Woops, Bonneville pulls iChannel Music

[KB1OKL]

Looks like more and more broadcasters are seeing the light, how long can HD go on making nothing for no one except ibiqity?

:Bonneville has pulled the plug on its iChannel Music HD Network and streaming. For the most part, it has replaced the HD multicast with WorldBand Media content (brokered ethnic programming). iChannel allowed indie bands to upload their music online for consideration. The network included Chicago at 101.9 HD2;
Washington D.C. at 103.5 HD2; Salt Lake City at 102.7 HD2; St. Louis at 101.1 HD2 and Phoenix at 92.3 HD2. The stream is dead, but the site remains: www.ichannelmusic.com.:

/snip/

"RBR/TVBR observation: If it isn’t making money, the plug will get pulled. That’s what most likely happened here. WorldBand Media brings in the dollars instead. We commend Bonneville for giving it a shot—it allowed radio to expose a lot of new, unsigned indie bands from around the world. CC Radio's eRockster HD2 format is still around at a good handful of stations and still outstanding. If that gets shuttered, a good bunch of us just might be done with HD Radio listening altogether."

http://www.rbr.com/radio/12113.html

 

[fybush]

So they tried something and it didn't work - or rather, they tried something, then found something else that would be more profitable at a time when every buck counts. Seems to me those complaining "there's nothing to listen to on HD" shouldn't also be complaining that there's (gasp) experimentation going on with the HD subchannels - and as with any experiment, sometimes you have to try a few things that don't work before you find one that does.

 

[clouseau]

The desperation of the Anti HD gang to post anything as an indication of the failure of HD is really getting old.

If I read this right they took off the free stuff and are running paid programming?

So that increases revenue and somehow gets HD closer to being ended how?

Clouseau

 

[Carmine5]

So they tried something and it didn't work - or rather, they tried something, then found something else that would be more profitable at a time when every buck counts. Seems to me those complaining "there's nothing to listen to on HD" shouldn't also be complaining that there's (gasp) experimentation going on with the HD subchannels - and as with any experiment, sometimes you have to try a few things that don't work before you find one that does.

In this case, I agree. These side channels have to be monetized somehow and brokered programming makes the most sense at this point.

I'm just surprised and happy for Bonneville that they found someone who would lease their channels given the small listener base for HD Radio. Perhaps, WorldBand Media feels they're getting in on the ground floor of a growing broadcasting platform and are thinking in the long term.

C5

 

[clouseau]

In this case, I agree. These side channels have to be monetized somehow and brokered programming makes the most sense at this point.

I'm just surprised and happy for Bonneville that they found someone who would lease their channels given the small listener base for HD Radio. Perhaps, WorldBand Media feels they're getting in on the ground floor of a growing broadcasting platform and are thinking in the long term.

C5

I suspect we'll see more and more of this as time goes on. Especially fromn a religious broadcasting standpoint. I don't know that I like it, but I see how it can work.

Clouseau

 

[tomservo]

I'm just surprised and happy for Bonneville that they found someone who would lease their channels given the small listener base for HD Radio. Perhaps, WorldBand Media feels they're getting in on the ground floor of a growing broadcasting platform and are thinking in the long term.

I'm not surprised, I'm wondering, "what took you guys so long!?"

Special ethnic type programming will get more radios sold, because the people listening may not have any other way to get their preferred content. If the programmer pays the station for carriage, well that's more money than an HD subchannel's gonna make any other way, right? The audiences are still too small to monetize gains or whatever droll accountants would say.

Unique content and money in the bank. Seems like a win-win.