HD radio needs boost
December 7, 2005 by Mike Wendland
Two years after its introduction, HD radio remains pretty ho hum. The sets, priced almost reasonably now at a couple hundred bucks, just aren’t being bought. Consumers are much more interested in satelite radio nand iPod podcasting, it seems. Local radio is a programming mess of way too many commercials interspersed with only a bit of compelling content. The industry is trying to boost the new format but I think they’re going to have a huge uphil battle to win back those lured away by new technology. Link: US broadcasting alliance aims to promote digital.
It’s all about the content. As long as hd radio is nothing more than a higher def audio version what radio already is, there is no reason to go with hd radio. In the past year since I started listening to podcasts, I have almost completely left radio behind. The only radio I listen to are the podcasts of a handful of npr programs, like on the media and le show. I don’t actually listen to the radio at all. The rest of my listening is filled up with my 60 odd podcasts that I am subscribed too along with the 4000 odd songs on my ipod.