Clear Channel Phoenix, where HD means "Huge Dilemma"

[EricStein]

What is up with Clear Channel's HD2 channels in Phoenix? They've seem to have given up on the programming side ever since the "Format Lab" was slashed. 99.9 HD2 was "Radio Lillith Fair"...er "Sirens," (not that I cared much about that format) but that was a victim of the downsizing. Now it sounds like yet another AAA, just like 95.5 HD2. 104.7 HD2 had been playing hip-hop that 98.3 or 101.5 wouldn't touch as "Da Block"; now it sounds like a clone of the main Kiss station. Hmmm....

But then it's kind of like the old tree falling adage. Does an HD2 make a sound if no one's listening?

 

[Ford]

Does an HD2 make a sound if no one's listening?

I was kind of wondering about the whole HD thing myself. Does anyone listen? Is there any numbers on how many HD radios have been sold and how many people are on board?

I mean, they've sunk a lot of money into promoting HD radio. Is it working?

 

[EricStein]

I was kind of wondering about the whole HD thing myself. Does anyone listen? Is there any numbers on how many HD radios have been sold and how many people are on board?

I mean, they've sunk a lot of money into promoting HD radio. Is it working?

From what I've heard from various blogs, there were only 330,000 units sold in the entire United States. But some of those statistics may be skewed. The big guys, who have been scaling back in operations due to the soft ad market, are still in it, but I don't know for how long. They might wait to see if the Ford/2009 factory-installed deal sparks any interest before pulling the plug.

Even the engineers aren't listening. KOOL-HD has been out all weekend. KSLX-HD has always been weaker than its competitors' HD signals, when it this should not be the case. And when the engineers do listen, they seem to not have yet mastered the art of synchronizing the main analog signal with the HD. Even Univision ordered some HD transmitters for its Phoenix stations, and as of today, none of them broadcast in HD (100.3 used to, but they shut it down - I don't know whether or not they were for technical reasons). Same with KJZZ, whose installation should have been completed last spring.

If the programmers and station groups don't care, and the engineers and retailers don't either, then HD is currently on life support.

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

Very interesting topic and comments made here. When it comes to HD radio, I know NADA!

There's some things I've been wondering, with all the FM stations advertising their HD2 stations pretty frequently:
--Why would having an HD2 station benefit the FM station?
--Wouldn't getting people to tune into their HD station hurt the FM station's Arbitron ratings in the end?

 

[no dead air]

HD radio is being promoted to death by radio stations hoping to save themselves. Satellite radio or Internet radio is the wave of the future. With HD, all that the stations are doing is going into competition with themselves. They should take that money that they've used to upgrade to HD and put it back into hiring talented people that they've let go. HD radio, no matter how much it's rammed down our throats, just isn't catching on - and never will.

 

[50kguy]

In an ideal world, HD would have debuted prior to satellite radio. Now, it looks like broadcasters are playing catch-up in a race they cannot win. Those interested in over-the-air jukeboxes have joined XM or Sirius (and you see how well that is working out).

Radio's real enemy is the iPod and MP3 players. "Whatever we want," may be a cool slogan for stations willing to license the Bob format, but it can't compare to, "whatever I want."

Meanwhile, station managers seem hellbent on destroying what's left of the radio industry. Successful business owners have identified something called a core competency. In other words, what can your business do better than anyone else. The stations have the ability to separate themselves from satellite radio or user-programmed players, but are reluctant to make the investment. Live and local air talent, a street presence and news/weather/traffic say to the audience, "we're here with you."

 

[KOHS]

In an ideal world, HD would have debuted prior to satellite radio. Now, it looks like broadcasters are playing catch-up in a race they cannot win. Those interested in over-the-air jukeboxes have joined XM or Sirius (and you see how well that is working out).

Radio's real enemy is the iPod and MP3 players. "Whatever we want," may be a cool slogan for stations willing to license the Bob format, but it can't compare to, "whatever I want."

Meanwhile, station managers seem hellbent on destroying what's left of the radio industry. Successful business owners have identified something called a core competency. In other words, what can your business do better than anyone else. The stations have the ability to separate themselves from satellite radio or user-programmed players, but are reluctant to make the investment. Live and local air talent, a street presence and news/weather/traffic say to the audience, "we're here with you."

Excellent point, 50kguy!

Actually, for all of the criticism leveled at KTAR, they have actually invested the money in live and local talent. I give props to Bonneville for doing that and hope that someone can boost KTAR's ratings and show the other radio companies that investing money in your stations can pay off.

 

[pberger]

When they were on AM, I listened to them and KFYI about equally, since they went to FM exclusively, I seldom bother. I also listen less to KFYI. I used to be a news/talkie junkie, but I liked to hear talk about LOCAL issues. And I wanted my talk current. Yesterday afternoon, everybody was talking Spitzer except for Glenn Beck. Beck will probably be talking about it this afternoon, but it is old news now.

When I can't find a talk show to listen to, I turn on classical music on XM and stay there all day.

 

[EricStein]

In an ideal world, HD would have debuted prior to satellite radio. Now, it looks like broadcasters are playing catch-up in a race they cannot win. Those interested in over-the-air jukeboxes have joined XM or Sirius (and you see how well that is working out).

Radio's real enemy is the iPod and MP3 players. "Whatever we want," may be a cool slogan for stations willing to license the Bob format, but it can't compare to, "whatever I want."

Meanwhile, station managers seem hellbent on destroying what's left of the radio industry. Successful business owners have identified something called a core competency. In other words, what can your business do better than anyone else. The stations have the ability to separate themselves from satellite radio or user-programmed players, but are reluctant to make the investment. Live and local air talent, a street presence and news/weather/traffic say to the audience, "we're here with you."

You've brought up good points. Look at Citadel. While they don't own any stations in Phoenix, their overly ambitious CEO bit off more than he could chew with the ABC deal, and the listeners are now suffering the consequences with the canned "True Oldies" format in some of their markets.

At least The Peak (and The Arch in St. Louis, both Bonneville stations) are trying to do something that the "Jack-FM" and "Bob-FM" stations don't, and that's add personality and community involvement to the mix. However, their current "Sing Along" ad campaign saturated over TV this month may end up backfiring on them.

HD might have worked (or may still have a chance of working) if the groups created subchannels that were extensions of the main channel's brand, not throw something completely different on the frequency and hope that whoever buys an HD radio finds it and tells friends about it. Clear Channel is better off at this time simulcasting their AM's on 96.9, 99.9, and 104.7 HD2's instead of the current formatic messes that they're running at this time, given the changes in the "HD Alliance" charter. At least it would benefit some potential listeners.

As for listening to classical music on XM, aren't the classics meant to be savored? I just can't see a die-hard classical listener trying to bear the digital artifacts.