In 2011, HD's slow death continues

[beantownradio25]

Coming from a former HD supporter...

As we go into 2011, HD Radio STILL hasn't gained significant traction and will only continue to loose supporters from both radio companies and other investors. Internet Radio is the next generation of radio, not HD Radio. We will see an accelerating rate of stations dropping IBUZ and the AM list atleast shrunk in half by this time in 2012. Maybe FM HD could be successful on small scale among radio enthusiasts and in markets where a niche format is offered on an HD subchannel, but it is definately not the 2nd coming to radio and not really in the consumers interest.

What will the folks at iBiquity do? Continue to lower prices and act like everything is fine.

 

[Savage]

I've seen convincing evidence that both broadcasters and listeners reject HD even when it's free. Think about it: if iBiquity offered to send you its junky encoders, importers, exporters and hoo-had for NOTHING, you would still have to install it, maintain it, dork around with the matching audio delay on a daily basis, and field interference/reduced coverage complaints.

Any sentient operator asks about "new-tech" be it HD or anything else: will this increase listenership? Will it help the station sell more advertising and attract more revenue? Will this thing make our lives easier at the station?

The answers for HD: No. No. And hell, no.

Beantown, you're absolutely right. Digital radio = internet radio. The little pipsqueak battle of HD vs. streaming has been lost for about two years already. It's just that HD-hypers have refused to read the memo.

 

[local oscillator]

I agree completely; HD is going nowhere. I still question whether internet radio is the future, though. It's a nice supplement for stations with spoken-word formats that don't have to pay the RIAA royalties, but for everyone else it's a lousy business model that just gets worse as online listening increases. Even internet radio's flower child, Pandora, is a questionable enterprise; if its stock were publicly traded, I certainly wouldn't be buying it. Over-the-air = higher quality(at least on FM), higher efficiency, zero incremental cost, and it doesn't help cause those nasty 4G logjams that many are predicting for the future.

As an aside -- Lee Abrams made an absolutely spot-on comment(in my opinion) at the Jacobs Media Summit a couple of days ago. From the Radio-Info story:

. . . he says it’s “not a time to be creatively weak”, but to remember that programming matters. He cautioned against thinking that “digital is the magic answer”, and says radio must keep paying attention to “what comes out of the speakers” on its main broadcast signal.

Amen.

 

[Don Juannn]

Maybe FM HD could be successful on small scale among radio enthusiasts and in markets where a niche format is offered on an HD subchannel, but it is definately not the 2nd coming to radio and not really in the consumers interest.

1.) Who said it was the second coming?

2.) Are concumers interested in ANY radio?

3.) Whoever thought that HD2's would be anything OTHER than niche formats catering to those who are enthusiastic about the format? I dont think playing Irish music on HD2 was ever intended to be a mass appeal format.

Savage has a bug up his ass about his own situation....and is not really in any position to make a clear analysis.

 

[beantownradio25]

Maybe FM HD could be successful on small scale among radio enthusiasts and in markets where a niche format is offered on an HD subchannel, but it is definately not the 2nd coming to radio and not really in the consumers interest.

1.) Who said it was the second coming?

2.) Are concumers interested in ANY radio?

3.) Whoever thought that HD2's would be anything OTHER than niche formats catering to those who are enthusiastic about the format?  I dont think playing Irish music on HD2 was ever intended to be a mass appeal format.

Savage has a bug up his ass about his own situation....and is not really in any position to make a clear analysis.

At first everyone thought it was the 2nd coming to Radio, that it would save AM Radio, etc. I used to be an HD supporter. Slowly over time I realized that A) Internet Radio offers alot of what HD Radio does, for no or little to no investment and no reception issues. and B) Internet Radio is in the consumers interest, unlike HD Radio which is not. There are easily thousands of Internet Radio streams, and HD Radio can offer you a handful of new stations, with weak signals, automation errors, days of downtime, etc. The Engineers and button pushers know HD isn't going anywhere, so many of these subchannels are getting sloppily programmed and maintained. HD Radio can be succesful on small scale, maybe in a few car models, but I don't see it ever taking off. Internet Radio overshadows all of it's offerings. I hate to admit this because I was a die-hard supporter for a while and I really wanted to see it succeed.

There is a glimmer of light though. The whole HD-2/HD-3 on Translator scenario.

 

[nd2023]

The FM stations that program HD2s can continue to program the secondary formats online even if they ditch HD.

 

[Don Juannn]

At first everyone thought it was the 2nd coming to Radio, that it would save AM Radio, etc.

I dont know that EVERYONE thought it was the 2nd coming. Everyone I talked to just thought it was an added feature...bringing some extra functionality. That's it.

I think it holds some promise for AM...but it appears the AM band may be already in a death spiral and unable to pull out of it.


Slowly over time I realized that A) Internet Radio offers alot of what HD Radio does, for no or little to no investment and no reception issues. and B) Internet Radio is in the consumers interest,

Yeah, but it ain't there yet. It may be the future, but it ain't there yet in terms of ease and functionality, simplicity and reliability.

There are easily thousands of Internet Radio streams, and HD Radio can offer you a handful of new stations,

SM/Sirius claims a ton of new stations, but the reality is that most people listen to a handful of channels. Same with Cable TV.....lots of channels...but most people only watch a few.

Internet Radio overshadows all of it's offerings.

Many of the internet channels are run on a shoestring and sloppily programmed as well.

But Internet radios have been on the market for awhile...and they are not flying off the shelves either.

ALL radio is undergoing apathy....there are not many new things about radio AT ALL that have succeeded. I cant think of the last time an AM success story hit the dial (with the exception of the sports formats that have appeared.)

 

[tomservo]

Internet radio is only a big thing amongst those who think an iPhone is an entry level device. The stand alone radios are pretty expensive and only work where there's wi-fi, not on the road.

For me to get into this streaming thing on the go, I'd have to go buy a new smartphone and go sign a 2-year contract with a new carrier, since mind doesn't offer 3g where I live (thanks, Eglin AFB) and I'd have to shell out $60-80 a month. I guess if I were rich it'd be a nice luxury, but I'm in the real world for now and that's just too much. Radio, even half-assed HD, is free after purchasing the radio.

 

[Play Freebird]

ALL radio is undergoing apathy....there are not many new things about radio AT ALL that have succeeded. I cant think of the last time an AM success story hit the dial (with the exception of the sports formats that have appeared.)

Talk to Joe and Nancy Reilly, owners of WHLM in Bloomsburg, PA:

http://www.whlmam.com/

They brought a dark daytimer back to life, made a ongoing commitment to local service, added two FM translators for solid 24 hour coverage, (for a fraction of the cost of an iBiquity broadcaster license), put up a web stream, and they've turned the thing around.

Before you denigrate the Reillys as "small-time operators", consider that WHLM provides a unique community service unlike Sirius, XM, cable TV, or the TV and radio stations in larger adjoining markets. As always, programming (and a good signal to carry it) are keys to local radio's continued success.

 

[Savage]

And who wants to listen to someone who's obviously (a) an elitist who only sees value in the top-rated large-market corporate-owned stations, and/or (b) somebody who displays such a nihilistic, defeatist view of radio anyway?

This site was launched for discussions by people who are passionate about ALL radio....not just the power-players in the top 50 markets.

And that's one of the problems with HD. It's a blundering, clumsy and ultimately disastrously self-defeating attempt by Big Radio at a land-grab. Pardon us "small-time operators" as we laugh at the idiocy of CBS (as an example) pounding untold millions down the rat-hole of HD Radio while they interfere with their own co-owned stations, all to save face for the handful of their execs who developed the whole mess when they worked at iBiquity. As another poster here endlessly observes: "LOL!!"

 

[KB1OKL]

2.) Are concumers interested in ANY radio?

You are right, I have never heard of fruit listening to the radio.

 

[BRNout]

As we go into 2011, HD Radio STILL hasn't gained significant traction and will only continue to loose supporters from both radio companies and other investors. Internet Radio is the next generation of radio, not HD Radio. We will see an accelerating rate of stations dropping IBUZ and the AM list atleast shrunk in half by this time in 2012. Maybe FM HD could be successful on small scale among radio enthusiasts and in markets where a niche format is offered on an HD subchannel, but it is definately not the 2nd coming to radio and not really in the consumers interest.

THANK YOU! I've been saying this for a long time and many of the HD lackeys here fight me on it tooth and nail. HD Radio is a joke - an answer to a question that someone could have posed in 1991 but didn't. The real future is streaming audio. Steaming audio in smart phones, small computers and eventually your car. Did anyone read the TRI article today on how audio will be the killer app for 4G? Argue all you want about whether the present wireless infrastructure is overburdened or not - none of it matters because it's being rebuilt every day. And the new 4G system will make wireless streaming a lot cheaper, efficient and easier than it already is.

Where does that leave HD? In the dust. Anything you can get with an HD radio is already streamed somewhere - if not now, it will be. The difference is that you will not be limited by geography. If you like a subchannel of KROQ LA and live in Chicago, guess what? You'll stream it. With fewer dropouts than an HD radio.

Streaming is the future. Standard broadcast is robust and cheap. And HD radio falls into a hole in the middle. Nobody cares about it because it brings little to the table. Five friggin' years of heavy promotion and still nobody's buying. That should tell you that it's NOT the next FM.

 

[R.F. Burns]

The year 2050:

Yea, HD is gonna die any day now trust me next year it'll be gone. Where have I read this before?

 

[Savage]

Let's never forget that HD Radio has never been about "the betterment of radio." It's a cynical sub rosa agenda set in motion by a handful of developer-mad scientist engineers using the lobbying power of Big Radio Groups to try to enrich themselves and cronies.

Big Group Radio hoped to impose both the system and its development and implementation costs in monopolistic form on smaller broadcasters. CC, Greater Media and CBS were counting on getting ROI directly from their competitors. So there's interference and the system sucks? Who cares, as long as the checks roll in.

Oops. Stupidity is its own reward.

 

[Savage]

No, RF, HD is not "gonna die any day now" and, you're correct, it will not be gone "next year."

Neither will it be successful, in any meaningful sense of the word.

As I've posted here before: it's gonna be a digital version of SCA. Specialty narrowcasting aimed at pay-for-play audiences. Oh, and alternate channels for pubcasters.

I would wager there are fewer actual listeners to HD-1 streams than there were last year at this time. And WAY fewer than there were two years ago.

Welcome to "digital radio" - C-QUAM for the new century. It will live on for years, ignored by just about everyone. As someone else aptly noted, like The Clintons - forgotten but not completely gone.

 

[TheBigA]

Anything you can get with an HD radio is already streamed somewhere - if not now, it will be. The difference is that you will not be limited by geography.

Same thing with LPFM. They're going down to the NAB today with hula hoops because they want to be DJs. Someone forgot to tell them they can play radio a lot easier and cheaper on the internet, with no regulations, no limits on their power, and no FCC forms to deal with. There are lots of hyper-local internet sites right now, and they'll fit right in. Get phone apps and they don't have to worry about power outages either. And if they really want to be on regular radio, there are loads of AM stations going dark. At this rate, they can have the whole band! Sure at one time, there was scarcity of the spectrum. Not any more.

 

[hubcity]

Someone forgot to tell them they can play radio a lot easier and cheaper on the internet, with no regulations, no limits on their power, and no FCC forms to deal with. There are lots of hyper-local internet sites right now, and they'll fit right in.

Can't agree with you there, once you factor in a few facts:

- To listen to Internet radio, one must have a device capable of pulling it in. That eliminates a lot of people.
- To broadcast on Internet radio legally, one must be capable of reporting fully on what was played and how many people heard it.
- To be heard on Internet radio, you need to somehow pop your head and shoulders above everyone else that wants to be heard on Internet radio. Incidentally, I've found that becoming a broadcaster (of any sort) immediately increases your visibility in that regard; people tend to gravitate toward streams with a signal, even if it's not very large.

I'd say Internet radio and HD radio are in the same boat in that regard, with Internet radio having a significant edge because you can do so many other things with a computer - nobody buys a computer with Internet radio listenership being a *goal*, but once people get a computer, they quickly become aware that Internet radio listening is one thing they can do with it. HD has no such embedded paradigm (and is suffering for it.)

But being an FM broadcaster often enough to promote your Internet stream and your HD signal? That's a sweet spot.

And what's common among them? Being a *broadcaster*.

 

[TheBigA]

- To listen to Internet radio, one must have a device capable of pulling it in.

You mean a computer? Right now I have more computers than radios. The next step is the dashboard, and you will get internet standard there before HD Radio. You can bet on that. But as I mentioned, the ability to hear internet radio on smart phones is going to be a big draw.

- To broadcast on Internet radio legally, one must be capable of reporting fully on what was played and how many people heard it.

They have programs that handle that for you.

- To be heard on Internet radio, you need to somehow pop your head and shoulders above everyone else that wants to be heard on Internet radio.

That's a problem everywhere now. People don't spin the dial. Add more stations to the FM dial, and it becomes even more difficult to stand out.

 

[hubcity]

I think I've figured out why HD's fervent supporters go silent in this group. It's because there's really no shot at any discussion at all if it doesn't take it as a given that it shouldn't exist in the first place. Actually, it'd be nice if there were some discussion here regarding interesting uses of HD and its multicast channels, but that might be seen by some hereabouts as "supporting" it.

So I'll tell ya what. As long as I have it available, I'm going to continue to program for it. If that dries up, I'll keep the Internet stream up. If the station suddenly decides it's such a compelling format that it should be on the FM, that'll be nice too (though I'm really not holding my breath.)

In other words, the transmission method really doesn't matter for me, as long as there is one.

You guys keep fighting about it. And in the meantime, think about whether the topic of this thread should really be: "In 2011, Radio's slow death continues".

 

[KB1OKL]

Actually, it'd be nice if there were some discussion here regarding interesting uses of HD and its multicast channels, but that might be seen by some hereabouts as "supporting" it.

I think it's a foregone conclusion for many of us here that HD is just biding it's time.