Reaction to HD Radio

[700WLW]

I don't mind using AM Stereo as an example. NO, it wasn't a roaring success. But it never went away. It's still there. New car manufacturers are still installing it. There are still radios. In fact NEW ones are coming on the market (HD Radios which also receive AM STereo). The Accurian is something that was desperately needed two decades ago, but never materialized...a tabletop AM Stereo radio.

My point? Even if HD isn't hugely successful, that sure as hell doesn't mean it's going away. I don't think ANY FM station now in HD will EVER "pull the plug". They're down for the duration, which already makes HD a bigger success than AM Stereo ever was (in terms of geographical area served). Radios are just now becoming available, and the public still doesn't know what HD is (or AM Stereo for that matter. A few stations marketed it well in the 80s, but most sat on the sidelines. Consumers who were aware of it, did exactly what they're doing now with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray...they're saying "NEITHER...not until you agree on a damn standard!") The FCC finally chose C-Quam as the standard...WAY too late for it to make any difference. Limbaugh and O'Reilly don't really call out for stereo!

With HD, there's ONE standard. The advantage of consolidation in radio (the ONLY advantage I can think of!) is that when the big corporations like Clear Channel and CBS/Infinity decide to market a new standard like HD, it's already most of the way there, because they can almost instantly put it on thousands of stations in markets coast-to-coast. With that kind of backing behind an AM Stereo system, that situation would have been completely different.

"Reaction to HD"? Ask 20 people at random what HD Radio is. If more than 2 of them are even aware that it exists, I'll eat my hat (I don't own one. I suppose I'll have to buy one). There is no demand for what people don't know exists yet. Even then, technology must be SOLD! Remember salesmanship? Americans used to be able to sell each other things. Come on radio people, you remember how to sell, don't you?

No one, is going to listen to you - HD Radio is dead. The Cartel has already spent $200 million dollars in advertising, with anemic results. No, you are wrong about having to sell other technology:

"Meet your new competition"

"And that's a key distinction differentiating these services from satellite and HD radio - both of which need both selling and buying. And right now there's a whole lot of the former going on and not enough of the latter. By necessity, satellite is already branching into video and WiFi solutions while HD radio is still trying to emerge from its shell. This is not a good time to emerge from a shell without peeking into the big wide world first to see what awaits you."

http://www.hear2.com/2006/12/meet_your_new_c.html

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Does anyone know if the FCC has a mandated date (like they did for HDTV)?

With an estimated 800 million receivers to be replaced (the industry's own estimate), it will be decades before the FCC will even consider a drop-dead date for analog.

"Reaction to HD"? Ask 20 people at random what HD Radio is. If more than 2 of them are even aware that it exists, I'll eat my hat (I don't own one. I suppose I'll have to buy one). There is no demand for what people don't know exists yet. Even then, technology must be SOLD! Remember salesmanship? Americans used to be able to sell each other things. Come on radio people, you remember how to sell, don't you?

The latest survey from Mercury Research states that 73% of the US population is aware that HD Radio exists. Hope that hat tastes good. ;-) Unfortunately, a huge percentage of that 73% also thinks that they're listening to HD without buying a new receiver. Yes, a new tech must be sold, but so far, radio is failing abysmally at it. The fact that 73% of the population knows about it and still won't buy it in any meaningful quantity says that there is an enormous marketing job yet to be done.

HD Radio is a solution to a non-existent problem. In the case of AM-HD, it's a cure which is far worse than the alleged disease due to the already-documented interference created. In the case of FM-HD, it is a recipe for economic disaster, because the market conditions which would support doubling or tripling the number of FM stations simply don't exist, and will not exist in the future without severely degrading the value of existing stations.

 

[Mike Walker]

First of all there will never be a "drop-dead date" for analog. I wholeheartedly agree if your point is that a "drop dead date" would be pretty damn stupid. And there's no reason for it.

If "75 percent are aware of HD", but most think they're hearing it already, they are NOT aware of HD. They're confusing it with HDTV (with many probably think they're getting already, too! Who can blame 'em. It's a miracle ANY new technology is sold. Been to a Best Buy lately? Or Circuit City? Or Rat Shack? This is where stupid, technological dim-wits go to spread mis-information. Oh...and here on this board, of course. KIDDING!) If you don't know what a technology is, or whether you have it or not, then you have no KNOWLEDGE of the product! And stations are doing a lousy job of marketing it. I've yet to hear a commercial that explains what the hell it is! "Ask your dealer". I can't think of anyone who is LESS likely to be informative than a dealer. It makes me want to shake station owners and say "YOU ARE THE ONE WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS TECHNOLOGY, EXPLAIN WHAT THE CRAP IT MEANS! DON'T EXPECT IGNORANT DEALERS TO DO IT FOR YOU! GEEZ!"

If stations can't do a better job than this, then the technology IS doomed. Doomed like AM stereo. It's widely available, equipment is easily obtained, and most people still don't know about it. But audio geeks (like me) will!

 

[700WLW]

"... YOU ARE THE ONE WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS TECHNOLOGY, EXPLAIN WHAT THE CRAP IT MEANS! DON'T EXPECT IGNORANT DEALERS TO DO IT FOR YOU! GEEZ!... "

 

[XTalker]

The bigger picture for HD radio is what will the competition be when it becomes commonplace? I honestly belive we will see more mobile, more affordable, Internet connections that will allow for more streaming stations! Imagine the "streaming radio" that is installed in the car and can pick up any of hundreds of streaming programs for the price of the internet connection! Already, ClearWire makes your connection portable. It is just a matter of time before the size and decoding device is practial.

 

[tomservo]

With HD, there's ONE standard. The advantage of consolidation in radio (the ONLY advantage I can think of!) is that when the big corporations like Clear Channel and CBS/Infinity decide to market a new standard like HD, it's already most of the way there, because they can almost instantly put it on thousands of stations in markets coast-to-coast. With that kind of backing behind an AM Stereo system, that situation would have been completely different.

I thought the advantage of consolidation in radio was they they'd come up with a solution to a problem that didn't really exist, then design a inefficient system, charge exorbant fees to "license" it, force it on their own stations and never consider any possibly better alternatives.

*ducks*

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

First of all there will never be a "drop-dead date" for analog. I wholeheartedly agree if your point is that a "drop dead date" would be pretty damn stupid. And there's no reason for it.

Oh, but there will be...decades in the future, but there will be. I say that because iBiquity bothered to design a transmission spec for HD for both AM and FM which envisions an all-digital future, and as we've already seen, whatever iBiquity wants, iBiquity gets.

I've yet to hear a commercial that explains what the hell it is! "Ask your dealer". I can't think of anyone who is LESS likely to be informative than a dealer. It makes me want to shake station owners and say "YOU ARE THE ONE WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS TECHNOLOGY, EXPLAIN WHAT THE CRAP IT MEANS! DON'T EXPECT IGNORANT DEALERS TO DO IT FOR YOU! GEEZ!"

I work for one of the major radio groups which is part of the HD Alliance, and I am appalled at the lack of marketing savvy. The extent of the marketing on the two FMs in our group which are running HD is ten-second promos and a tag on the legal IDs ("now broadcasting in HD"). No explanation of what it is. No explanation that you need a new radio to hear it. Worst of all, no commercials from one of the local tech chains (Tweeter) which sells the BA Receptor. They're trying to create a buzz with buzz-words, but if no one understands the buzz-words, it's a wasted effort.

It's widely available, equipment is easily obtained, and most people still don't know about it. But audio geeks (like me) will!

I've been a broadcast engineer for close to 40 years, and I've never seen anything remotely resembling this utter travesty being foisted upon the public. The FCC has abdicated its responsibility and its charter, and has essentially handed over a broadcasting standard to a private company, to which users of this tech have to pay licensing fees. (Cliff's Notes: We have the best government money can buy.) The standard causes massive interference on the AM band to stations within their (formerly) interference-free contours, and increases the number of signals available on the FM band without any economic basis whatsoever (remember when applicants for stations had to prove they had a sound business plan for their first license term?). Small radio stations, most of which are just getting by if at all, will not be able to afford the fees and will be left behind if this new tech takes hold...or will be driven out of business by interference from other stations if they're on the AM band. Every conceivable way of screwing this up has been found out and implemented...and all for the sake of fixing something that wasn't broken in the first place.

Worst of all, the radio business never seems to understand that whatever ails it is NOT...has NEVER been...fixed by changing its technology. It's content, content and more content that will determine whether they keep the listeners they have, get new ones...or continue to lose them to other media. They thought AM stereo would be the AM band's salvation, too, and look how far that got them.

 

[700WLW]

Oh, but there will be...decades in the future, but there will be. I say that because iBiquity bothered to design a transmission spec for HD for both AM and FM which envisions an all-digital future, and as we've already seen, whatever iBiquity wants, iBiquity gets.

I wouldn't count on that, if this trend with HD Radio, continues on its meager path.

 

[jcolletta275]

Dumber, do you mind if I quote you on my blog? You hit the nail on the head beautifully.

 

[Mike Walker]

The biggest mistakes are a)-the am system. WTF? And b)-the charges which make it impossible for small stations to even consider now.

At least for the kind of listening I do (stationary, at home...I'm legally blind), the FM system works rather well. But you're right about content vs. technology. FM took more than three decades to reach audience parity with AM. In the 80s when they actually adopted the programming from AM that people liked to listen to, things changed quickly.

I would rather hear good programming on an AM radio than something I don't give a rat's hindquarters about in HD. But the best combination of all, of course, is great content, AND great audio...provided it's affordable and practical.

You're right about the major broadcasters who have invested SO heavily in HD absolutely sucking at explaining what the hell it is! Anybody who thinks the public actually knows, or understands HD is, well to be kind...a little slow on the uptake. They may well have heard of it. But they also think they've already got it (exactly as with AM Stereo in the 80s. At the station I worked for I'd get calls like this "Man you guys sound great in stereo!" "What kind of stereo radio did you buy?" "Oh, it's the same radio I've had for years!" RIM-SHOT!

I had a heated discussion with a guy at Best Buy last year when I explained to him that there's no such freaking thing as a "24 bit cd". If there was, standard cd players wouldn't play it, because the cd standard is locked in cement to 16 bit word lengths, and a 44.1khz sample rate. "Dude, you don't know what you're talking about. I have an audiophile tube cd player, and it is 24 bits. It says so right on the front". YOU MORON (words I didn't actually express, but THOUGHT LOUDLY!) "that means it has 24 bit converters. Which means the final eight bits do NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. The advantage of 24 bit converters is that they might well have greater linearity at the 16 bit (-96db) level. But then so did the "one bit" converters which were so-hyped a few years ago. ARRRGH!

Being "aware of technology" and knowing what the hell it is are two completely different things. Ask Ted Stevens. He's sure "aware" of the internet, but he thinks "it's a series of tubes". THANKFULLY he no longer is in charge of the committee that regulates it!

Broadcasters must get a clue. If they back the technology, they must educate the public. Do what you tell clients they must do...SELL THE DAMN PRODUCT! If you don't back it, pull the plug, and move on. Life is short! To short to argue endlessly. Do it right, or go fishin'!

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Dumber, do you mind if I quote you on my blog? You hit the nail on the head beautifully.

Be my guest. I make no claim to any particular insight...just a few years in the biz under my belt, enough to know what works and what doesn't.

 

[jcolletta275]

Thanks.