HD is nothing but a pathetic and expensive attempt to pretend there is a chance to compete with ipods, etc...Anyone who really thinks that the masses are going to retool with brand new receivers---or even bother to seek out the HD channels if they were available easily on the current receivers, is deluding themselves BADLY.
Even without HD, music radio in general is going to have a tough time competing with new media. That's why smart station owners are flipping their lowest performing music FM to a talk format. The various currently existing iterations of talk radio in addition to others that have yet to be developed are the best formats for the future of radio. While music listenership will continue to be chipped away at by new media, talk radio can do the one thing that iPod can't: live, original content.
All HD is going to do, is take more resources away from where they need to be spent: on TALENT and PROGRAMMING that enhances radio's strengths, not plays to it's numerous weaknesses.
There is and WILL NOT BE any buzz on HD radio.
You are correct, so long as it's music that's on HD. That is unlikely to excite very many people at all. Instant weather/news/traffic and the other features I described in my first post are things that could drive talk and information fans to actually go out and buy a new HD receiver.
The reason why the title of this thread is "FM HD: The News/Talk Appliance" is that HD, in my opinion, is made for talk radio. While the audio quality of music will suffer as more HD channels are added, the 96kbps will easily support three talk channels with quality sound. The "instant weather/news/traffic" idea truly allows talk stations to enhance their usefulness and should not take any significant extra time to program and manage.
