The former president of CBS' radio division, Dan Mason, will replace Joel Hollander as CBS Radio's president and chief executive on April 16th.

Mason left CBS Radio back in 2002 but has been a consultant and adviser for CBS Radio, as well as a variety of clients. Dan Mason worked closely with iBiquity as part of his consulting gig, and his focus will likely be to grow the HD Radio segment of CBS Radio.

"Part of this will be about the core business, making sure we're making the right decisions from a programming standpoint as well as a sales standpoint," Mason told the Wall Street Journal. "The second part is to nurture digital efforts."

Mason echoed a similar statement for the New York Times, "To grow our business, it is a combination of two things: executing for our listener and to explore all the new things that high-definition radio will bring."

So what's to become of Joel Hollander? His departure wasn't unexpected - though a bit sooner than expected - as he told the suits at CBS that he planned to leave when his contract expired at the end of the year.

Rumors abound that Hollander might be making the move to Sirius to sit alongside his mentor Mel Karmazin, but Inside Radio thinks those rumors have little merit. Time will only tell.

Both Sirius and XM Satellite Radio have issued the following statement on the FCC giving their blessing to HD Radio, and essentially adopting new rules for digital audio broadcasting:

"The FCC decision underlines that HD radio on the AM/FM bands provide a real alternative to satellite, and that the current audio entertainment market is broad, robust and competitive. The decision will raise competition to a new level by stimulating the growth in HD radio stations (now 1200), enhancing its offerings to consumers and establishing a process for free radio to offer a paid subscription service for the first time."

It's good to see XM-Sirius working the public relations front with this. It's a weird spot that both PR depts are put in, now that they're charged with the responsibility to actually bring attention to the competition (a faux pas in the PR/Marketing world).

[Press Release] 

Wal-Mart has agreed to start selling HD Radio receivers, giving a boost of confidence to the terrestrial digital radio camp.

"When America's biggest retailer steps up, it shows we've really reached prime time," said Peter Ferrara, president of the HD Digital Radio Alliance, a coalition of major radio companies that support the technology.

Starting today, Wal-Mart will start selling a $190 car-radio model made by JVC in nearly 2,000 of its 3,500 stores and on their Web site (currently listed as "Out of Stock"). Wal-Mart will also help support consumer education and other promotion for HD Radio.

The fact that HD Radio is a free service will appeal to Wal-Mart's generally cost-conscious market, but I don't see it as being the panacea that will launch HD Radio to super-stardom. Plus, merger-hopefuls will likely see this as a move that helps solidify HD Radio, and Satellite Radio, as being in the same market.

[Wall Street Journal]