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An editorial on HD radio's fate
- Thread starter Y2kTheNewOldies
- Start date
That's an interesting contrast to my experience. I think that every person I've talked to in real life about radio (assuming they have or live in a market with HD broadcasts), from 20-somethings to nearly-70-somethings, know whether the programming they're listening to or looking for is on an HD sub-channel or 'regular' radio. They also recognize and volunteer that the HD channel sounds better (occasionally 'different'). There's content here that I can get and I actively listen to that I can hear on my HD radios, but either isn't available otherwise or I'm not sure where or how to get it. I have absolutely zero interest in paying a dozen different subscription fees each month, and streaming things is both too costly and FAR too fiddly to mess with on a touch screen while driving.
How widely different people's experiences are.
1. Spectral efficiency. More aural choices in the same channel space for one station. Specifically for FM; depending on the bit allocation, that could be up to 4:1. WWFD-AM recently figured out how, and is testing an HD-2 audio stream.
2. Higher quality audio for the HD-1 than analog FM. Frequency response up to 20kHz.
3. Opportunity for more and better quality subscription audio services than traditional SCA's.
There are Sports stations which fix game conflicts by putting one on their HD-2 or 3 channel. For example, a NFL team is playing at the same time as the college team the station carries. Either that, or the AM carrying the conflicting game, can also be heard on an FM station's HD-2. Many AM stations carry their programming on an FM HD-2/3, plus feed their FM translator. That means there are more avenues for a listener to find the content.
If he FCC allows AM operators to go full digital at their discretion, at least there is a shot at reaching an audience which won't put up with $hitty analog AM. For station groups that have purchased or inherited AM stations currently languishing with negative revenue, it might be worth trying. But just as BigA says; the trick will be coming up with compelling content that listeners want to actively seek out. The delivery system is just that, delivering the compelling content.
You already have. It's apparently in your car.
HD is also used here to bring in an out-of-market sports station, Entercom's WEEI-FM Boston. Since Hartford's sports station is largely ESPN programming, having WEEI on local HD allows Connecticut fans of Boston teams to hear other similarly obsessed hosts and callers instead of all the New York talk on WFAN-AM.
That's an interesting contrast to my experience. I think that every person I've talked to in real life about radio (assuming they have or live in a market with HD broadcasts), from 20-somethings to nearly-70-somethings, know whether the programming they're listening to or looking for is on an HD sub-channel or 'regular' radio. They also recognize and volunteer that the HD channel sounds better (occasionally 'different'). There's content here that I can get and I actively listen to that I can hear on my HD radios, but either isn't available otherwise or I'm not sure where or how to get it. I have absolutely zero interest in paying a dozen different subscription fees each month, and streaming things is both too costly and FAR too fiddly to mess with on a touch screen while driving.
How widely different people's experiences are.
My guess is you mainly associate with other radio-interest or radio enthusiasts. I've attended many focus groups and listening tests where the majority of listeners know when I press this button, I hear this station. If you asked them what the call letters or frequency, they couldn't tell you that, but knew it was *****'s Best Country. Or I listen to "DC101", or sometimes they will mention a slogan or phrase that isn't associated with the format they were listening to. A couple of my favorites are when older folks respond with: "Oh sure, I listen to Rush Limbo". When you ask what station is Rush on, they say: "You know, that station who carries Rush!" "Or, sure I listen to the radio. Sometimes Channel 4, but I really like that weather lady on Channel 7..."
I've been in the business my entire working life, and I'll guarantee you that if I asked my wife whether she listened to an HD-2 station today, the answer would be: "How would I know? Even better, why would I care?" "I listen to whatever suits my mood at the time."
I have been in many perceptual and quantitative research projects, mostly with US Hispanics. Statistically "nobody" knew what HD was, what it offered or how to use it.
Period.
Yeah.....that "stations between the stations" wasn't exactly informative, was it?
It had a certain appeal to shortwave listeners like me, who were used to prying signals out from between 100 kilowatt powerhouses on 25 and 31 meters at night. But SWLs were a tinier niche in 2006 than HD Radio listeners are today.
If there are even a million HD listeners nationwide today, that's more than there were SWLs in 1976, let alone 2006.
Our Radio station is unusual in many ways. One is that we started as an online streaming station and later added FM Radio. That's right! The newest technology at our station is FM radio
The day we went on the air at 100.9 FM our streaming service dropped close to 60%!! Our listeners went to their radio when given a choice!! I get why. "Save your data for other things when you can." Have you ever had to go through half a month with throttled data because you went past your quota on your supposedly "unlimited" plan?! Yikes!
When they go to 100.9 many are greeted with a little surprise. The little HD symbol lights up and there's that instantaneous pleasing "lift" of the sound quality.
"I didn't know you guys were HD. Sounds great!!" was the buzz. Now I don't know if they knew HD Radio was a thing initially. I also know that HD Radio (tm) supposedly doesn't stand for anything, (hahaha) but most take it to mean "high definition." And the sound is clearly better.
Do they listen to our side channels? Once during the late-night there was a brief power outage and everything recovered except for the side channels. On my way to the station to fix the problem I was greeted with over 20 messages letting me know some of our "stations" weren't working. In fact, they actually went online to message me through our website that our HD terrestrial channels weren't working!! Lol
This is significant in that we're an LPFM grade-school non-com radio station tucked away in the commercial band. HD Radio (and radio in general) has a huge impact on your local community.
Broadcast quality content with pride and have a merry Christmas!!
Ralph
The day we went on the air at 100.9 FM our streaming service dropped close to 60%!! Our listeners went to their radio when given a choice!! I get why. "Save your data for other things when you can." Have you ever had to go through half a month with throttled data because you went past your quota on your supposedly "unlimited" plan?! Yikes!
When they go to 100.9 many are greeted with a little surprise. The little HD symbol lights up and there's that instantaneous pleasing "lift" of the sound quality.
"I didn't know you guys were HD. Sounds great!!" was the buzz. Now I don't know if they knew HD Radio was a thing initially. I also know that HD Radio (tm) supposedly doesn't stand for anything, (hahaha) but most take it to mean "high definition." And the sound is clearly better.
Do they listen to our side channels? Once during the late-night there was a brief power outage and everything recovered except for the side channels. On my way to the station to fix the problem I was greeted with over 20 messages letting me know some of our "stations" weren't working. In fact, they actually went online to message me through our website that our HD terrestrial channels weren't working!! Lol
This is significant in that we're an LPFM grade-school non-com radio station tucked away in the commercial band. HD Radio (and radio in general) has a huge impact on your local community.
Broadcast quality content with pride and have a merry Christmas!!
Ralph
Roughly a year ago, I was helping out a All Classical public station in Portland, OR. They had just suffered a massive hacking and loss of most of their IT systems. The station had been doing IBOC/HD with three streams since 2014 and not even most of the station staff had any clue what HD was or how it could be a benefit. By the time I was done, we had launched a very popular All Classical Christmas channel on the HD-2, later to become what is now the International Children's Arts Network (ICAN).
Being classical, the audience was mostly 50+, so the idea of explaining HD-anything was a stretch. Once the station started actively promoting the alternate programming on the main channel, it was interesting how many calls and E-mails the station promotions department got asking where they could get an HD Radio, and how to tell if one was in their vehicle. I had already armed Promotions with lots of resources and links to pass along to an interested public.
Based on that experience, I believe the largest missteps going in, were pioneering station groups which implemented HD never involved the station programming or promotions staff to promote what was on THEIR station, other than their main programming. The original cryptic, going-through-the-motions-for-corporate, promos about HD from back in the late 90's had zero buy-in from the stations or staff on the ground.
Being classical, the audience was mostly 50+, so the idea of explaining HD-anything was a stretch. Once the station started actively promoting the alternate programming on the main channel, it was interesting how many calls and E-mails the station promotions department got asking where they could get an HD Radio, and how to tell if one was in their vehicle. I had already armed Promotions with lots of resources and links to pass along to an interested public.
Based on that experience, I believe the largest missteps going in, were pioneering station groups which implemented HD never involved the station programming or promotions staff to promote what was on THEIR station, other than their main programming. The original cryptic, going-through-the-motions-for-corporate, promos about HD from back in the late 90's had zero buy-in from the stations or staff on the ground.
I couldn't agree more. Most radios lock on to the main channel first. Listeners must tune to the main channel and then "tune up" to the additional channels from there. The physical listener experience is that the side channels an additional service of the station and not a completely separate entity.
I like to compare it to a website. HD1 is like the "home page" and the side channels are the links to additional pages in the site. This way stations can provide more concentrated information or more specific genres of music that might interest some of their more general audience members.
Everything that's on our side channels are also broadcast on our main channel -- they're just more concentrated. For instance, we make announcements about community and school events at the top and bottom of the hour on our main channel. HD4 only broadcasts these same announcements in loop. Our main channel includes student composed and performed music along with its other programming throughout the day. Our HD2 channel only plays these performances for listeners who want to hear just that. For us the side channels are not some burden to find additional material to fill the extra space. It's a way to highlight aspects of what we already present. It's easy and, dare I say, fun!
This isn't the only way to program HD Radio. It's just our way. That's the beauty of increased opportunities. It doesn't limit your creativity, it vastly increases a program manager's canvas!
Many years ago, I was quite surprised to continue receiving that station in HD, as I drove into Salem. It was a Class C2 at the time and Salem is beyond its 60dbu contour.
I discovered the same thing; HD for All Classical Portland is easier to receive in Salem than KOPB, a Class C. That's attributed to the direction one section of the panel antenna for KQAC is aimed, due South. KOPB's broad band master antenna is aimed more SE and SW.
That's one of those where it's supposed to be non-directional but not so much in practice.
True. I actually went out and did some field strength measurements by the fairgrounds in Salem. As one would imagine, the measured field strength of KQAC was significantly less than KOPB. The differentiating factor was multipath. Because of all the off-axis reflections, my receivers had a harder time of locking on KOPB-HD, where KQAC having an albeit lower field strength but straighter, clearer-path, meant less reflections/multipath.
By the way, as I recall, KOPB was downgraded to a Class C0.
True, because it's under the Full C HAAT. KOPB has 100kW ERP, vs. KQAC 5.9kW ERP.
KOPB is actually 73KW, roughly the same power they've always had, from a different location. In fact, it may be the third location, where they've had that approximate power. It's 470 meters HAAT, I have no idea why they never increased power.
I don't know. I haven't asked. (-:
I'm talking about people I meet at work, at church, and at social functions. I have little doubt that most people couldn't tell the call letters of a station, but that's unrelated to knowing whether the content they like is at 94.6 or 94.6-HD2 (yes, I made that number even on purpose).
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