• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

HD Radio Question

G

gymbeaux120

Guest
Just wondering: with all the HD Radio signals available, would it make sense for a station to lease one of its HD channels to an independent operator? or to perhaps lease a channel to a local AM station (not part of your group or company) for simulcast? Obviously, money talks, and it would seem to make good business sense. But I know there are holes in this idea. What do you folks see as the challenges?
 
It would make sense if all parties agree to lease an asset that is of questionable value.

There are many easier and cheaper ways to ensure that a signal is not heard.

The lack of receivers and public concern about HD radio would seem to make streaming on the web a much better idea.
 
What people don't realize is HD radio has very limited range and very few receivers in the marketplace. I think I saw more AM Stereo radios out there back in the day.

HD radio is a solution in search of a problem.
 
I don't know whether they still do this, but WAVO, the best station musically in the Charlotte market, was on its co-owned FM's HD channel. That station had a poor signal, so I doubt the HD channel is of much value, except at night.
 
Actually, WNOW 105.3 is leasing one of theirs. They rent an HD-2 to Radio Training Foundation to feed the "His Radio" programming to several translators. WNOW is operated by Davidson, which does a lot of brokered radio, so it's not all that surprising that they would do this.

I don't think there are many HD-2 or HD-3's rented out for direct reception to the public. It might be viable in a very large market for ethnic broadcasters, where even a niche service has a sizeable audience. In the past SCA's have been used for that purpose, but there was the added advantage of being able to rent receivers.
 
I have an HD radio and enjoy it. Besides the quality of the signal, I also have more sections to choose.

I can also pick up WFNZ anytime from Mooresville. I don't have to wait for the sun to rise.
 
"HD has limited range", blah, blah, blah. I've routinely received HD signals from 80+ miles away for years. I just bought a Sherwood receiver with HD, and can pull in every HD signal from Charlotte. I'm in Boomer (Wilkes County, between Wilkesboro and Lenoir). Take a look at that on a map, and tell me that HD has a "limited" coverage.

There are issues with HD, of course. But the technology is quietly growing. Millions of people have HD already and probably don't even know it. It's on virtually every major group-owned station, and virtually every public radio station. Multicasting is in almost every market. And news from the NAB is that car manufacturers are pushing for more stations to adopt HD now, because they WANT to put it in more cars.

None of this is to dismiss the very real claim that more people currently hear radio via the internet than over the air HD. I wouldn't dispute that for a second. But HD is out there, generally available, and growing.
 
Mike Walker said:
"HD has limited range", blah, blah, blah. I've routinely received HD signals from 80+ miles away for years. I just bought a Sherwood receiver with HD, and can pull in every HD signal from Charlotte. I'm in Boomer (Wilkes County, between Wilkesboro and Lenoir). Take a look at that on a map, and tell me that HD has a "limited" coverage.
Click to expand...

I don't think there is anyone out there who has HD and doesn't know it. Lots of radios are marketed as HD Ready but they don't have the necessary equipment much like XM or Sirius ready receivers.

You must have a really good antenna. I have they typical folded dipole behind the cabinet and no matter how I tack it up and I can't get all the Charlotte HD stations on my Sangean tuner. Admittedly performance was much better when I still had my old TV-FM antenna but that went the way of analog TV. I just have a UHF outdoor antenna now. Most people are not going to put up an outdoor antenna just for HD radio.

I hate it when the HD2 signal drops out and it defaults to the analog which is a completely different format. Most of the time the audio quality is good but WBAV HD2 was playing something and the artifacts in the audio made it unlistenable.

Formats change quite often too. WKQC started off with a good oldies format on HD2 and then went '70's playing lots of songs that can be heard on the main channel. WRFX changed the format on their HD2 as did WEND. So if you are buying an HD radio to hear a certain format you like well better rethink that idea. The format might not be around tomorrow.
 
Until the FCC forces receiver manufacturers to include HD is ALL sets sold, it will never be a big success. Remember when TV expanded? Took the FCC to make that happen. Remember AM Stereo - with no FCC mandate?

As much as I hate government involvement in private enterprise, it will be necessary in this case.
 
XTalker said:
Until the FCC forces receiver manufacturers to include HD is ALL sets sold, it will never be a big success. Remember when TV expanded? Took the FCC to make that happen. Remember AM Stereo - with no FCC mandate?

As much as I hate government involvement in private enterprise, it will be necessary in this case.
Click to expand...

Totally correct, and in addition, it will take having HD Recievers in automobiles. Remember FM?

FM never really took off until auto manufacturers changed from AM only to AM/FM recievers in most cars. Sure there were lots of FM converters on the market, I had one as far back as 1970, but it took built in FM before it really took off to the majority of the public.
 
yugoidar said:
Mike, how many HD stations are on the air in Charlotte today?
Click to expand...

Wow, good question lets see if I can do a quick list. Please note HD1 is the duplication of the main channel just digital.

WDAV HD1, HD2 (classical/classical)
WFAE HD1, HD2, HD3 (NPR/Jazz/alt rock)
WQNC HD1 only
WIBT HD1 only (used to have a Spanish contemp music format on HD2)
WKKT HD1 and HD2 (country/ classic country
WRFX HD1 and HD2 (classic rock/I-Heart A/C)
WBAV HD1, HD2, HD3 (Urban ac / Urban Jazz/WFNZ simulcast)
WLYT HD1 and HD2 (ac /Hot ac)
WKQC HD1 and HD2 (ac/ 70's oldies)
WNOW HD1 and HD2
WEND HD1 and HD2

WLNK was doing HD1 and occasionally would put WBT on HD2 but I'm not getting an HD signal from them at all right now.

The formats have flipped around quite a bit and will probably flip around some more.

HD radio, nice but I can live without it.
 
Talk about lack of promoting, the WDAV home page says nothing about HD radio!
Also, we tried every file type at every speed and could not get it to open.
 
This is kind of telling.

It's from a column earlier this week in the Los Angeles Daily News...

"Radio Shack has every one of its house-brand HD Radio units on clearance, if they are still in stock. This includes iPod Touch/iPhone dongles and the Auvio tuner (which, if you can still find one at the clearance price of $30, is a steal).

This means Radio Shack is essentially out of the HD Radio business. A shame, since the Shack was one of the early supporters.

It doesn't mean that the technology is dead, but it certainly isn't flourishing. You can still buy car stereos with HD Radio at various retail stores and at online stores as www.crutchfield.com. Best Buy still carries a few portable products in its stores and online as well.

What went wrong? Two things: content and marketing.

HD Radio -- a system of sending digital audio via traditional airwaves that promises improved fidelity and more listening choices -- still rarely offers much in the way of content".
 
yugoidar said:
What went wrong? Two things: content and marketing.

HD Radio -- a system of sending digital audio via traditional airwaves that promises improved fidelity and more listening choices -- still rarely offers much in the way of content".
Click to expand...

You forgot a third thing. Most people are happy with the quality of their current analog receivers. They don’t need it. Not to mention HD radio has reception problems and not a vast variety of program choices.

I’ve got better things to spend my money on.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom