1960s and 1970s, today’s young people already have several ways to get their music.
Peter, you are not the first to share that observation with me. And I agree, young people can get music anywhere, everywhere, and at anytime. The difference is having your own radio station – a platform that reaches thousands of fans – in your market or beyond. You may be right – that ship may have sailed. But I believe there is still magic in curated radio and mass distribution.
I agree, Fred, but I’d argue the internet stream is more mass distribution than HD2. In-market, today, the internet stream is certainly much less of a mass distribution technology than strong signal analog FM.
Neither is ideal, Peter, especially for brands trying to hack out a local footprint.
While an HD radio offers a superior listening experience over analog radios, there are a number of variables that affect the overall sound quality. For instance, the speaker is one of the most crucial. Consider its size and power because these will be a good indication of total performance.
I live in a metro of about 250k and there is 4 -1’s and one -2.
1 is college, and the rest are NPR. 3 of them are News/Talk.
ho-hum..
I live in the Styx of Montana where there is no HD radio but radio is still very popular. Was in Portland recently, in a rental car, with HD radio. Was excited to hear what HD AM sounded like. Couldn’t find a single station using it in that big market. Only a few HD FMs. Surprised for sure. Since many AM transmitters come with free AM stereo, I’m hearing buzz about a return to that technology on HD receivers. Any thoughts? Thank You
One tidbit of information I came here to find was a ballpark cost to switch to HD. Does it vary at all by market size?
I’m also puzzled by the many “do listeners even know what HD radio is?” Aside from finding the sub-channels, all you do is turn on your radio and a much cleaner, brighter sound and better reception comes popping out of your speakers.
But yeah, I did notice that on my HD radio, the reception range was shaved short by about 20 miles compared to my first digital-tuner car stereo from the 80’s. Even when I turned off the HD receptor just for fun.
I personally LOVE HD radio for the sound quality and the flicker-free reception. In my city, we have a Cumulus cluster and a Townsquare cluster, and none are in HD, let alone have RDS. Sorry, your CHR and HOT AC stations really should have song titles, you cheapskates.
I’m also glad somebody else on this board recalled the talk of AM STEREO which was rumored to be on the way over 35 years ago.
Pete, check in with the Xperi people for pricing and market specifics. I’m sorry to here no one in your market is HD Radio, especially as the technology is being installed in more and more vehicles.
We do have HD stations in my market. They’re all from a hometown, Mom & Pop cluster, believe it or not.
Thanks for the reply……your name is legendary in broadcasting, Sir.
Kind of you. Thanks for reading the blog.