What happened to the i❤️HD Stations in NYC?

[djl]

First 106.7 dropped I❤️80’s on 106.7 HD3 and now Z100 dropped 100.3 HD2. Does anyone know why these HD sub channels wee eliminated? I liked 106.7 HD3. 103.5 HD3 The Breeze isn’t bad, but their HD signal appears to be weaker and subject to many dropouts.

Does anyone know if some new HD stations are slated? A 70’s or oldies station would be really great.

 

[Barry]

A search online indicates that Nick Radio, which was on WHTZ HD2, was discontinued last month.
The CHR, a competitor to Radio Disney, had aired on Z-100 in conjunction with an agreement between IHeart and Nickelodeon.

 

[Joylovepulse967]

A search online indicates that Nick Radio, which was on WHTZ HD2, was discontinued last month.
The CHR, a competitor to Radio Disney, had aired on Z-100 in conjunction with an agreement between IHeart and Nickelodeon.

Thank you for more information , Barry

 

[djl]

Any plans of new HD stations? Don’t know why WLTW cancelled I❤️80’s. It was a really good station with much better signal reach than WKTU HD3 on Long Island

 

[mets18]

Any plans of new HD stations? Don’t know why WLTW cancelled I❤️80’s. It was a really good station with much better signal reach than WKTU HD3 on Long Island

I agree it is a curious decision. Could it possibly be that they are afraid it was cannibalizing the ratings of the main channel which plays a decent amount of 80s music? Seems unlikely given the scarcity of HD radios out there but I haven't heard any other rationale.

 

[johndavis]

I was told a story at a radio convention. I do not know if it is true, because not every story told in a bar at a radio convention is true. In fact, depending upon how many cocktails are served, many stories are embellished and made up. But here's what someone told me in a bar:

A very important radio businessman was riding in an Uber, and his Uber driver was upset because the driver's wife had tuned the car's HD radio to a subchannel when she was using the car, and now the driver couldn't figure out how to change back to the main channel.

Rather than tell the driver how to hit seek to change the station, this very important radio businessman decided that HD subchannels were hurting his business and ordered that all of them be turned off.

Again, I have no way of confirming that this ever really happened, or if the passenger really was Bob Pittman, but it was a story shared over some cocktails.

 

[Wimmmex]

I was told a story at a radio convention. I do not know if it is true, because not every story told in a bar at a radio convention is true. In fact, depending upon how many cocktails are served, many stories are embellished and made up. But here's what someone told me in a bar:
A very important radio businessman was riding in an Uber, and his Uber driver was upset because the driver's wife had tuned the car's HD radio to a subchannel when she was using the car, and now the driver couldn't figure out how to change back to the main channel.
Rather than tell the driver how to hit seek to change the station, this very important radio businessman decided that HD subchannels were hurting his business and ordered that all of them be turned off.
Again, I have no way of confirming that this ever really happened, or if the passenger really was Bob Pittman, but it was a story shared over some cocktails.

How to change it back to the main channel? I mean, push any preset! Tune the radio up or down one-notch!

For a driver who makes his living in a car all day, I can't imagine this story being true.

Although, there are many managers who don't believe in HD because they don't want to encourage listeners off the main channel.

 

[luperm]

Any plans of new HD stations? Don’t know why WLTW cancelled I❤️80’s. It was a really good station with much better signal reach than WKTU HD3 on Long Island

iHeart 80s can be heard on the iHeart Radio app.

 

[djl]

It was nice having it on FM, rather than using data while in the car. It would be nice to see an oldies station appear on one of the HD’s in NYC

 

[CaliRadioFan]

KMIY in Tuscon, AZ is the current keeper of the 80's Music for the IHeart App. Perhaps they think it run more cost effective in a smaller market. On said App, Nick Radio has been replaced by Hit Nation Jr., which is being run out of WESC-FM in Greenville, SC (seems to be their first HD-2 venture). Since the HD2 stations are all about the IHeart App, they are thinking up new formats for the NYC stations.

 

[luperm]

It's not about the FM HD stations - it's about the app. Many of the streams are run over the HD2 so that iHeart pays a more favorable royalty rate.
Get the app and stream from there. If it's really that important to you, make sure you have an unlimited data plan.

 

[mets18]

Looks like 104.3 HD3 is also gone now.

 

[Barry]

IHeart has eliminated 3 HD channels in the New York market in one month.
Wonder whether their one remaining HD3, The Breeze, will be taken off WKTU.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

None of those subchannels were running advertising or getting ratings, and they were never going to. It's all about streaming and the app now. The only HD subchannel growth has been Pride Radio which expanded to a number of new markets last month.

 

[mets18]

None of those subchannels were running advertising or getting ratings, and they were never going to. It's all about streaming and the app now. The only HD subchannel growth has been Pride Radio which expanded to a number of new markets last month.

I did listen to the alternative station a lot in the car as I liked their music mix better than 92.3. So while their ratings were negligible they may have drawn some listeners away from competing stations. I don't have unlimited data so not going to stream from my phone.

 

[djl]

I love HD Radio but there are several problems. Ibiquity or whoever owns them now never publicized what HD Radio is. Most people think it requires a subscription. Also to protect the analog stations, the HD subchannels transmit with much lower power, so their coverage area is much more limited that their analog counterparts.

Pretty much the only way to get HD Radio today is in a car or a portable radio. Sangean is the only company that makes a component tuner. Onkyo used to offer an HD plugin module for their receivers.

The list of audio receivers with HD Radio has practically dried up. How does a company promote a type of broadcasting that few have and has signal limitations? I find it saddening that more is. Not being done to promote HD Radio.

 

[CTListener]

I love HD Radio but there are several problems. Ibiquity or whoever owns them now never publicized what HD Radio is. Most people think it requires a subscription. Also to protect the analog stations, the HD subchannels transmit with much lower power, so their coverage area is much more limited that their analog counterparts.

Pretty much the only way to get HD Radio today is in a car or a portable radio. Sangean is the only company that makes a component tuner. Onkyo used to offer an HD plugin module for their receivers.

The list of audio receivers with HD Radio has practically dried up. How does a company promote a type of broadcasting that few have and has signal limitations? I find it saddening that more is. Not being done to promote HD Radio.

I believe HD Radio is in the hands of venture capitalist or hedge fund types now who have no actual interest in broadcasting and are just scraping as much meat off the bones as possible before passing it on to the next sucker, if one can be found. As for publicity, the HD Alliance tried during its first year with a variety of campaigns, including "The stations between the stations," with I kind of liked but apparently only confused the average listener. All that ended when iBiquity bailed out,

 

[TheBigA]

I believe HD Radio is in the hands of venture capitalist or hedge fund types now who have no actual interest in broadcasting

It's a bit more complicated. iBiquity was sold to DTS, and DTS was sold to Xperi. So they're now a couple companies removed from the original licensee. Both DTS and Xperi are technology licensing companies. Not as bad as traditional vulture capitalists, in that they have a specialization in technology. But I'm not sure how far up the priority scale HD radio is at this point. It does appear to be growing more in recent years, although mostly from increased availability rather than marketing.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

The HD Radio patent is now held by Xperi, which is a technology conglomerate. They are experienced in licensing intellectual property.

However, a system which is only used in the US and which requires a patent license is wholly unattractive to the foreign manufacturers who make essentially all consumer electronics now. Looking at my local Wal-Mart, the radios sell for anywhere from $8 to $39, so a $0.50 or $1.00 royalty to Xperi would be a big part of the retail price.

EDIT: And of course the circuitry for HD radio is more complicated than a generic FM receiver, which adds more cost on top of the royalty. Autos can hide that in a $25,000 sticker price, but it's really hard to hide in a household radio.

 

[DavidEduardo]

However, a system which is only used in the US and which requires a patent license is wholly unattractive to the foreign manufacturers who make essentially all consumer electronics now. L

HD is the digital standard in Mexico, with the hundreds of AMs that have migrated to FM having an HD requirement for licensing.

HD is being added at a slower pace in a number of places in the Western Hemisphere, where neither DAB nor DRM have any traction.