The latest in HD Radio promotions...

[dumber than a box of hair]

...at: http://www.hdradio.com/press_room.php?newscontent=366

A few choice quotes:

"Consumers love their radios now with digital AM and FM."

"When listeners find the new content they want, they want to upgrade their radios at home, in the office and in the car to new HD Radio receivers!"

It all begins next Monday (6/29).

Must be nice to be so utterly out of touch.

 

[mmnassour]

The only decent HD promotion in the history of, well HD was, IMHO, here in Austin over the past few days.

KVET AM, the flagship station for University of Texas sports, used the HD-2 carrier of it's FM side to carry the College World series games. KVET AM has a TERRIBLE pattern at night, it doesn't even cover (effectively) the metro area of Austin. They continually bpromoed the HD-2 channel of the FM station, saying that if you couldn't get the games on AM (which relatively few people could), try HD-2 on KVET FM. Yes, relatively few people listened to the HD-2 channel, but EVERYONE who listened to the games now knows about it.

 

[KB1OKL]

The only decent HD promotion in the history of, well HD was, IMHO, here in Austin over the past few days.

KVET AM, the flagship station for University of Texas sports, used the HD-2 carrier of it's FM side to carry the College World series games. KVET AM has a TERRIBLE pattern at night, it doesn't even cover (effectively) the metro area of Austin. They continually bpromoed the HD-2 channel of the FM station, saying that if you couldn't get the games on AM (which relatively few people could), try HD-2 on KVET FM. Yes, relatively few people listened to the HD-2 channel, but EVERYONE who listened to the games now knows about it.

They now know about it and are scratching their heads.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

The absolutely BEST HD radio promotion I have ever heard is "if you don't have an HD radio, you aren't hearing HD radio". That simple statement of fact is pure genius - a lot better than that "time to upgrade" and other promotions I've heard. Now - if anybody would care they might have a product.

Mirroring AM content on an FM HD-2 is really cheap and not compelling to anybody with an AM radio. Reception problems not withstanding - most people will just stream the game rather than spend the money on an HD radio just for one game or group of games.

 

[mmnassour]

Ummm.......it's obvious you're not trying to listen to NCAA sports, which are tied up in a pay arrangement.

Look, I'm NO fan of HD Radio. Indeed, it took a listener calling into a talk show and suggesting they do this for KVET/Clear Channel to figure out this would be a good idea. But I'm certainly willing to give credit where credit is due.

And yes, even if they're "scratching their heads" they at least now know that something called "HD-2" exists and that without a new radio they can't hear it. That's the (very) first step to acceptance.

If nothing else, it shows the absolute failure of the promos so far.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Ummm.......it's obvious you're not trying to listen to NCAA sports, which are tied up in a pay arrangement.

You got that right. Sports bore me. But if fanaticism is the card the HD folks want to play, tying up sports fans and limiting them to HD-2 might just sell a lot of radios. Add selective availability, and they can milk the fans for a lot of money.

Of course, right now in Houston, the HD folks are probably selling a lot of HD radios to oldies fans whose format was discontinued on analog radio. I know that if the KSBJ people put Christian rock, Christian hot-AC, or WAY-FM on an HD-2, I'd buy an HD radio to get it. Sadly, they probably have some sort of hatred for anything but their bland CCM. And all listeners who would prefer that format.

 

[KB1OKL]

In reality I don't think anyone is going to sell a lot of IBOC radios to anyone, where are the radios to sell in the first place? All that the pro HD folks have done lately is stir up controversy amongst people like us, nobody's buying the radios.