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How is HD benificial to broadcasters?

N

njtom

Based on the lack of, and diminishing availability of HD receivers. Also HD range is very restricted and causes interference on the main channel and surrounding channels. The fact that very few HD sub channels are supported by commercial advertising. Many HD subs broadcast dead carriers without the knowledge or caring of the parent station. In the NYC area with the exception of Public Radio none of the stations promote their sub channels. I emailed a General Manager of a NJ FM about how their fringe signal has deteriorated. His response was "yes that's because we switched on our HD recently". What gives? Whats the benefits of HD? Forget about AM HD, a complete fail.

Opinions? Debate?
 
I think the more accurate question would be is "HD Radio" beneficial to broadcasters, and given everything you mention plus the fact that stations across the country are actually turning OFF their IB(A)C hash to save money, it's pretty apparent that the answer is a resounding "no."
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
I think the more accurate question would be is "HD Radio" beneficial to broadcasters, and given everything you mention plus the fact that stations across the country are actually turning OFF their IB(A)C hash to save money, it's pretty apparent that the answer is a resounding "no."
Click to expand...

Here in Houston, they run commercials on all HD-2 channels. And the 70 mile range is pretty nice, except for the IF jamming problem causing HD dropouts. KQBT is 93.7, KRBE is 104.1. 10.4 MHz apart, OK for analog, but HD - well a car radio tuned to KQBT causes KRBE HD to drop out because of sideband overlap with KQBT - even if they don't have an HD radio. It annoyed my wife so much she wanted me to change it off of KRBE-HD-2 oldies. Oops - someone at iBiquity really didn't think the system through very well before committing to it. It is really easy to tell a KQBT listener, the bass booms out of their car. So I know every single car tuned to 93.7 is absolutely going to cause KRBE to drop out of HD. As soon as they pass, HD comes back, but it is a 5 to 10 second lock time which seems like an eternity.

I say dump this kludgy defective system. It doesn't work very well.
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
I think the more accurate question would be is "HD Radio" beneficial to broadcasters, and given everything you mention plus the fact that stations across the country are actually turning OFF their IB(A)C hash to save money, it's pretty apparent that the answer is a resounding "no."
Click to expand...

HD is beneficial when used as an indirect route to get an FM translator.

It is also beneficial to those stations that have sold data streams on the subchannels, such as traffic data.

Because of the translator and leased data options, HD will not disappear from FM. AM HD has no benefit, which is why the number of stations is declining gradually; it looks like it might be less than 100 within the next year (and many that don't use it at all at night, even if they do in daytime hours).
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
Here in Houston, they run commercials on all HD-2 channels.
Click to expand...

I'll betcha' that virtually 100% of those commercials are bonus spots for cluster buys.
 
DavidEduardo said:


HD is beneficial when used as an indirect route to get an FM translator.

It is also beneficial to those stations that have sold data streams on the subchannels, such as traffic data.

Because of the translator and leased data options, HD will not disappear from FM. AM HD has no benefit, which is why the number of stations is declining gradually; it looks like it might be less than 100 within the next year (and many that don't use it at all at night, even if they do in daytime hours).
Click to expand...

I think it is Garmin that uses HD radio traffic. Given the small size of the Garmin - it cannot house an adequate FM antenna. Traffic information is spotty at best, outdated by the time I get it, and virtually useless. It may be a revenue stream, but if Garmin continues to get complaints they will probably find another way to get traffic information into their GPS units.
 
Some AM talk, etc stations are simulcasting on an HD subchannel. In Boston WRKO 680 is also on the HD 2 of
WEEI-FM 93.7 and maybe also on WKAF 97.7/WAAF 107.3 HD2s. On a portable, at least, you have to be fairly close to the transmitter to get the HD2 signal. But these days w/ smartphones etc you can get a station like
WRKO via TuneIn (WRKO's Howie Carr is also on WHYN Holyoke, a Clear Channel station and thus on iHeartRadio).
Listening for a long period via these apps may eat up a lot of data, though.

If you have a workplace with lots of interference you might get the WRKO signal on the WEEI-FM HD2 but it'll keep dropping. Use TuneIn on a smartphone, hardly any drops. But again it's an example of broadcasters using
HD. (Note that on HD I think the reg. ads will run while on the streamcast, promos and PSAs are often
substituted for ads)

Some companies that drop formats on terrestrial will keep them going via HD (prob with no DJs, no ads). Examples in Boston: classic hits format that used to be on WODS 103.3 is on an HD2 of the now-CHR WODS (CBS); Clear Channel dumped elec dance music off WEDX (now WBWL) 101.7 for country but I believe the EDM continues on the HD2 of WXKS-FM
 
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Clear Channel has claimed that they're going to attempt to put live, local DJ's on their country-formatted HD-2-fed translator "93.5 The Bull" in "Fort Lauderdale" (it's actually the County Line Rd. tower farm, and it barely reaches FTL). We'll see if that ever comes to fruition and, if it does, how long it lasts.
 
Clear Channel here dumped the HD on their two AM's and then put those two AM's as stereo HD-2's on two of their FM HD-2 feeds. So they went from 5 HD to 3 HD on FM only. Now if only they would restore full NRSC audio on their AM stations instead of the brickwalled audio crud, they would sound better on their AM feeds.
 
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