Effect of HD on part 15

[ajhenderson]

I'm scrolling through the XM thinking of format possibilities for part 15 stations that aren't already covered among licensed stations, and it occurs to me that there are plenty of opportunities to do something different as a niche for a small area. But what effect will HD subchannels have on the ability of part 15 to actually attract anyone to listen? Granted, most part 15s aren't exactly on the brink of showing up in the latest book, but if one's goal is to provide interesting programming to the community, won't the onslaught of 40-80 new stations in every market kill any off-the-wall format possibility? I understand our SSTrans aren't competing with Class C FMs, but for example, the format I'm setting up, Indie, hasn't gained much traction outside of KDLD/KDLE/LA, but could easily pop up on an alternative's HD2 or -3 and kill whatever listenership I'll get in my eclectic corner of Arizona. No?

 

[midwestclubber]

> I'm scrolling through the XM thinking of format
> possibilities for part 15 stations that aren't already
> covered among licensed stations, and it occurs to me that
> there are plenty of opportunities to do something different
> as a niche for a small area. But what effect will HD
> subchannels have on the ability of part 15 to actually
> attract anyone to listen? Granted, most part 15s aren't
> exactly on the brink of showing up in the latest book, but
> if one's goal is to provide interesting programming to the
> community, won't the onslaught of 40-80 new stations in
> every market kill any off-the-wall format possibility? I
> understand our SSTrans aren't competing with Class C FMs,
> but for example, the format I'm setting up, Indie, hasn't
> gained much traction outside of KDLD/KDLE/LA, but could
> easily pop up on an alternative's HD2 or -3 and kill
> whatever listenership I'll get in my eclectic corner of
> Arizona. No?
>
I think it is going to be a long time, before you have to worry about HD radio actually getting sufficient listeners. Its going to be a long time before People even know what HD radio is, and even longer before people start buying them. The biggest negative effect, (I THINK) will be trying to find a usable (part 15 frequency in larger markets, as HD-IBOQ creates a lot of Noise-Hash in the radio dial, and can create a lot of interference to Part 15, greater cutting down on your coverage. Me, on the other hand, I live 30 miles from a Metro city, so I am probably far enough out, that HD isnt bothering me all that much.