Question for HD proponents

[arnoldevns]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

 

[Ken Tucky]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

They pray a lot.

 

[badjef]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

They pray a lot.

There ain't no athiests in the HD foxhole.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[hubcity]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

They pray a lot.

There ain't no athiests in the HD foxhole.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Well, I'm running an HD2, and here's what I think:

- Folks like the format, and they go on Twitter and say so.
- I have more listeners online than I did when I was online-only.
- There have been some HD radio purchases due to me doing what I'm doing. If you don't want to spring for an unlimited data plan, $35 (watch for sales) gets you the station (and a couple of others that you might like) with no extra charges. I wouldn't recommend spending more than that, though.

From my standpoint, I don't care if they listen via HD or online - I'm happy to have listeners, and I have more of them since my station became an HD2. So there's that.

 

[KB1OKL]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

They pray a lot.

There ain't no athiests in the HD foxhole.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Well, I'm running an HD2, and here's what I think:

- Folks like the format, and they go on Twitter and say so.
- I have more listeners online than I did when I was online-only.
- There have been some HD radio purchases due to me doing what I'm doing. If you don't want to spring for an unlimited data plan, $35 (watch for sales) gets you the station (and a couple of others that you might like) with no extra charges. I wouldn't recommend spending more than that, though.

From my standpoint, I don't care if they listen via HD or online - I'm happy to have listeners, and I have more of them since my station became an HD2. So there's that.

Do you think you have more online listeners directly because of your HD-2 channel or do you think that perhaps online listening is increasing anyway?

 

[badjef]

I'm sitting here in my house in Plano typing this post on my cell phone while listening to great music from an LP FM station in Tyler-Longview that's streaming through an app on the same phone. The app was free. The phone wasn't free nor is the data plan, but I would have both regardless of whether I used them to stream music.

I can listen to high quality streams from thousands of stations around the globe on this app - including a bunch of HD-2 & HD-3 stations. It doesn't drop out on me. It works well.

So how do HD radio proponents get me, or others like me, to spend any money on a radio that may or may not get the HD signals from the transmitters 35 miles away at the antenna farm for this area??

They pray a lot.

There ain't no athiests in the HD foxhole.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Well, I'm running an HD2, and here's what I think:

- Folks like the format, and they go on Twitter and say so.
- I have more listeners online than I did when I was online-only.
- There have been some HD radio purchases due to me doing what I'm doing. If you don't want to spring for an unlimited data plan, $35 (watch for sales) gets you the station (and a couple of others that you might like) with no extra charges. I wouldn't recommend spending more than that, though.

From my standpoint, I don't care if they listen via HD or online - I'm happy to have listeners, and I have more of them since my station became an HD2. So there's that.

Do you think you have more online listeners directly because of your HD-2 channel or do you think that perhaps online listening is increasing anyway?

If I may:
Yes, the HD-x will bring more listeners online than online only. If for no other reason, it is another access point. For the non-com band HD-x is a great idea. For commercial purposes, notsmuch.

But HD is not a cure all for all.

For “Hubcity”’s circumstance, WBJB has the signal to benefit from HD.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[arnoldevns]

Interesting answers from the broadcaster perspective, but not what I asked.
What can you all do to get people to buy HD radios when its cheaper and more reliable to just listen to a stream over the internet? So far, I'm hearing the answer is "nothing" - which just begs the question:.why bother with HD at all?

 

[hubcity]

Interesting answers from the broadcaster perspective, but not what I asked.
What can you all do to get people to buy HD radios when its cheaper and more reliable to just listen to a stream over the internet? So far, I'm hearing the answer is "nothing" - which just begs the question:.why bother with HD at all?

The only thing you can do is program something listeners can't hear anywhere else, and that goes for online as well as HD.

For my format, automation works (though I really want to open the mic more.) Like I said, value-wise, you can get the radio for less than one month's unlimited data, so it's cost effective if you don't do unlimited data. If you do, well, no need to buy the radio, 'cause we're online, too.

 

[hubcity]

Do you think you have more online listeners directly because of your HD-2 channel or do you think that perhaps online listening is increasing anyway?

I think that being a terrestrial station of any stripe gives you a psychological one-up in the minds of people scanning lists of online stations. They're more likely to try it, and if you're doing your job, they stick around.

Which brings us back to "content, content, content." Technology alone never sold anything; it's what you do with it.

 

[badjef]

Interesting answers from the broadcaster perspective, but not what I asked.
What can you all do to get people to buy HD radios when its cheaper and more reliable to just listen to a stream over the internet? So far, I'm hearing the answer is "nothing" - which just begs the question:.why bother with HD at all?

Broadcasters are listeners, too.

Internet is for global listening.

HD would be very localized but simpler to use.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[arnoldevns]

I think you're wrong about that. Many people (maybe most in some markets) have smart phones with data plans. Finding HD radios is difficult and an extra expense. Furthermore, HD is not as reliable as streaming. I'm having a hard time understanding why stations continue to promote this inferior and faulty technology. I'm not getting a clear answer here either.

 

[arnoldevns]

I think you're wrong about that. Many people (maybe most in some markets) have smart phones with data plans. Finding HD radios is difficult and an extra expense. Furthermore, HD is not as reliable as streaming. I'm having a hard time understanding why stations continue to promote this inferior and faulty technology. I'm not getting a clear answer here either.

 

[TVradioguru]

I'm having a hard time understanding why stations continue to promote this inferior and faulty technology. I'm not getting a clear answer here either.

You're joking right? You're joking right? Sorry I couldn't resist.. I'm not an engineer, nor even a techno-boffin, but that is an easy answer.

The reason stations promote HD radio is because:

A: The parent organization invested heavily in the concept.
B: The station paid licensing fees and made a capital investment in broadcasting HD.
C: If HD were to catch on with consumer product manufacturers or consumers, broadcasters would have the opportunity to provide and sell additional formats or programming without the need for additional spectrum.
D: Knowing AM listening is effectively aging-out with the lowest audio and reception quality, explore the potential to migrate AM to a digital model.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the obvious ones.

 

[hubcity]

I think you're wrong about that. Many people (maybe most in some markets) have smart phones with data plans. Finding HD radios is difficult and an extra expense. Furthermore, HD is not as reliable as streaming. I'm having a hard time understanding why stations continue to promote this inferior and faulty technology. I'm not getting a clear answer here either.

About half of all mobile subscribers have smart phones, but a lot of them do not have unlimited data plans. Only 15.7% of smartphone users used their phone to listen to music; only 36% could be bothered to even open a browser (about the same as those who've used downloaded apps.) Personally, I'd rather take the extra $50 a month and put it toward a nice dinner, and until that amount becomes pocket change, that's the way I'm gonna go.

That's where an appeal could lie - there's no situation where an HD radio can "have the meter running" - pay your money for the device, and you're done (assuming you get good reception.) Also, to echo Jeff's comment, simplicity...though HD doesn't exactly win points for intuitiveness.

Truthfully, though, nobody's going to go out and buy an HD Radio unless they're committed to something it's playing. It's far more likely that they'll "get" an HD Radio (with their next car purchase, most likely) and sample it. Question 1 is, once they have it, will they tune in? Question 2 is will they spend more time trying to understand it than they will trying to defeat the feature?

 

[tomservo]

I think you're wrong about that. Many people (maybe most in some markets) have smart phones with data plans. Finding HD radios is difficult and an extra expense. Furthermore, HD is not as reliable as streaming. I'm having a hard time understanding why stations continue to promote this inferior and faulty technology. I'm not getting a clear answer here either.

The industry seems to be in a chicken and egg scenario with FM HD at the moment. All the money's already been spent on building out the HD stuff for the 1% power level and it has proven insufficient for 99.9% of stations. Since it isn't working, people aren't buying the radios and no one is eager to embed HD in their other radio-containing products. But as long as no one is listening, there's monetary incentive to upgrade to the full 6% or whatever it is, that seems to alleviate much of the coverage issues.

If HD is to succeed (even if it isn't widely used by radio stations, which it can't be because of spacing issues in crowded markets) then the move has to be away from stand alone HD radios like we have now and HD being integrated into other radio-containing devices, for little or no added cost to the manufacturer/consumer.

And even though it's counter-intuitive, each HD radio needs to come with an HD-off switch to shut out troubled stations. Put the radios in people's hands and then you'll have a reason to boost HD power where applicable, which will eventually negate the need for the HD-off switch for the most part.

Last but not least, promote smartly. Don't promote HD as some cryptic "stations between the stations" but as the easiest way to hear your favorite online station while on the go, as a free alternative to costly data plans and smartphones.

 

[arnoldevns]

Zach, you give the best answer of all. Only point of contention: I did not buy a smart phone and data plan to listen to streaming music on the net. I doubt anyone really does. Lots of people have those devices now, but few have ever seen or heard an HD radio.

I think your suggestion that stations promote the programming as being both online and on HD is probably the smartest way to go. It is not specifically promoting HD or buying an HD radio, but it gives the consumer an option that might be cheaper if they don't have a smartphone or don't want to tie up their smartphone as a radio.