HD Radios at "Best Buy" for $39

[Skynet74]

Those Boston stations I listed (WGBH, WBZ-FM, WODS, WKLB) all come in using the $39 portable while walking on Pawtucket Avenue in East Providence, some 30 miles from the towers. As far as the content goes, it *is* different compared to what you hear on the main radio. Who does 24/7 Smooth Jazz? Or real Modern Rock? Or Full time Classical?  What kind of variety are you looking for? African beat music? South Korean Talk? It's better than nothing and since when is more choice a bad thing anywhere?

     OK. Point taken. I think I'm spolied though. I've got Satellite radio with a ton of content. I'm also a big fan of internet streaming which provides you with a ridiculous amount of stations. More formats than any radio could ever deliver. So it's hard for me to get excited about 10 extra stations. I've already got access to hundreds.  Possibly thousands.

[Ohio radio man]

HD is dead when there is internet in cars. People will put on their pandora/itunes/whatever, and Radio is pretty much... toast.

[RockTheGlobe]

the fact that you have to almost be on top of the tower to even get an HD signal.

The myth, actually on that one. You need to take what is written on this forum's HD board with a grain of salt. You can weed through the hyperbole and rhetoric to see what the actual flaws may be. But look elsewhere too. See other point of views.

Not entirely myth.  I live about 3 miles from the KYSR tower in Los Angeles, but the HD signal cuts in and out regularly when I'm driving around my neighborhood.  It's gotten to the point where I can't even depend on being able to pick up the HD signal on a regular enough basis to make it through an entire song on the HD2 side-channel. 

[Don Juannn]

the fact that you have to almost be on top of the tower to even get an HD signal.

The myth, actually on that one. You need to take what is written on this forum's HD board with a grain of salt. You can weed through the hyperbole and rhetoric to see what the actual flaws may be. But look elsewhere too. See other point of views.

Not entirely myth.  I live about 3 miles from the KYSR tower in Los Angeles, but the HD signal cuts in and out regularly when I'm driving around my neighborhood. 

If you live 3 miles from the tower...and you can't get a steady lock on it's HD channel...then you have a problem that is not the fault of HD radio.

[RockTheGlobe]

the fact that you have to almost be on top of the tower to even get an HD signal.

The myth, actually on that one. You need to take what is written on this forum's HD board with a grain of salt. You can weed through the hyperbole and rhetoric to see what the actual flaws may be. But look elsewhere too. See other point of views.

Not entirely myth.  I live about 3 miles from the KYSR tower in Los Angeles, but the HD signal cuts in and out regularly when I'm driving around my neighborhood. 

If you live 3 miles from the tower...and you can't get a steady lock on it's HD channel...then you have a problem that is not the fault of HD radio.

Whose fault is it then?  HD Radio is a failed technology, and one of the big reasons is its reception issues.  I'm not the only one who's experiencing them -- and I'm not just talking about hyperbole on the boards here either, people like Sean Ross have documented it as well.  Plus, who knows what HD signals will be up and running on an average day, since the HD signals on many stations here unpredictably seem to vanish or go silent for days on end. 

[jeffryan]

God, in 2010 I can't believe we're still having this discussion.

HD is an abysmal failure. The public has rejected it. Meanwhile, Apple has sold millions upon millions of iPods and iPads. Smartphone pennetration is growing exponentially.

The idiots who run this business we call radio just don't know when to call it quits. They also have difficultly understanding the sociology of the media consumer. Is there content on HD radio? Yes. Is the content compelling enough for people to buy the radios? Not even close.

Media execs need to understand that you have to find consumers of media where they live. And that place is on their MOBILE DEVICES. They need to program to that. And repurposing the terrestrial signal to double as a webstream isn't going to cut it.

In 2010, people aren't buying newspapers. In 2010, people aren't buying radios (let alone HD radios). In 2010, people aren't even buying televisions as much as they had in the past.

The internet has changed everything. If you want to reach the media consumer, that's where you need to find them. You could put the most compelling content on your HD channel, but what's the point if the consumer doesn't want one?

How many people in public do you see fiddling with their mobile phones? How many people do you see playing with their HD radios?

Case closed.

[pellmell]

Interesting discussion. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of bankers hope that the demise of the radio industry is not as eminent as some suggest. Heck, lots of notes for the purchases of radio stations are not paid up for 10 years or more.

[Skynet74]

In the old days Radio stations had all the power. These days the average everyday Joe has more power.

Average radio station in Rhode Island can reach about 2 Million people.
Average guy in his parents basement with a computer can reach  2 BILLION PEOPLE

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

No contest

[Tee Man 82]

In the old days Radio stations had all the power. These days the average everyday Joe has more power.

Average radio station in Rhode Island can reach about 2 Million people.
Average guy in his parents basement with a computer can reach  2 BILLION PEOPLE

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

No contest

Average guy in his parents basement can reach 2 billion people but won't because 8 people will listen. Case closed. Just because you have the potential doesn't mean you'll have throngs of listeners. Internet ain't radio and I'm not sayin radio isn't in trouble.

[MarcB]

Most internet stations - traditional stations that stream their signals and internet-only stations have limits of how many people can listen online at one time. Regular/HD Radio is only limited by its signal. Example some stations only 100 people can listen online. Meanwhile a 50,000 watt equiv. FM station has the potential to have 50,000 listeners for an example and maybe 10,000 HD listeners.