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Radio Disney is back in NYC

Probably a little late this year to give the present of an HD radio to someone in that all-important 6-11 demo.

I brought along with me a brand-new radio to the Catskills on a visit to my kid sister's tribe.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Gru...PkN23vxBM:&usg=__rATx0RvAEB7Gj-Bc43iRS_wAdAE=

Gosh, that's a long web-site. I hope it takes.

My nephew Tyler said, 'Gee, Uncle Steve ... that's the oldest radio I ever saw.'

Tyler is 10. And since I was the only one of six people in that house who turned ON a radio at any time during the visit, I don't doubt it was the ONLY radio the kid ever saw.
Disney radio, as long as it exists, will have to do a lot more than just programming on a 'younger' radio dial.
 
This seems to be happening in other markets as well. And Disney thought they had no listeners when they were on mostly AM stations? At least every household has an AM radio in one way shape or form. How many households have HD radios?
 
Back in the beginning of RD, there was the assumption that the majority of RD listeners would be parents tuning in to entertain their kids while in the car. Seems to me with the increasing amounts of available HD radios in new cars, the chances of that access would be more available and certainly better quality than being on AM stations ever was. This also now provides another way for stations to monetize their HD streams in larger markets that RD wants to be in and provides RD with a less expensive distribution model than keeping a group of expensive nationwide AM stations running.
 
This also now provides another way for stations to monetize their HD streams

Exactly...it's a pretty interesting approach by the iBiquity people to create a commercial network for their technology. No risk really for the stations, because they make money without any expense. It may be a small amount of money, but it's more than they made before. And once again, this addresses the belief that unique programming is what's holding back HD Radio.
 
The thing that puzzles me is why is Radio Disney on an HD3 station owned by CBS? It should be on 98.7 HD2 which is owned by Disney.
 
The thing that puzzles me is why is Radio Disney on an HD3 station owned by CBS? It should be on 98.7 HD2 which is owned by Disney.

The sales arrangement that iBiquity has is with CBS. So Disney could put it on their own frequency and sell it themselves, or put it on CBS and just collect a check. In this case, the latter provides the better return.
 
The thing that puzzles me is why is Radio Disney on an HD3 station owned by CBS? It should be on 98.7 HD2 which is owned by Disney.

Besides the fact that the RD net is through an agreement with CBS, 98.7 is not owned by Disney; it is an LMA by ESPN from Emmis. It is quite possible that the LMA only includes the analog channel and its corresponding HD (or HD-1) channel and not the SCA and HD-2 and beyond rights.
 
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It's an interesting concept. Many on the board have said they were disappointed that in some markets HD radio didn't offer anything they couldn't hear on analogue radio. I can see the logic behind this, as there are enough cars with the technology that it might finally be worth offering something that could draw in listeners and revenue, so why not try it with Radio Disney. If it takes off, then you might see more unique formats driving up an interest in the technology, and if it doesn't work the losses would be minimal.
 
The deal is between Ibiquity and Disney and not independent deals with individual stations. Ibiquity has arrangements with certain large companies requiring programming in certain markets on certain HD signals.
Big A hit the nail on the head with the question: Is the slow growth of HD radio due to lack of original or different programming or is just another failed technology the consumer doesn't want?
 
Big A hit the nail on the head with the question: Is the slow growth of HD radio due to lack of original or different programming or is just another failed technology the consumer doesn't want?

Or is it both, or neither? All iBiquity is doing is attempting to remove one of those possibilities. Someone had to take that risk, and it was in their best interest to do it.

But they also have to work on making the technology available in more places for free, and also opening the technology to other developers. Plus find other uses for this technology. That job is up to the new owner and new CEO.

This particular sales network idea opens the door to other content creators on the internet who are seeking a way to get on the broadcast platform beyond traditional syndication. If course the creator has to bring a service that already is successful with its own marketing structure, because iBiquity doesn't provide that.
 
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Seems to me with the increasing amounts of available HD radios in new cars, the chances of that access would be more available and certainly better quality than being on AM stations ever was.

Radio Disney used to at least show up in the NYC ratings when it was on AM 1560, right? Does any HD2 channel show up now -- in particular, 92.3 HD-2 K-Rock? Jockless, but musically excellent, that's the only station in the city playing new rock right now. If it isn't even showing up on Nielsen's radar then what chance does RD have?
 
If it isn't even showing up on Nielsen's radar then what chance does RD have?

That's not the point. RD is primarily an online service. This is bonus money that doesn't cost them anything extra. The sales responsibility is on iBiquity. They're probably not selling ratings but national reach, similar to NASH.
 
That's not the point. RD is primarily an online service. This is bonus money that doesn't cost them anything extra. The sales responsibility is on iBiquity. They're probably not selling ratings but national reach, similar to NASH.

But what good is national reach if hardly anybody's listening? Are Corporate America's advertisers so stupid that the keep buying the BS line that the agency shysters keep feeding them without asking the obvious follow-up question: "OK, the network you represent is on in New York. How many people are listening to it there?"
 
But what good is national reach if hardly anybody's listening? Are Corporate America's advertisers so stupid that the keep buying the BS line

Nobody buys anybody's line. They're buying numbers. Its all verifiable. Those numbers would be small if taken market by market, but added up across the country, you get more than if it was just on WQEW.
 
It's certainly better that this content is freely available in some form than if it was not, but the access to it is far less than the prior station. HD will never reach critical mass unless and until it's available in most cars. Most people simply aren't going to buy an additional receiver to get HD. The technology, at least on the FM band, does allow additional content to be crammed into the existing spectrum, but without most people having access to it where most radio listening occurs, in cars, all the marketing in the world and all of the wonderful content is for naught.
 
without most people having access to it where most radio listening occurs, in cars

Cue David Eduardo with industry research showing only 35 percent of radio listening being done in cars and a larger number of people than you think still listening to radio at home.
 
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