What anti HD people ignore

[JimmyJames]

I'd like to point something out to all of you who suggest webcasting as a substitute for HD radio.

Namely, your theory doesn't work in more rural areas.

I've worked plenty of markets where there's spotty at best voice cell coverage much less the data capacity required for streaming. And the local economy doesn't encourage people adopting what's about as useless there as you claim HD is.

I could see selling HD radio to those people. I can't see massive boosts in capacity, selling tons of smartphones and having everyone walking around listening to niche streams with no local weather or news and sports.

HD at least allows different formats that may be of interest while enabling me to insert local content. For smaller markets, it's a better proposition than "let them eat internet."

[RadeoEngineer]

And how do the smaller market stations pay for the horrendously expensive installation and licensing?

[JimmyJames]

There's good money in small market radio. Not every operator spent foolishly like the big guys did.

[SUPERCASTER]

And how do the smaller market stations pay for the horrendously expensive installation and licensing?

By selling their stations to the HD radio cartel.

[SUPERCASTER]

There's good money in small market radio. Not every operator spent foolishly like the big guys did.

Why dilute their already limited audience?

Most small market stations have limited coverage and population in their area. HD radio coverage is much less then their analog. Less then one in a million radios in North America is an HD radio. Chances are no one will be listening.

[Ken Tucky]

Digital 2 could be "Kow" 106.5! Super-serve your biggest audience (but be sure to equip the bovine with antennas on their heads - & be sure there's a pad between them and the units so the hot-running HD radios don't burn their flesh...)  Sounds great, huh?   HD could also stand for Horse Dung!

[SUPERCASTER]

There's good money in small market radio. Not every operator spent foolishly like the big guys did.

Why dilute their already limited audience?

Most small market stations have limited coverage and population in their area. HD radio coverage is much less then their analog. Less then one in a million radios in North America is an HD radio. Chances are no one will be listening.

Internet radio solves these problems by making small station content available worldwide to hundreds of millions of potential listeners.

The top rated internet stations have millions of listeners, most small market over the air stations don't.

A solution for small market FM's and even a replacement for adjacent channel HD radio could be FMeXtra.

[JimmyJames]

Small market stations value local news and sports. In a lot of areas that isn't online.

[BRNout]

Even stations in small markets can't afford to program HD2 signals!  I was in Rapid City and the only HD signals I was getting were coming from their NPR station.  In Sioux Falls, a couple of stations broadcast in HD - but with no HD-2 or HD-3 feeds.  This tells me that the economics simply aren't there. 

As far as super-serving an audience in these areas, dream on!  At least 9 of 10 stations in rural areas are now primarily bird-feed.  Very little local content.

Internet radio, fed via the wireless broadband networks of cellular providers, is the future.  Even in rural areas.

[SUPERCASTER]

Small market stations value local news and sports. In a lot of areas that isn't online.

But should be, so that travelers and military service members could still listen to their hometown station, personalities, interviews, news, and teams.