Don't know about your local Radio Shack, but Saturday night, one of my RS stores had their HD radio on clearance for $99 already. I thought RS was an IBOC 'partner' - unless they have a better HD model on the way to replace it?
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HD on Clearance at Radio Shack
- Thread starter JohnnyElectron
- Start date
One of the local RS stores that had a dusty BA Receptor HD on "manager's special" clearance at $249.95 (I related in an earlier post) now has it on the center-of-store clearance table at, I think, $149.95. No power or antenna terminations nearby, of course.
And the small HD Radio section of slatwall is gone. No Accurians in the store. I asked if a replacement model was forthcoming; the manager said he had no idea.
Maybe I'm wrong, but all the signs point to: the beginning of the post-IBOC era at Radio Shack has begun.
And the small HD Radio section of slatwall is gone. No Accurians in the store. I asked if a replacement model was forthcoming; the manager said he had no idea.
Maybe I'm wrong, but all the signs point to: the beginning of the post-IBOC era at Radio Shack has begun.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
Savage said:
I am surprised they lasted as long as they did. Shelf space is precious to retailers. How long until Best Buy and some of the others follow suit? I noticed no HD radio display at all in Best Buy last weekend. They expanded their "Wii" video game display where HD radio used to be. NO HD car radios there or in Frys.
K
kyscott
Guest
Ironicly I just purchased a Philips HDTV set at Wal Mart for $400. "HD" radio attempted to solve a problem we didn't have. The sooner it goes the better.
Savage did hereby propose:
The handful of apologists for the AM IBOC technology have all but disappeared from this here message board. I miss hearing about how HD is going to save AM radio stations from hucksters who will purchase them in fire sales to air nothing more than bad or poorly produced programs and 30-minute advertisements for spud guns.
Why are there no more excuses for AM HD? Why are there no more declarations of, "let's talk next year and see where we are"? Did the public actually win this one? All we can hope for is that iBiquity throw in the towel on the AM product and refund what it can to the AM stations that were duped into purchasing licenses and equipment. But don't count on them doing that if it will stop them from having their IPO.
The handful of apologists for the AM IBOC technology have all but disappeared from this here message board. I miss hearing about how HD is going to save AM radio stations from hucksters who will purchase them in fire sales to air nothing more than bad or poorly produced programs and 30-minute advertisements for spud guns.
Why are there no more excuses for AM HD? Why are there no more declarations of, "let's talk next year and see where we are"? Did the public actually win this one? All we can hope for is that iBiquity throw in the towel on the AM product and refund what it can to the AM stations that were duped into purchasing licenses and equipment. But don't count on them doing that if it will stop them from having their IPO.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
Cal Stymes said:
I think they disappeared after iBquity brainswashed the mindless rubber stampers at the FCC to allow the nighttime debacle to commence. Their battle won, they retired to count their ill-gotten money. Done, over with. The public lost, broadcasters lost (even if they haven't realized it yet), and iBiquity leadership won. It is over now except for small stations going backrupt, radio manufacturers who invested in receivers to go bankrupt or at least take a hard financial hit, and retailers having to accept returns on virtually all HD receivers sold - perceived as defective.
Never again will broadcasters be burned by new technology - (C-Quam, FM Quad and now HD radio). They will have long memories of substantial investment in technology nobody wanted, and the retired equipment gathering dust on the shelf to prove it.
Cal Stymes said:
The fact of the matter is that IBOC on the AM band has done nothing to stop...or even slow down...the 'short-waving' of the band.
What concerns me is...that there might not be enough sentiment in the industry to actually DO anything (technically)... to help save AM (and its broadcasters) from becoming just a lower frequency extension of the shortwave spectrum.
Not that I have anything against shortwave...but "Brother Stair", Pastor Peter J. Peters, and Harold Camping have enough outlets already.
Watching the video of the NAB panel discussion on 'how to save HD Radio', the discussion centered exclusively on HD for FM. You can't help but get the impression that HD AM has become the ugly, hopeless step-child no one mentions in polite conversation.
Watch the video here:
http://www.tvworldwide.com/showclip.cfm?ID=9590&clip=2
C5
Watch the video here:
http://www.tvworldwide.com/showclip.cfm?ID=9590&clip=2
C5
The irony of the panel's title is so obvious - apparently, unless your'e one of the doofis Big Radio Executives or NAB empty-suits who bought into HD Radio in the first place:
"How to save HD Radio?" How about keeping your eye on the ball?? SHOULD BE...
"How to save RADIO." Period.
And a great place to start would be for every iBiquity Decepticon to be ripped out of the rack and cannibalized for power-supply parts, with the stripped chassis relegated to the parts-car shelf, tomorrow.
Then the insanely pointless debate over this deader-than-dead technology can be retired so the industry can get back to issues that really matter: quality, engaging programming, on-air talent development, coming up with offerings that aren't done better by mp3 players and satellite and streaming media, etc., etc., etc.
"How to save HD Radio?" How about keeping your eye on the ball?? SHOULD BE...
"How to save RADIO." Period.
And a great place to start would be for every iBiquity Decepticon to be ripped out of the rack and cannibalized for power-supply parts, with the stripped chassis relegated to the parts-car shelf, tomorrow.
Then the insanely pointless debate over this deader-than-dead technology can be retired so the industry can get back to issues that really matter: quality, engaging programming, on-air talent development, coming up with offerings that aren't done better by mp3 players and satellite and streaming media, etc., etc., etc.
Savage said:
One of the guys on the panel actually came out and said it: HD Radio, without the secondary channels, is an irrelevant product, fulfilling no need or demand. Another one hinted at the real problem: Content.
Of course, as long as the secondary channels are a jukebox-programmed afterthought, they're in the same boat.
Note, however, that (except for the iBiquity guy) most of the panelists said it's worth saving. Ya just gotta love how radio executives keep forgetting their own past. I would have expected better of a guy like John Gehron, who has been around long enough to know why FM worked and AM stereo, quad and HD didn't and don't.
You ought to know that immediately prior to that panel, conference host Kurt Hanson did a presentation showing that given the number of HD radios in the marketplace, an average HD radio station in your average market such as Madison, Wisconsin likely has an AQH audience of 2. That's not share. That's two PERSONS!
And he was being generous with his figures and estimates.
Also, SOMAFM's Rusty Hodge blogs about having second thoughts following his participation on that HD radio panel.
http://somafm.com/blogs/rusty/2008/04/last-question-on-hd-radio-panel.html
And he was being generous with his figures and estimates.
Also, SOMAFM's Rusty Hodge blogs about having second thoughts following his participation on that HD radio panel.
http://somafm.com/blogs/rusty/2008/04/last-question-on-hd-radio-panel.html
The video stressed better, more compelling content, new talent, new tuning scheme, new naming of HD stations, and a new brand name and promotional tack for HD Radio. Sounds like HD Radio almost needs to reset and start over in order to have any chance of broad public acceptance and success.
Non-jukebox radio requires talent. Talent requires development and resources. There are very few "born naturals" in the entertainment industry. Are these experts proposing to train from scratch new talent, hire and rehire all the top air talent they laid off to pay for their bungle in the jungle with HD radio?
The costs would be massive, time lengthily and the clock has almost run out for HD radio. The final quarter is almost over. No overtime. Sorry Charlie.
As vsa pointed out
Non-jukebox radio requires talent. Talent requires development and resources. There are very few "born naturals" in the entertainment industry. Are these experts proposing to train from scratch new talent, hire and rehire all the top air talent they laid off to pay for their bungle in the jungle with HD radio?
The costs would be massive, time lengthily and the clock has almost run out for HD radio. The final quarter is almost over. No overtime. Sorry Charlie.
As vsa pointed out
P.S.
I could blast a car radio or hang a cheap speaker outside my front door and have many more listeners then 2, for a whole lot less time, energy and expense.
The police alone would probably count for more then 2 listeners.
HD radio = R.I.P.
I could blast a car radio or hang a cheap speaker outside my front door and have many more listeners then 2, for a whole lot less time, energy and expense.
The police alone would probably count for more then 2 listeners.
HD radio = R.I.P.
K
kyscott
Guest
SUPERCASTER said:
And they can't do this for their analog channels because ___________________ ? These guys can't see the forest because of the trees.
What a difference 17 years makes.
According to the iBiquity rep the research for digital broadcasting began as far back as 1991. Apparently, at the time, it seemed like a good idea when radio listenership was stronger and more secure.
But who would have foreseen not only the changes in technology but in consumer listening habits. Now the radio industry is tasked with having to win over a future generation.
In many ways, it seems radio is starting back at square one. Digital broadcasting should be the least of concerns.
C5
According to the iBiquity rep the research for digital broadcasting began as far back as 1991. Apparently, at the time, it seemed like a good idea when radio listenership was stronger and more secure.
But who would have foreseen not only the changes in technology but in consumer listening habits. Now the radio industry is tasked with having to win over a future generation.
In many ways, it seems radio is starting back at square one. Digital broadcasting should be the least of concerns.
C5
kyscott said:
Let's not forget the key point: The analog channels where the MONEY is made. The panel danced all around the subject, but one panelist almost said it out loud: It's CONTENT that will make or break radio of any kind, analog, digital, polka-dotted or whatever.
M
Mike Walker
Guest
I bought my Accurian at Radio Shack nearly TWO YEARS AGO for 99 dollars. That ain't news!
As for the "post IBOC era", better check HD Radio Dot Com! PLENTY of new HD offerings from BIG companies. Including a new component tuner priced at a hundred bucks from Sony, bunch o' receivers, and Apple getting in the mix. Far from dying, HD is moving forward steadily. I hadn't been to the site in a few weeks, and was quite surprised at all the new models.
Sony and Apple beat Accurian (in terms of brand recogniation) any day!
As for the "post IBOC era", better check HD Radio Dot Com! PLENTY of new HD offerings from BIG companies. Including a new component tuner priced at a hundred bucks from Sony, bunch o' receivers, and Apple getting in the mix. Far from dying, HD is moving forward steadily. I hadn't been to the site in a few weeks, and was quite surprised at all the new models.
Sony and Apple beat Accurian (in terms of brand recogniation) any day!
Mike Walker said:
Gotta have some of what you're smoking. In whose fantasy is HD moving ahead? After five years, they can't even sell 400,000 receivers. Veteran radio executives all admit that they blew the marketing, which is either misleading, condescending, insulting to the product that makes their money or just downright stupid...and the marketing is all done with distressed inventory (read: funny money). The AM HD product causes interference hundreds or thousands of miles away to stations within their own IF contours. The FM HD proponents want to boost the HD carriers which will likely cause interference that essentially doesn't exist now.
Marketing receivers (and I hope you noticed that the iBiquity rep on the panel didn't quote any sales figures, probably because he'd be laughed out of the room if he had) is irrelevant if no one wants the product.
And please: Don't reply by telling us how well it works for you. We know that already. We also know that your experience is NOT typical.
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