HD Radio Can Be Saved

That's according to former broadcaster Matt Sammon, who is now the Director of broadcasting and programming for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. In a blog on Tumblr, Sammon offers up 5 reasons why HD Radio has failed, and 5 reasons "why it can rise from the ashes." As far as why it has failed, Sammon says there is a lot of confusion with consumers about the extra channels, there is a lack of serious promotion, radio did not copy the Apple way of selling its new product, the economy tanked and the connected car and affordable wo-fi have given consumers easier access to more choices. So, how does Sammon believe the technology can still survive?

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And the Earth can be moved, if you have a long enough lever. That's according to Archimedes.

This PR flack basically calls for spending more money - lots more money - on promotion and advertising. His premise is people aren't flocking to HD Radio because they don't understand it. Bull! People aren't buying HD Radio because it's radio and radio isn't cool to post-Baby Boomers. People flock to Apple not because it spends money but because Apple and its products are cool and generate buzz. History is full of failed attempts of spending huge amounts to get people to buy something they are not interested in and don't want. And the reason why there has been so little promotion of HD (whether such promotion would work or not) is because the industry is so averse to spending money.

But here's his telling dumb idea: Make it streaming and mobile! Get car makers and their electronics suppliers to put HD Radio in devices with streaming capability. First off, that will raise the price. On top of that, does this sports shill really think people will stumble onto to HD radio while they are trying to stream Pandora and fall in love with it?

Sammon does raise one valid point. Content on HD sub-channels sucks. The industry still thinks people buy technology. Never have and never will. People buy content. In the 20s, people didn't buy radio. They bought Amos 'n Andy. In the 50s, people didn't buy TV. They bought Uncle Miltie. In the 80s, people didn't buy the first desktops. They bought VisiCalc. People don't buy Smart Phones and Tablets, they buy what they can do with them. This board is filled with complaints (generally dismissed by so-called industry insiders) from "enthusiasts" who can't find something they want to listen to on the radio. Well, there's nothing they want to listen to on HD either.

I never heard of Matt Sammon but notice this so-called expert got out of radio. That says it all.

Better yet, if "HD" radio is to be combined with streaming, put those bad automated formats head-to-head with other streaming services, and see if anyone wants to listen to them.
And, of course for the sake of a fair evaluation, turn off the HD buzz machines.
If they did those things, the charade would quickly be over.
The automated formats are there to justify the use of the HD (or to exploit it for the translator loophole, which should be closed.)
There's no need for HD. It's time for radio companies to recognize it for the failure it's been and just stop using it.
How can radio firms justify wasting money on HD when they won't spend money on talent and effective programming of their main channels--their key sources of revenue?
Oh, and about that promotion idea. It was done on a massive, boredom-inducing scale from 2006-2009. That might have done the trick if more stations had programmed something worth listening to on their HD subchannels.
I agree. Content has to lead the way. Can you imagine going into a pizza parlor to support the concept of pizza? "Ya see, ya give us money for this crust and these toppings we may eventually give you, and if we make enough money, we may give you something worth eating."
Nope, if you can't deliver the goods, your product isn't worth anything.

When I read the tease above about "copying Apple," I agreed. Then I read the blog, and he missed the point.

Have you ever been to a Developers Conference? Have you ever seen how many people attend? Consider if the same thing happened for radio.

The problem with HD Radio, and the reason why no one cares, is because it's a closed technology, and the company refuses to open it to outside developers. Saving HD Radio won't save radio in general. It will just save iBiquity. A profit-making company that has focused on demanding its royalty up front, demanding manufacturing royalties based on the price of the entire device, not the chip, and has kept its technology closed and private from other inventors who might be able to improve it.

In that way, the industry is better off waiting for the patent to expire before doing anything. Then the royalty thing will be off the table, and the public will be able to fix HD Radio without making iBiquity rich. Until then, this is a private iBiquity problem, which THEY need to fix if they intend to remain in business.

A: When you put it that way, it sounds like iBiquity operates exactly like Apple. iGadgets are the most closed of closed systems and developers are forced to dance to Apple's tune. For all the media obsession with Apple and its products, WinTel and Android have far greater market share.

FredLeonard said:

A: When you put it that way, it sounds like iBiquity operates exactly like Apple. iGadgets are the most closed of closed systems and developers are forced to dance to Apple's tune.

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iBiquity doesn't even allow that. They have really closed the door to any input from anyone. Now they've begun suing manufacturers. That doesn't encourage anyone to do business with them.

I don't think it was a complete coincidence that the explosion of FM took place after the Armstrong patent ran out, and the family's lawsuit against RCA was settled. I expect the same thing to happen with this, although it may be too late.

Moving the FM band and rendering existing receivers obsolete didn't help.

FM didn't "explode" until the FCC forced broadcasters (in the top 50 markets) to stop simulcasting more than half the time. Broadcasters kicked and screamed but they finally gave people (other than classical music lovers and dentists' offices) a reason to get FM receivers. Then as now, it was content that gets people to adopt technology.