2012 Models and HD

[Radio Wreck]

I think I heard that either 2012 or 2013 cars are now standard with HD. Is this true, and if so, could it mean that AM radio could make a comeback?

If everyone within the next 10 years has an HD radio, then is it possible that AM could start programming music again? It would be nice to have more musical options on the dial.

 

[athegymtday]

I doubt it. I think most AM's will migrate to an FM HD Channel, but wait most listeners don't know what HD radio is. AM might still be around 5-10 years but HD radio may not be.

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

I doubt it. I think most AM's will migrate to an FM HD Channel, but wait most listeners don't know what HD radio is. AM might still be around 5-10 years but HD radio may not be.

The death of AM Radio is when stations like KYW migrate to FM, and the AM side is forgotten. Certainly not 5-10 years, maybe 30 for them all to.

 

[aindik]

There are really only 2 viable AM stations left in Philly, and one of them (WPHT) is teetering.

 

[TimeIsTight]

There are 22 car brands across 109 vehicle models that offer HD radio, many as standard equipment.

For a full list check the link below:

http://www.hdradio.com/press-room/hd-radio-technology-continues-momentum-with-additional-automakers-committed-more-vehicles-and-increa

It will be interesting to see how HD shakes out over time, but what is also needed are HD portables, clock radios, kitchen radios etc. being sold in most stores. It will take more than the driving audience to increase HDs appeal.

One scenario for AM, is that things get so bad, some stations go dark, and stronger stations go to full power digital HD and become something NEW, and IN with a generation that never listened to AM. However, the wild card is how wireless internet does, and how many people start listening to streams. The audio news and entertainment business could really fragment to serve narrow interests over the entire country or English speaking world, rather than local geographic markets with more general offerings. That's probably why getting into local all news or local all sports talk makes sense now because those formats could wind up as the last truly local guys standing. And while we can all import and listen to audio "content" from anywhere on the globe, we all still will have to acquire most of the goods and services we need locally, and providers of those goods and services will still need to promote and advertise them locally.

 

[JH_Radio]

What is also needed is for HD to have more power. I understand the anolog issue with HD gettin more power and that, (i like anolog myself) but I'm sayin there is no real world way to test it when you are comparing anolog with full power to HD with so little power.

 

[athegymtday]

I have 2 cars with HD radios and a personal HD radio, which allows me to listen to HD in the car that doesn't have an HD radio, which pulls in stations just as well. I rarely listen to the AM HD radios in the cars because it is so annoying when the HD cuts in and ouy. I know AM stations are only trying to be competative but the entire AM band suffers from all the HD hash and to make things worse the listeners that listen to analog AM suffer from the poor bandwidth which is more narrow to accomodiate HD.

All one needs to do is listen to WNPV in Lansdale which is all analog, the quality of the audio is so much better, and then tune to an AM HD station before the HD signal kicks in and you can hear how much better the audio is.

I think HD on an AM station only causes more problems.

 

[TimeIsTight]

I understand the anolog issue with HD gettin more power and that, (i like anolog myself) but I'm sayin there is no real world way to test it when you are comparing anolog with full power to HD with so little power.

Possibly, at some point, a big section of the AM band in some markets will be abandoned by AM stations to the point where full power digital HD can be tried. Possibly, there are places where some of these, hanging on by a shoe string, operations could be convinced to try it now. Once HD car radios become more common as standard equipment, these stations might actually gain listeners if their programming is attractive.

With the shift to a digital future for the current AM band inevitable, sectioning off frequency areas, or certain markets for it exclusively might actually keep some stations viable for the transition, rather than have a slow attrition through noisy junk programming to total darkness and bankruptcy.

Unfortunately, AM stations need transmitter real estate, especially for multi-tower arrays, when the real estate market recovers many of these transmitter sites will be worth far more as real estate than as radio stations, and even slightly profitable stations may go dark as a result. That will help clear the band, and make the remaining stations that much more valuable if people can hear them with digital clarity.

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

I don't know of many stations running analog in major markets anymore.

 

[DanStrassberg]

I don't know of many stations running analog in major markets anymore.

Either you didn't say what you meant or you are badly confused. All US stations (AM and FM) that run HD still run analog. Many FMs are running HD--perhaps the majority of them. Few AMs are running HD. Most of these are big major-market signals owned by major groups--especially CBS. No station--AM or FM--has dropped analog transmission. In fact, the current embodments of HD on both bands have a designed-in fall-back to analog when the digital signal drops out (receiver loses lock with the digital signal). In the absence of analog fall-back, listening to HD radio would be a very frustrating experience; when the receiver lost lock, you'd hear nothing at all.

 

[JH_Radio]

Yeah, talk 'bout DXing in digital? I bet that wouldn't work as well at all.

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

I don't know of many stations running analog in major markets anymore.

Either you didn't say what you meant or you are badly confused. All US stations (AM and FM) that run HD still run analog. Many FMs are running HD--perhaps the majority of them. Few AMs are running HD. Most of these are big major-market signals owned by major groups--especially CBS. No station--AM or FM--has dropped analog transmission. In fact, the current embodments of HD on both bands have a designed-in fall-back to analog when the digital signal drops out (receiver loses lock with the digital signal). In the absence of analog fall-back, listening to HD radio would be a very frustrating experience; when the receiver lost lock, you'd hear nothing at all.

Sorry, I meant running solely analog (as in no HD). - 106.9 WKDN is the only one I know of that's on the commercial band.

 

[JH_Radio]

94.5 WPST is r notrunning digital.
I do not remember i if out of markit WWLEV is or not.