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What Do People Think Of Detroit HD Radio Stations?

W

Wthom100

Any thoughts?. The HD2 stations on FM seem to be okay - they play a lot of music you do not hear played much anymore. I heard Pink Floyd "Echoes" on the WDET HD2 yesterday. I have not heard that song on the radio in years (not even on the old WABX, WWWW or WRIF in the days of the 1970's).

My AM reception is not all that great - I listen to WWJ and WJR. I have a Boston Acoustics receptor radio (which I believe they do not make anymore). At least you see some meta data information displayed in the screen of the radio (i.e. station name and other items). Eventually they are supposed to give traffic reports, stocks, and other info. - assuming HD radio survives.

I hope the commercials stay off the HD2 stations (although I heard some commericals are starting to run on HD2 stations in other cities.

WJR does not run HD at night because the signal clashes with the WABC signal out of New York - DX'ers do not like it.

I wonder if the Windsor area Canada stations will start to go HD (e.g CKLW CKWW, CIMX, the River, etc.)?

cheers - ;) 8)
 
I really like ABC's HD2 stations. Planet 96.3 and 93.1 DRQ on HD... but I wish they had a little more personality. I've always thought these would be great places to groom some new jocks and re-use some of the morning show bits and content. WRIF is really theonly one doing anythign creative with their HD channel. WRIF2 is very fun- and it's a great brand extension.

Let your part timers track some shows for the HD station, or give the interns some overnights to cut thier teeth like we ALL did back in the day. We all sucked when we started.... but we've made a career out of it. (Many of us still suck too!)
 
Wthom100 said:
...
info. - assuming HD radio survives.

I hope the commercials stay off the HD2 stations (although I heard some commericals are starting to run on HD2 stations in other cities.
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It is difficult to find a way for HD radio to survive if in the long term there continue to be no commercials on the HD2 stations ;)

WJR does not run HD at night because the signal clashes with the WABC signal out of New York - DX'ers do not like it.
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I think I can say with reasonable confidence that WJR didn't turn off its HD for the benefit of DXers ;)

I wonder if the Windsor area Canada stations will start to go HD (e.g CKLW CKWW, CIMX, the River, etc.)?
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U.S. format digital radio is not legal in Canada. The Canadians signed on with the world system which operates in a different (UHF) frequency band. There have been a few test broadcasts with U.S. HD Radio in the Toronto and Peterborough areas and some discussion of allowing HD, but they don't seem to be in much of a hurry to do it.
 
U.S. format digital radio is not legal in Canada. The Canadians signed on with the world system which operates in a different (UHF) frequency band. There have been a few test broadcasts with U.S. HD Radio in the Toronto and Peterborough areas and some discussion of allowing HD, but they don't seem to be in much of a hurry to do it.
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The Canadians did it right. "HD" stands for "HYBRID digital" and not "high definition", by the way, and it's this hybrid nature that creates many, many problems. Putting the digital service in its own band, similar to what the Canadians did and what we did in the US with the beginning of the FM service, would have been the rational way to proceed. Someone wasn't thinking, IMHO.
 
Detroit's HD radio stations suck on FM.

Detroit's analog FM radio stations suck.

Channel 955 discontinued new Hit Music on their HD 2 channel and changed 95.5 HD 2 Channel to Techno Music.

Channel 955 is a piece of garbage because they play to much rap to be a CHR Top 40 Hit Music radio station.

Channel 955 is waisting the 95.5 FM frequency here in metro Detroit and room for another HD 2 channel at 95.5 FM, which could be used for a real Top 40 stations instead of a Rap and R&B radio station like Hot 102.7 and FM 98 WJLB.

I hate Detroit radio because there is no true Top 40 radio station here like CK 105.5 FM in Flint, Michigan and 102.5 FM WIOG in Saginaw, Michigan.

To solve this problem with Detroit's HD channels not being what I want is I bought 2 FM transmitters off the internet and I transmit XM satellite radio's channel 30 the Hitlist on 105.5 FM in my house, and i transmit Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 50 Hot Jamz (Hip-Hop & R&B) at 107.9 FM in my house to listen too so I dont have to listen to Detroit radio on analog or HD.

Hot 102.7 FM's signal is very weak here in Inkster, Michigan where I live, so I have to listen to SIRIUS satellite radio's Channel 40 and Channel 50 for Hip-Hop and R&B music with a good signal.

I did buy an HD radio last year to see what HD radio is like.

I'm sticking to satellite radio in my house and car for my music my way.

I live in Inkster, Michigan a suburb of Detroit.
 
HD radio has done more to ruin my listening experience than any poor receiver, electrical noise, or lightning crash. I can no longer hear the ball teams that I loved as a kid. When I can hear a station, on my analog radio, it sounds like a remote coming down 3 kHz line. And when I tried an HD radio, I could pick up the station ... if I was within 5 miles of their transmitter. (On analog, I could hear them 40 miles away).

Add to that most stations don't have content that is worth listening to, and I am frankly surprised that many stations have listeners. Or maybe they don't? After all if 100 people are listening to radio at one time, and 70 percent are tuned to a station, they could claim a 70 share. Impressive numbers!
 
FredRichards said:
HD radio has done more to ruin my listening experience than any poor receiver, electrical noise, or lightning crash. I can no longer hear the ball teams that I loved as a kid. When I can hear a station, on my analog radio, it sounds like a remote coming down 3 kHz line. And when I tried an HD radio, I could pick up the station ... if I was within 5 miles of their transmitter. (On analog, I could hear them 40 miles away).
[/quote

I'm curious as to what teams' broadcasts are being blocked out for you by IBOC hash? Even with WBAL 1090 in IBOC, I've had no problems here in upstate NY hearing the Red Sox on WTIC 1080. Nor does WTIC's IBOC do much damage to WBAL, not that it would matter were I an Orioles fan; the O's jumped ship to FM last year. WBAL also doesn't have enough oomph here to do anything to the WTAM 1100 signal for the Indians.

No issues when I tune in to hear the Yankees lose; not only does their flagship WCBS 880 turn off the IBOC during games (CBS policy), there's no hash from adjacent WLS 890, which turns its IBOC off at sunset (Citadel policy). Same deal with the Mets (WFAN 660) and White Sox (WSCR 670) - both are CBS stations with no IBOC during games. Same goes for the Phillies on WPHT 1210, not that there's anything on 1200 or 1220 to interfere here.

The Reds on WLW 700? I'm deep in WOR's null, so they don't cause any issues here.

The Nats on WWWT 1500? That does take a bit of a hit from WLAC's IBOC on 1510.

Jays on CHML 900? With WLS not running IBOC at night, I have no problem with CHML's signal here.

Pretty much any other team I might once have listened to east of the Mississippi has vanished from the nighttime ether for reasons unrelated to IBOC - the Tigers to very directional WXYT 1270 and FM, the O's to FM; the Cards to weak-signal KTRS 550; the Twins to KSTP, which doesn't get here; the Bucs to FM after decades on KDKA. Tampa and the Marlins never had clear-channel AM outlets to begin with. Neither did the Brewers, and WTMJ doesn't go east at night anyway.

So, yes, there's less to listen to at night, baseball-wise, than there once was...but I can't see how that can be attributed to IBOC. What am I missing?
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Specifically the problems are with 750-WSB, 760-WJR, 770-WABC, and 780-WBBM. There are nights when WJR sounds like a Class IV, and WABC is impossible to listen to between WJR and WBBM. Another situation is trying to listen to 800-CKLW with 810-WGY creating a mess on 800. :(
 
Honest to goodness, why don't radio stations just concentrate on a good sounding webstream, especially if its AM and even work on alternate webcasts for their stations and start promoting and lobbying for the development of simple, portable devices that will play these streams anywhere? Many car radios have input jacks, many home docking stations have input jacks! Let's get with the times!!!
 
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