What does that Inside Radio Poll tell us?

[radioskeptic]

This morning Inside Radio published the results a recent poll under the headline “Poll: HD Radio tipping point is years away.” When will “HD” reach a critical level of penetration? Nearly half (44 percent) of respondents said never, and another 36 percent said not for at least another three years. (http://www.insideradio.com//Article.asp?id=2072825&spid=32061)

That’s not surprising, because there’s virtually no return on investment for commercial broadcasters.

But considering that IR is practically a Clear Channel house organ, what does this story really tell us?

Was it a subtle message from Bain and Lee to potential suckers buyers that IR parent Clear Channel has seen the light and is about to abandon its commitment to Iniquity’s junk technology?

Or was letting this thing appear on the web site just a corporate oversight?

 

[radiogooroo]

It doesn't mean anything. Since Inside Radio is an industry rag, I'm assuming it was a survey among employees in the radio industry.

Since when do employee opinions count for anything in this industry? Thinking for the entire industry is managed by a select few in San Antonio, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Philadelphia.

If you're not in an executive office in one of those cities, your opinion doesn't really matter.

 

[BRNout]

It doesn't mean anything. Since Inside Radio is an industry rag, I'm assuming it was a survey among employees in the radio industry.

Since when do employee opinions count for anything in this industry? Thinking for the entire industry is managed by a select few in San Antonio, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Philadelphia.

If you're not in an executive office in one of those cities, your opinion doesn't really matter.

For many years now, Inside Radio has been a dependable cheerleader for HD radio. So it actually does tell you something. If anything, they've worked hard to portray HD radio in the most favorable light possible. There were almost certainly more than a few HD boosters included in the survey yet the numbers were still not optimistic.

What it confirms to me is that, if you surveyed non-radio people, you'd get much more grim numbers as far as HD radio goes. This is confirmed by the dismal sales figures of HD radio equipment.

Here's my question: what part of nobody cares don't you get? Get outside of the industry and, honestly, nobody gives a damn about HD radio. Seriously. Pandora signs up more new people in a day than Ibiquity sells new HD radios in a quarter. And that's being kind. What are 20 year olds excited about when it comes to radio? Pandora, Slacker and other similar services. HD radio? They couldn't care less. That is the reality of the situation.

All Ibiquity is doing with IBOC is peeing in the very pool that the rest of us old-timers who embrace radio would like to enjoy in peace. Especially their DREADFUL IBOC on the AM band. That should seriously be banned by the FCC and would have been, if Strubel and the boys weren't brown-nosing them like there's no tomorrow.

 

[tomservo]

Seems to me the poll respondents are still pretty evenly divided on whether HD will take off or not. Combine all the ones who say it'll happen sometime in the next several years versus those who think it'll never take off and it's pretty close.

Still BRNout is right, consumers don't care and they aren't buying radios. That's why I keep saying it's important for iBiquity to swallow their pride and kill all the licensing fees so more stations will adopt the technology and more radio makers will put HD in their radios, so consumers won't HAVE to choose, it'll just be there.

 

[KB1OKL]

If a poll which is aimed at broadcasters many of which (Clear Channel) are using IBOC are negative about it I wonder what a real world poll would reveal besides the fact that 99% would not know what it was nor care?

 

[Savage]

It's not pride. It's economics. iBiquity is a real-world manifestation of the old joke, "they've got no money, and they're spending none of it."

If iBiquity eliminates licensing fees, all that will do is kill their one meager income stream. Nobody's buying transmitting equipment or receivers because the technology is junk. By keeping the license fees intact they're keeping the predators away from the door for a few weeks longer. The Stroob owes that to the equity owners. As CEO he has a fiduciary obligation to conserve the company's cash as best he can, even if it's ultimately futile.

 

[radiogooroo]

For many years now, Inside Radio has been a dependable cheerleader for HD radio. So it actually does tell you something. If anything, they've worked hard to portray HD radio in the most favorable light possible. There were almost certainly more than a few HD boosters included in the survey yet the numbers were still not optimistic.

Well, if what you're insinuating here is that Clear Channel is giving up on HD and is rethinking its investment in it, you're wrong - just flat wrong. Sorry to spoil all your wishful thinking, but Clear Channel would still be broadcasting HD if there were zero people listening to the audio content. They have found ways to monetize HD Radio as a data platform and they're doing it.

What it confirms to me is that, if you surveyed non-radio people, you'd get much more grim numbers as far as HD radio goes. This is confirmed by the dismal sales figures of HD radio equipment.

Here's my question: what part of nobody cares don't you get? Get outside of the industry and, honestly, nobody gives a damn about HD radio. Seriously. Pandora signs up more new people in a day than Ibiquity sells new HD radios in a quarter. And that's being kind. What are 20 year olds excited about when it comes to radio? Pandora, Slacker and other similar services. HD radio? They couldn't care less. That is the reality of the situation.

And what statements like this, which are parroted here over and over again, show is that you don't get the reality of what HD Radio is going to become. Sooner or later, HD Radio will simply be known as "radio." One day, in the not too distant future, people will go out to their new car and find more radio stations. Listeners won't care in the least how the technology behind the new stations works, just like they don't care how FM stereo works.

It's not like they have to hit some special button on these new car stereos marked "HD Radio." They'll hit FM and find more stations when scanning around. Most will probably be completely unaware that they've even bought a radio with this capability until they stumble onto the new stations.

It won't matter in the least that people aren't rushing out to their local Best Buy to buy an HD Radio when their new Toyota comes equipped with one.

 

[KB1OKL]

For many years now, Inside Radio has been a dependable cheerleader for HD radio. So it actually does tell you something. If anything, they've worked hard to portray HD radio in the most favorable light possible. There were almost certainly more than a few HD boosters included in the survey yet the numbers were still not optimistic.

I believe what he was trying to portray is that many of the respondents were employees of Clear Channel and it's outcome was overly optimistic.

 

[radiogooroo]

I believe what he was trying to portray is that many of the respondents were employees of Clear Channel and it's outcome was overly optimistic.

Is that what he was saying? I thought he was pointing out that the HD numbers weren't "optimistic."

The only people I'm aware of that actually read Inside Radio these days are salespeople. Occasionally, one of them will leave a printout of it in a restroom stall at work, which amazes me because these same people often can't print anything without an IT guy holding their hand.

A tech savvy salesperson will come along occasionally, but for the most part, I wouldn't expect them to correctly answer a quiz about where the power button is located on their computer, much less give real insight to a survey of anything high tech.

 

[KB1OKL]

It's not like they have to hit some special button on these new car stereos marked "HD Radio." They'll hit FM and find more stations when scanning around. Most will probably be completely unaware that they've even bought a radio with this capability until they stumble onto the new stations.
.

If you can't sell 'em sneak 'em in, they'll never know what hit them until the drop outs begin.

 

[radiogooroo]

If you can't sell 'em sneak 'em in, they'll never know what hit them until the drop outs begin.

With the HD power increase and the new version 4 architecture, dropouts are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

At one of my sites, I have implemented the power increase as much as I can using the equipment already installed, which amounts to about a 20% increase in HD TPO, a far cry from what is now allowed if we build out the infrastructure to support it.

The HD coverage was always solid for this station using a decent receiver, and it got better with the increase.

If the max increase is ever implemented, and I believe it will be at many stations, I believe the IBOC signal will achieve parity with the analog signal and may even surpass it.

 

[radiogooroo]

Oh, and the receivers have improved dramatically. My Insignia portable works MUCH better than my first several HD radios, even when it's plugged into the aux jack in a moving car.

 

[radiotower40]

Oh, and the receivers have improved dramatically. My Insignia portable works MUCH better than my first several HD radios, even when it's plugged into the aux jack in a moving car.

gooroo, I can tell you are very sincere in your belief in HD, I am not trying to be rude when I say this, so
please don't take it as such.

You can talk up all the virtues and aspects of HD that you find promising, the bottom line is the public does
not give a flying bleep about HD radio.

Very few people I know, even know what it is, and the one or two that do(which would not have known what it
was unless I told them) have any interest in it.

It is never going to be a mainstream consumer product.

At this point if the product worked as advertised(which is does not in most real world situations), or if it
works perfectly in the future(something it can't do, because it is a flawed system) the consumer DOES NOT
CARE. They don't have any interest in it.

 

[radiogooroo]

gooroo, I can tell you are very sincere in your belief in HD, I am not trying to be rude when I say this, so
please don't take it as such.

You can talk up all the virtues and aspects of HD that you find promising, the bottom line is the public does
not give a flying bleep about HD radio.

Very few people I know, even know what it is, and the one or two that do(which would not have known what it
was unless I told them) have any interest in it.

It is never going to be a mainstream consumer product.

At this point if the product worked as advertised(which is does not in most real world situations), or if it
works perfectly in the future(something it can't do, because it is a flawed system) the consumer DOES NOT
CARE. They don't have any interest in it.

Well, we'll have to see if it works as advertised. I believe it can.

Whether consumers care or not is irrelevant. We're quickly moving toward the day when they'll get HD Radio as a feature with their new car whether they want it or not, just like FM moved from being optional to being standard on car radios in the 80s.

 

[tomservo]

Yeah but people WANTED FM, they don't want HD.

I think it's more like RDS. The general public has never clamored for a text display on their radios, but once they have it, it becomes a useful feature. The same with happen with HD, whether it be through subchannels (unlikely) or data services (likely).

 

[KB1OKL]

Whether consumers care or not is irrelevant. We're quickly moving toward the day when they'll get HD Radio as a feature with their new car whether they want it or not, just like FM moved from being optional to being standard on car radios in the 80s.

Yup, we'll push this junk whether they want it or not, what do they care the cost is buried. They won't realize it until they think they got a defective radio.

 

[radiogooroo]

Yup, we'll push this junk whether they want it or not, what do they care the cost is buried. They won't realize it until they think they got a defective radio.

Oh yes, and your point here is sooooo credible. After seeing all the trouble BMW and Ford have had with HD, Toyota just...added it!

 

[davideduardo]

If the max increase is ever implemented, and I believe it will be at many stations, I believe the IBOC signal will achieve parity with the analog signal and may even surpass it.

Interestingly, a week ago driving from AZ to LA on the 10, I got KFI HD just west of Blythe, and carried it all the way to the cancellation zone around Banning to Calimesa, and then locked on it again at Redlands. While the analog signal was noisy out near Brawley, when it locked into HD, it sounded, as advertised, "like FM."

 

[mmnassour]

It won't matter in the least that people aren't rushing out to their local Best Buy to buy an HD Radio when their new Toyota comes equipped with one.

And what convinces Toyota to pay the extra money per car that HD radio costs? No slam, I'm just trying to understand why a major corporation should pay extra money for a feature that no one has asked for.

Yes, Toyota just added it...to one car out of 100. I just can't imagine how Toyota could be convinced to put it in each and every $16K Corolla.

 

[radiogooroo]

I'm not sure where the real time traffic data comes from on the Toyota system, but it's likely HD Radio. That's a potential explanation.

Of course there's also the possibility that iBiquity is giving them the licensing for free. Who knows?

Younger buyers go for the techie gadgets. Ford says their HD equipped Sync system will be in 80% of the vehicles they sell this year. I can see the same happening with Toyota over the next few years.