Industry Mostly Skeptical of HD Radio

[Carmine5]

Interesting article in today's Inside Radio on a survey regarding industry acceptance of HD Radio. The conclusion?

"A majority of respondents to an Inside Radio survey believe HD Radio's tipping point is years away — or never."

http://www.insideradio.com/Article.asp?id=1654147&spid=32060

Here is the Alliance response to those in radio who have doubts about HD:

"As for the naysayers, Ferrara says, “I suspect those are like the same people in 1971 that thought FM would never catch on.”"

c5

 

[Carmine5]

While we're at it, check out this article in RBR: a Brazilian broadcaster asks why HD Radio isn't catching on in the U.S.

Apparently Brazil is testing both HD Radio and DRM right now.

http://www.rbr.com/radio/ENGINEERING/95/19864.html

The reasons listed in the article are right on target and are not just the cynical musings of naysaying DX'ers.

c5

 

[Savage]

Ahh, yes. So typical of the HD crowd: when asked why HD is stiffing, they attack critics with frayed and trite insults - wow, "naysayers." (We're never seen THAT chestnut before.) And "the same people in 1971 who thought FM would never catch on."

First of all, Peter Ferrara, take it from somebody who was actually there - working in major market radio in 1971. (That would be me.) Nobody thought, in 1971, that "FM would never catch on." In fact, most AM broadcasters were snapping up remaining allocations, building out and upgrading existing FMs, and planning for an FM-dominated music radio scene in the near future.

You know: like nobody is doing today with HD, save for your nitwit Kool-Aid glugging Alliance members.

Ahh, Peter Ferrara. Can't defend HD Radio on its "technical merit," can you? Nope. Your dopey system is so lamely defective the only response you have to "hey, what about the interference?" is - "naysayers!!"
What else could anyone expect from the guy who's responsible for the endlessly idiotic HD on-air campaigns?

Go give Guy Wire his daily backrub, Peter. And give "naysayers" a rest already. :

 

[BRNout]

Just to add to what Mr. Savage had to say, I can't think of too many FM stations that were desperately seeking out rebroadcast rights on AM in 1971 (to the extent that this was possible). If anything, the reverse was true (as in WPGC Morningside/Washington).

However, there are a number of station owners that are seeking to put HD2's onto FM translators so that they'll get some listeners (example, Atlanta's 99X format that was on 99.7 HD-2; now also on translator 97.9). Another is the urban AC format in Harrisburg, PA which is an HD2 to translator move. This wouldn't be happening if HD radio was taking off. To the contrary, the opposite would be the case because an HD2 has (theoretically) a much larger range than a translator.

Basically, those statements about "naysayers" are nonsense.

By the way, I LOVE the unsolicited RBR editorial at the end of the article/question penned by the Brazilian engineer - following the comments section. Basically a lame attempt to nullify all of the valid points made above by fobbing it all off on "the economy." Talk about nonsense! It's such an outrageously dumb comment as to gender disbelief on my part! Clearly written by someone who is either totally disconnected from reality or who is a complete fraud in the tank with Ibiquity.

 

[Carmine5]

By the way, I LOVE the unsolicited RBR editorial at the end of the article/question penned by the Brazilian engineer - following the comments section. Basically a lame attempt to nullify all of the valid points made above by fobbing it all off on "the economy." Talk about nonsense! It's such an outrageously dumb comment as to gender disbelief on my part! Clearly written by someone who is either totally disconnected from reality or who is a complete fraud in the tank with Ibiquity.

I get the impression that the editor was "hedging" and just playing it safe rather than touch off a firestorm from those in the industry who support HD Radio--and as we know there are some heavy hitters backing HDR who I'm sure read his industry news site. When the economy recovers sufficiently we'll have to see if HD-Radio grows along with it (although I think we know the answer).

But he did at least put out there the key problem with HD-AM for this Brazilian broadcaster to consider:

"The AM HD system is very poor in coverage and creates way too much digital interference outside of its intended mask. Many stations here in the US have turned off their HD AM signals because of this."

So if Brazil is seriously weighing HDR and DRM for AM, knowing this along with their own tests may well keep HD-AM out of that country. For that matter, they might as well test DRM+ for FM and make DRM the national standard across the board.

c5

 

[Carmine5]

In another example of industry skepticism toward HDR is a letter from Larry Tighe who owns WRNJ-AM.

This may have been already mentioned but Larry writes about an FM station who turned off their HD equipment once they realized that they had only 12 listeners to the HD stream and that it was costing the station an extra 1000.00 in electricity.

It's in the latest RW (1/13/10)

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/rw_20100113/#/32

 

[KB1OKL]

Hum Drum Radio, yes they were being kind.

 

[davideduardo]

Interesting article in today's Inside Radio on a survey regarding industry acceptance of HD Radio. The conclusion?

"A majority of respondents to an Inside Radio survey believe HD Radio's tipping point is years away — or never."

I'm reminded of a news item in an issue of Broadcasting Magazine from 1956 in which the legendary Dr. Sidney Roslow stated that wasting money on FM was folly as studies had indicated that consumers had absolutely no interest in the technology and that it would never replace AM with which consumers were totally satisfied.

 

[davideduardo]

But he did at least put out there the key problem with HD-AM for this Brazilian broadcaster to consider:

Yet last week the Mexican authorities approved HD for AM and FM. Considerable testing had been done, including on 100 kw XEN in Mexico City; XEN at 690 is adjacent to another local station, 10 kw XEMP at 710. And on the other side, another local 50 kw station operates at 660.

 

[TVradioguru]

But he did at least put out there the key problem with HD-AM for this Brazilian broadcaster to consider:

Yet last week the Mexican authorities approved HD for AM and FM. Considerable testing had been done, including on 100 kw XEN in Mexico City; XEN at 690 is adjacent to another local station, 10 kw XEMP at 710. And on the other side, another local 50 kw station operates at 660.

Excelente! I hope they convert all these boarder-blaster AM stations with HD radio, then bury every adjacent station near them with hiss. That way maybe the DX and AM radio geeks will finally stop with the trips in Uncle Sherman's 'Wayback Machine' about their fuzzy recollections of the good ol' days, get girlfriends, lose the bib overalls, pocket protectors, and maybe even become productive members of society. Imagine!