There's a loop running now on 89.3 HD-2 talking about the launch of "NGEN Radio." The station will launch, officially, Thursday night from College Station at the TobyMac/Skillet concert. NGEN will have terrestrial presence in Bryan/College Station on KWUP HD-2 in Navasota, and on 93.3, a translator of KSBJ's 89.3 signal out of Houston. NGEN will also be streamed live on the internet.
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KSBJ HD-2 "NGEN Radio" launches Thursday nite...
- Thread starter CCMDJ
- Start date
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foursider
Guest
Well, when they do, they'll be the first station in town to offer anything different on HD. You have to admire their approach to HD. You won't see any of the commercial operators putting that kind of effort into their HD 2s. They don't even put that kind of effort into their main channel programming.
mrbeasley said:
The fact that you don't care for the format doesn't mean it has no legitimacy.
A tip of the hat to KSBJ for trying something new and advancing the possibilities of HD multicasting. If this was on a regular analog signal, what would be your reaction? Numerous posters on this board over the years have wanted such a choice.
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foursider
Guest
I agree. They've earned their place in big market radio. Just look at their numbers. At least they're doing something new an innovative with their HD2. And, the younger set needs some positive programming to offset the junk they get from other sources.
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streetbeat
Guest
Kudos to KSBJ's efforts to program their HD2 channel. The problem is, after a number of years and lots of promotion, nobody is listening to HD radio. In fact, ask ten people on the street what HD radio even is and you'll probably get a bunch of blank stares. Some think it's satellite radio....others think it's like an HD t-v for radio. Go into any Best Buy and ask the salesperson for their HD radio section and they'll likely direct you to the satellite radio section. The technology just never took hold and probably won't. Still a nice effort by KSBJ. They've done well on their main channel and maybe they know what they're doing when it comes to HD as well.
I wasn't commenting on the choice of format as much as I was "ho-humming" the fact that it's HD. Like you said, don't go looking for an HD radio at Best Buy or Frys. If the format works, most kids will be tuning it in on their phones, before they'll run out and buy an HD radio. In fact, most kids don't even know what HD radio is or how to get one.
I know KSBJ has spent considerable effort insuring that the format will be available on as many platforms as possible. According to what's online, they're launching a new website tomorrow with all the infrastructure and apps needed to make sure that listeners can hear the format. They're not putting all their radio-eggs in the HDRadio basket (though I would imagine that IBiquity is pretty excited about all the effort KSBJ has put into this launch.)
People can say what they want about IBOC (HD Radio) but it will not be going away any time soon.
I am happy to see KSBJ take on the technology and do something other than another automation PC locked in a server rack running an automated playlist that is pretty much what their main FM does (like so many FM's are doing with their HD-2s).
I am happy to see KSBJ take on the technology and do something other than another automation PC locked in a server rack running an automated playlist that is pretty much what their main FM does (like so many FM's are doing with their HD-2s).
mrbeasley said:
I don't see why the anti-HD zealots have to s**t on every thread about HD radio.
Kudos to KSBJ for trying something new.
Apparently you've never had to pay iBiquity's exorbitant license fees for what was originally supposed to be open-architecture software. I'm not opposed to HD radio. Just the way it's being done in the U.S. It's being done in a technically inferior manner that relegates it to a second class delivery method.
mrbeasley said:
Well, that's awesome. What does it have to do with KSBJ?
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streetbeat
Guest
I'm not sure that anybody is s****** on HD radio. Is questioning the viability of the technology not allowed? As a listener, I know KUHF has programmed their HD channels for a couple of years now, including considerable resources in live hosting and local newscasts on the HD-2 channel, but have yet to see any significant listener numbers at all. Basically, from what I've heard, there's been no return on the investment whatsoever. It's not like HD hasn't been given a chance. It's been given a 5-year chance, and so far, no go. Maybe that will change and I'll be happy if it does.
streetbeat said:
It's one thing to "question the viability of the technology."
It's quite another to chime into a thread about what a station is doing with their HD2 channel and online and contribute "Big whoopie..." just because you have a beef with iBiquity. That's not really fair to the people at KSBJ in my opinion. To hijack a nice thread about something new they're trying and immediately turn it to crap because you personally don't care for some people in Maryland that really have nothing to do with the station is rude, crude and socially unacceptable.
Unfortunately, it happens EVERY SINGLE TIME any thread is opened that involves what a station is doing with its HD subchannels in any way, shape or form.
There's a time and a place for this pointless bitching I suppose. There's a board here devoted to it in fact, but the nutjobs that reside there just can't control themselves and have to seek out every opportunity to spread their doom and gloom and take swipes at anyone even remotely (in KSBJ's case very remotely) connected with HD Radio.
Hell, go to the website of any vendor that sells HD radios and you'll find an endless supply of "user comments" from these kooks deriding the technology and bashing radios they don't own and never will.
I guess I should feel sorry for these losers who've turned this into their life's mission, but when they turn their obviously red hot hatred of iBiquity onto innocent people in our industry who are just trying to do something cool and new, I find it really irksome.
I totally agree. I do not like it that every thread about HD radio gets invaded by people who either do not like it or want to talk about how it will fail or how they hate iBiquity. And these people think they need to comment on EVERY HD thread like its their life mission to attack it.
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