A really cheesy HD Radio commercial

[davideduardo]

Why would BB management have an interest in schooling its employees on a $50 radio only radio geeks are interested in buying?

Because they're being partnered with these stupid HD radio ads. Just like I'd expect them to school their braindead zombies on satellite radios that only long haul truckers use if Sirius XM partnered with them.

Only long-haul truckers use satellite?

Strange, but in the two smaller markets I split time living in, I'd say half my neighbors have satellite in their cars and their reasoning is uniformly "the radio stations around here are unlistenable now..." I echo the sentiment, and there are 4 cars with satellite in the two locations.

 

[tomservo]

Only long-haul truckers use satellite?

Strange, but in the two smaller markets I split time living in, I'd say half my neighbors have satellite in their cars and their reasoning is uniformly "the radio stations around here are unlistenable now..." I echo the sentiment, and there are 4 cars with satellite in the two locations.

It was a snarky response to the quip about HD being a $50 radio only geeks are interested in. Anyway, a small sample does not a statistic make. To counter your experience, everyone I know who had satellite including myself ditched it around the time of the merger, citing sound quality (me), poor music selection/channels and cost (me and everyone else).

Satellite's continued interested seems to only be in trucking circles where the coast to coast footprint is enjoyed. Even in these threads, people have mentioned that Sirius XM subscribers mostly come from the free trial period granted to new car buyers. The aftermarket section is pretty much dead. The last time I was in Best Buy I didn't see a single add-on radio for SXM (all the accessories were there, gathering dust), but they did have Insignia HD portables. Also gathering dust.

 

[nocomradio]

Why would BB management have an interest in schooling its employees on a $50 radio only radio geeks are interested in buying?

That is exactly the business model Best Buy (and pretty much any large retailer) has been following for some absolutely foolish reason.

Why bother schooling your employees in anything? It won't matter. Why should they be able to speak knowledgeably about what they are selling? It won't matter. Why should they care whether they make a sale or not? It won't matter..........

Then one day when the whole ship sinks, they will blame the economy, market trends, poor marketing or anything else that isn't their obvious bad management.

 

[nd2023]

For me, I just like my Insignia HD radio because it's smaller than my iPod and has great reception like my car radio. I like my Sony XDRF1HD at home because it's the best FM radio. I think of HD as an accomplishment when DXing, it's great to DX a station strong enough to come in HD. And when there's e-skip, getting skip stations in HD is better because I can see the call letters immediately and then move on.

 

[Ai4i]

Hay everyone, the Sangean HDR-1 is down to $148, 40% off original MSRP.

 

[DJKraze]

I'm seeing tons of complaints about the ads for HD Radio and yeah, I've heard some of the same, confusing ads as well. What I'm not seeing is solutions, if you had to write an ad to make the average person understand what HD Radio is and how it works, what would you say?

OMG! I just came across like someone in one of those boardroom sales brainstorming sessions.

In that case... DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affliated with Ibiquity, any radio station using the technology, any manufactuer or seller of the technology or any advertising firms marketing the technology. My only connection to HD Radio is that I have one of the original Insignia portables (looking for a way to open it and check out if the battery can be replaced!) and one of the Insignia component units (the $99 unit that does great FM DX, but gets squat on AM) and that I discuss HD Radio from time to time on these boards.

 

[nocomradio]

if you had to write an ad to make the average person understand what HD Radio is and how it works, what would you say?

Here is the script for my ad: (in my best announcer voice)

"Hello potential HD radio listener. You are about to be fed the largest helping of doo-doo that has been handed down by a corporate conglomeration since the Kodak Disc™ camera. The sound will be slightly better if you can actually tell, the radio you will buy will be obsoleted and available for 1/8th what you paid for it in a couple months and ultimately, you will regret your purchase, having only a few limited choices in your radio market. I am going to cash the big paycheck I just received as your spokesperson and laugh all the way to the bank as I do it."

Granted, this isn't a "solution" just the truth.

 

[nd2023]

The best ad for HD radio is compelling programming on the HD2 subchannels and promoting those. If a competitor just flipped its format, try to get the intellectual property and flip your HD2 to the competitor's former format and advertise it both on the HD1 and on billboards. Or start a niche format and promote it well.

Mix HD2 in Baltimore showed up in the ratings one month last summer with a 10,000 cume. I know 10,000 HD radios don't even exist in Baltimore, so most of it is from the web stream. And soon they're going to be on an analog translator.

People are willing to spend money to hear music they like. There's a $20 HD radio for the iPhone, and people will buy it if it allows them to hear their favorite HD2 station without using up their data plan. And there are some people who would choose a car with an HD radio if they like a certain HD2 (I know there was someone who didn't buy a car because its radio didn't tune down to 87.7 and their favorite station was Pulse 87)

 

[Ai4i]

Maybe!

 

[Savage]

The whole problem with the HD subchannels is local management is very fearful of fragmenting the audience. When you launch a new format in addition to your main channel, it's not like aiming a gun precisely at your competition; the results can be far more approximate. Listeners are fickle and unpredictable. You can wind up stealing audience from your main, revenue-producing product. For this reason, local clusters are largely implementing HD only because of corporate dictates and are doing so with great reluctance and, in some cases, resentment. This explains why we hear of so many cases of dead air on subs and other massive technical meltdowns. I've heard of GMs telling CEs "keep that @@!#xx HD going!!" wink, wink....

I spoke with a local cluster GM who wasn't even really sure what was being programmed on the HD subs in the GM's own stations!

A persuasive case can be made that the US has, if not too many, at least "enough radio stations already." We saw from Docket 80-90 that practically speaking, we can only cut this audience pie in so many slices and still make money.

 

[cd637299]

People are willing to spend money to hear music they like. There's a $20 HD radio for the iPhone, and people will buy it if it allows them to hear their favorite HD2 station without using up their data plan. And there are some people who would choose a car with an HD radio if they like a certain HD2 (I know there was someone who didn't buy a car because its radio didn't tune down to 87.7 and their favorite station was Pulse 87)

People better *not* buy a car based on a feature like that, at least if they do it in the Miami area. HD subchannels can change at a moment's notice.

I was seriously thinking about buying that little JVC deal from Radio Shack for a relative who can hear WUFT in Gainesville, only to find that (1) the radio needed a kit for home use, and (2) the subchannel that had OTR (old time radio) is now classical, IIRC. Money saved.

cd

 

[nd2023]

I would upgrade the factory radio in my '92 Honda Accord to an HD radio if we got a dance station on HD2.

 

[iyiyi]

I'm seeing tons of complaints about the ads for HD Radio and yeah, I've heard some of the same, confusing ads as well. What I'm not seeing is solutions, if you had to write an ad to make the average person understand what HD Radio is and how it works, what would you say?

OMG! I just came across like someone in one of those boardroom sales brainstorming sessions.

In that case... DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affliated with Ibiquity, any radio station using the technology, any manufactuer or seller of the technology or any advertising firms marketing the technology. My only connection to HD Radio is that I have one of the original Insignia portables (looking for a way to open it and check out if the battery can be replaced!) and one of the Insignia component units (the $99 unit that does great FM DX, but gets squat on AM) and that I discuss HD Radio from time to time on these boards.

Ditto!

The folks at BB are just regular people, trying to keep a low paying job. They receive no commissions on any sales. The store has a galaxy of cutting edge electronics and I always get confused there, even when knowing exactly what I want. Try establishing rapport with the sales person and I'm certain you will receive far better co-operation than hitting him with a wall of static. Perhaps a print out of what the item is; accompanied by a picture will make the search much easier for both of you. We are fortunate to have a Big Box company that is bold enough to introduce new technology in a venue where we, the people, can actually go to view, listen, handle and buy the item on the spot.

What percentage of HD equipment, in perfect condition, gets abused, then returned for no other reason than some pedantic dweeb trying to make his "point" that HD doesn't work.

The "Stations between the stations" pitch is absolutely true. FM HD is a digital Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QUAM) telegraph scheme. This signal is transmitted just outside of the FM analog channel. AM runs a 64 QUAM and DTV runs 256 QUAM schemes also. Unfortunately, the "stations" ad is too esoteric for the average person. The analog station running the spot sucks, why bother spending extra coin for more "Sucks between the sucks"?

HD is chasing the wrong audience. Instead of trying to please a bunch of blind and very pedantic "experts", aim for an entirely brand new audience who will go to Best Buy and ask "Does it get HD?". (if I hear this concept used, I want my share for the idea!) .

"Crossed wires" could "by accident" flip HD 1 on to HD 2 and the HD 2 to HD 1 AND the analog. This shall quickly create a big buzz and showcase/sampling of the HD 2 during the time it takes the engineers to "fix" it.

If Radio ain't able to sell it's own strong points, why should I pay $$$ and/or expect it to promote MY product?

Creativity? We don't need no stinkin' creativity! We're RADIO! We peep and mutter for profit!


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