DIGITAL RADIO IN NEW CARS?

[joshzz]

Does anyone know the general percentage of new cars that have digital radio installed? Is it all of them?

If I bought an AM station in the general market near Philadelphia and converted it to HD would there be a potential significant audience for the station if the format is a winner? Also would the sound quality be close to FM quality?

 

[Small Market Guy]

I've never seen a newer car with HD radio from the factory.

If you have the money to buy an AM station, and are worried about sound quality, I'm assuming you want to put music on it.

Just throw your money down a toilet if that's what you plan to do.

 

[FredLeonard]

HD on AM is pointless.

There are no AM only HD radios.
Four AM stations use IBOQ (three CBS and one weak stick from Clear Channel)
All are also available on FM sub-channels.
What's the point of IBOQ hash on AM?

Only one of the four consistently has IBOQ turned on. It comes and goes on the rest.

On weak sticks, HD is even weaker. Forget getting a consistent HD signal in most of the 'burbs.

Save your money. Set up an Internet audio stream. If you just have to do OTA, lease an unused FM sub-channel. There are plenty around.

 

[landtuna]

I've never seen a newer car with HD radio from the factory.

Most of the upscale cars of the past few years have the ability to receive digital radio. I have a 2012 Hyundai Genesis with a Lexicon radio which has AM/FM/HD/XM. This is pretty standard now.

 

[luperm]

Mercedes and BMW have had AM/FM/HD/Sirius units for several years now.

 

[FredLeonard]

Not just AM/FM/HD/Sirius...

But AM/FM/HD/Sirius/Bluetooth/Pandora/IHeartRadio/Aux/USB...

Plus GPS and custom traffic.

HD Radio gets lost in the crowd.

 

[landtuna]

Not just AM/FM/HD/Sirius...

But AM/FM/HD/Sirius/Bluetooth/Pandora/IHeartRadio/Aux/USB...

Plus GPS and custom traffic.

HD Radio gets lost in the crowd.

I just listed the radio portion but if you count everything it would read:

AM/FM/HD/XM/Aux/USB/DVD-A (both audio & video) and Bluetooth (but that's phone and nav)

All I ever listen to is KEZ-HD2.

 

[tommygraser]

Yes AM HD does sound like FM. But most people listen to Xm/Sirius and online Audio with there phone with the Aux. AM & FM will only be around a few more years it's dying.

 

[John1]

There was an article on yahoo yesterday that many auto manufacturers are no longer installing CD players in new car models since the auxiliary input is the most requested audio feature now.

 

[michael hagerty]

I've never seen a newer car with HD radio from the factory.

If you have the money to buy an AM station, and are worried about sound quality, I'm assuming you want to put music on it.

Just throw your money down a toilet if that's what you plan to do.

I'm an automotive journalist and drive about 75 cars a year. In the past year, HD has become more common. It's probably in 70 or 80 percent of the cars I drive. Last year it was probably 40%, the year before that 10.

 

[landtuna]

AM & FM will only be around a few more years it's dying.

I'll take that bet.

 

[Small Market Guy]

Before I got back into radio I was in a job where I rented cars a lot. I didn't drive 75 cars in that time, but I'd say it was 20 or so. Not one had HD radio. And most were higher end cars (Cadillacs, etc.)

 

[Small Market Guy]

AM & FM will only be around a few more years it's dying.

I'll take that bet.

I say 25 years for AM and 50 for FM.

 

[michael hagerty]

Before I got back into radio I was in a job where I rented cars a lot. I didn't drive 75 cars in that time, but I'd say it was 20 or so. Not one had HD radio. And most were higher end cars (Cadillacs, etc.)

GM was late to the party. Added HD in 2012 or 2013 models. You can get it all the way down to the Chevy Cruze. Chrysler has it in Ram Trucks and the new Viper for 2013. Honda and Acura jumped in this year as well. Same with Toyota and Scion. Lexus has been in for a few years. It's been in MyFordTouch systems since 2010.

As someone said earlier, BMW and Benz were earliest ('08 for BMW, '09 for Mercedes) with Jaguar and Land Rover in fairly early as well. I have a Kia that has it this week...and it's probably the fifth Kia i've driven that had it.

 

[michael hagerty]

Found the stats. As of the beginning of the 2014 model year, a few weeks from now, HD radio is available in more than 170 models from 33 automobile manufacturers, and is standard equipment in more than 80 of those models.

 

[landtuna]

Before I got back into radio I was in a job where I rented cars a lot. I didn't drive 75 cars in that time, but I'd say it was 20 or so. Not one had HD radio. And most were higher end cars (Cadillacs, etc.)

HD in cars is relatively new (last few years) but virtually all upscale cars have it now. Some people here said it was a major push by ibiquity so they could brag about the number of installed units.

 

[landtuna]

AM & FM will only be around a few more years it's dying.

I'll take that bet.

I say 25 years for AM and 50 for FM.

I think those estimates are reasonable. Neither will disappear in my lifetime (I'm now 68).

 

[Small Market Guy]

I think those estimates are reasonable. Neither will disappear in my lifetime (I'm now 68).

Here's how I get the numbers.

A band will die when it stops being available in new cars, AND THOSE CARS ARE CYCLED OFF THE ROAD. I think it's reasonable that cars in 10 years won't have AM radio standard, but it will take 20 years to cycle the existing cars that have it off the road. And just add 20 or 25 for FM to meet the same fate. First we need ubiquitous and FREE (or included in your cell phone bill) nationwide wireless internet. This is a massive nation and there are many places where you just can't stream content at this point. For the time being, radio is FINE.

 

[michael hagerty]

I think those estimates are reasonable. Neither will disappear in my lifetime (I'm now 68).

Here's how I get the numbers.

A band will die when it stops being available in new cars, AND THOSE CARS ARE CYCLED OFF THE ROAD. I think it's reasonable that cars in 10 years won't have AM radio standard, but it will take 20 years to cycle the existing cars that have it off the road. And just add 20 or 25 for FM to meet the same fate. First we need ubiquitous and FREE (or included in your cell phone bill) nationwide wireless internet. This is a massive nation and there are many places where you just can't stream content at this point. For the time being, radio is FINE.

All solid points except that having an AM receiver doesn't mean it will be used. It's tough to find people under 55 who ever tune to AM. That's likely to get worse, as is the noise floor.

If you define death as the very last AM signing off, then, yeah, you might have 20 years, but that final 5-7 is going to be more like walking dead than alive.

 

[landtuna]

All solid points except that having an AM receiver doesn't mean it will be used. It's tough to find people under 55 who ever tune to AM. That's likely to get worse, as is the noise floor.

If you define death as the very last AM signing off, then, yeah, you might have 20 years, but that final 5-7 is going to be more like walking dead than alive.

There is a great expanse of land between the coasts that cannot be covered by FM due to its shorter range. AM is the only feasible technology there and that goes hand in hand with the sale of F-150's and Chevy and Ram pickups. No way will they take AM out of those vehicles. Out in the boonies AM is perfectly serviceable.

I have AM in my car but never use it unless I am out in those same boonies looking for something to keep me awake. When closer to home I listen to FM HD. But it isn't so much the technology that drives what I listen to, it is the content. There is no content on any AM in my metro area that I want to hear (KOY was the last bastion of good AM radio) so I listen to FM.

If AM dies, and I don't question that it will eventually, it will be because radio station owners let it die. Failure to provide popular content, poor signals, revenues not providing enough profit, antenna farm properties being more valuable for condos than antennas etc. It will probably die first in the major metros but it will take a lot longer out in the sticks because FM cannot replace AM and I don't see cell phones doing so either.