HD Radio was just launched in 17 new markets as part of the HD Radio Alliance's national rollout. With the addition of these markets, this brings the tally up to 85 new markets in the past year."That means there are now more than 600 new radio stations on the air with HD2 programming that is unique, diverse and local to each market," said HD Digital Radio Alliance President/CEO Peter Ferrara.
Yep, that's 600 new stations broadcasting HD2 programming, with 320 stations in 81 markets owned by Clear Channel. Programming that, as MediaWeek points out, requires station owners to "research and program, in earnest, the HD stations that today are not getting serious attention."
Serious attention is right. Some of HD2 stations in my area only seem to broadcast the same exact thing as the HD1 stations... or just the lovely sound of silence. Only a handful provide unique HD2 content.
Not exactly the best way to attract an early-adopter audience.
While I could not imagine driving/working without my XM on....I have to express some concern for HD radio. I know all the arguments against it (which I make myself), but the fact is that at some point there will be more programming for it and some folks will opt for not paying $13/month. If HD is better than FM at some point, it will hurt sat radio subs on both sides. As a sat radio subscriber, it's easy to point at HD and laugh because of its limited programming, commercials, etc. But from the perspective of a non-subscriber, it is still free and no worse than FM. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.
We now know, that with 75% of Americans aware of HD Radio, at some level, the number of HD radios sold each year, will probably decline:
http://beradio.com/eyeoniboc/instat-digital-radio-set/
To check on-going interest in HD Radio, which is flat:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22hd+radio%22
To check interest in HD Radio versus Satellite and Internet Radio:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22hd+radio%22%2C+%22satellite+radio%22%2C+%22internet+radio%22&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all
Even after a $200,000,000 advertising campaign, by the HD Radio Alliance, the popularity of HD Radio, Satellite Radio, and Internet Radio, are just blips on the screen, compared to iPods and MP3s:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22HD+Radio%22%2C+iPod%2C+MP3%2C+%22Internet+Radio%22%2C++%22Satellite+Radio%22&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all
HD Radio/IBOC is a farce - IBOC causes adjacent-channel interference and has only 60% the coverage of analog. The HD channels are only low-bitrate streams of the same old repetitive material, and will eventually, contain commercials.
Senator Sununu, may put an end to FCC mandates, anyway:
"SUNUNU: FCC TECH MANDATES MUST BE BANNED"
http://www.sununu.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=267281&&year=2007
700WLW: This is like the fifth time you've posted that on different posts. What's your deal?
Howard Stern is so great. HD Radio will fail without him... Sirius, please add more Howard Stern!!!
A 200 million advertising campaign? Really? 200 Million. You're full of more shit than HD radio.
Actually, he is not full of shit. This is a press release from the HD Radio Alliance that clearly states that will have spent $250,000,000 in 2007.
Uh, yeah. Here is the link:
http://hdradio.com/press_room.php?newscontent=50
No, he is full of shit. First, all ad campaigns are inflated. I worked for an agency that won a $350 million campaign. That was for the press release, the actual amount was about a third of that. 2nd, not all that money goes to advertising. Most of it goes to media buying, planning, agency overhead. Third, they are planning to spend, they haven't spent anything yet.
First of all, I don't really care "how" the money is spent or where you used to work. Here is a press release again from HDRA from 2/06 talking about the first $200M:
http://hdradio.com/press_room.php?newscontent=23
Again, I could care less how they spent it or what the amount was. Going by their press release from last year they spent $200M. In 2007 they will spend more. On what? I D O N ' T C A R E!
http://www.wmmr.com/extra02.shtml
I just love how they explain what HD radio is and what the HD stands for. It is nice to see that they have the e-mail printed right above so they can be corrected. ;)
Again, a press release from HD radio's website hardly makes it fact. It's trying to drum up excitement with a big (untrue) announcement. Kind of like Mel always talking about a merger. Had they spent the kind of money they're claiming, how come no one's seen any advertising?
Where do you buy one of those lamps on this HD radio picture? its the best thing HD radio has going for it.