Today, it’s a Guest Blog from WRIF Music Director, Mark Pennington. The Greater Media stations here in Detroit have been very active with HD Radio. Each of the three stations has had HD2 stations on the air for the better part of a year, promoting them aggressively. In this blog entry, Mark talks about what’s happening on the retail scene for HD Radio.
HD Radio in Detroit
As we approach almost a year on the air with Riff2, I thought it was time to do a little old fashion retail research. I sent out the RIFF2 interns to do some spot checking of retail locations around Detroit to test their awareness and knowledge about HD Radio. To my surprise, about 75% of the stores that they visited actually were very enthusiastic about the technology and had their sales pitches down.
Of those, I would say half were actually recommending HD over satellite. This really surprised and encouraged me. It appears that the retail people may have hit a wall with satellite radio, much like the rest of the world. I think they are looking for the “latest thing” to sell. They also appreciate the fact that they ONLY have to sell the hardware – not the radio – AND a monthly subscription service.
We all know the success of HD will revolve around getting the radios into cars. No market will impact the Big Three like Detroit. I am very hopeful that the automakers will follow the same path as the after-market retailers and discover that HD is a viable option. I am waiting on some numbers from iBiquity, but it appears they are starting to see some movement on the radios from the retailers that are selling them here in Detroit.
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.
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Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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