The din of iBiquity
The Oklahoman’s Jim Stafford wonders if maybe the time has come for HD Radio:
In Oklahoma, there are 23 stations broadcasting 38 HD radio channels with six more coming soon. And the iBiquity Digital Corp., the developer of digital HD Radio technology, recently said that the 1,500th HD Radio station has gone on the air: Clear Channel’s rock station WROV-FM 96.3 in Roanoke, Va.
Maybe HD radio has finally reached the tipping point.
Maybe so. I haven’t found any compelling reason to try it out. (Here’s a list of what’s out there; a perfunctory glance at the listings suggests that Tulsa stations have embraced the possibilities more than Oklahoma City stations have, which doesn’t surprise me; Tulsa, as a radio market, has always struck me as slightly less hidebound than Oklahoma City.) If you’ve played with HD Radio, I’d be interested to hear what you think about it.
Old Grouch »
1 October 2007 · 2:53 pm
Well, nuts. I bookmarked this with the intent of coming back and getting some ideas. Guess the lack of response says something about the lack of uptake of HD, which a lot of industry folks have been harping on for months.
In my town there are about 10 HD channels, but most of them are more of the same stuff (albeit with fewer commercials– and how long will that last, hmmm?). I’ve been told they’re hard to receive– you need to be really close to the transmitter, or have a really good antenna.
CGHill »
1 October 2007 · 5:21 pm
There doesn’t seem to be a critical mass of HD listeners around here. Michael Bates posted something last week on the subject, but that’s been about it.