HD Radio And HD Radio Stations

Radio is perhaps the oldest of the modern technological mediums, and it largely remains unchanged from its earlier iterations. In 2002, however, a new step was made in an attempt to revolutionize terrestrial radio. It was then that the FCC approved the introduction of HD radio. Now, HD radio is starting to gain a foothold in the radio market.

HD Radio was conceived of by a company named iBiquity Digital as a way to increase the quality of current radio offerings. It carries signals along radio frequencies that are twice as strong as current broadcast radio formats. As a result, HD digital radio receives FM stations at CD quality and AM stations at current FM quality. While this might not seem like much at first glance, it is a leap forward in quality.

The technology that makes HD digital radio possible may have been released in 2002, but it has taken much longer to get its footing in the U.S. This is partially because satellite radio compares favorably with HD quality and has a wider variety of stations. While HD radio is nominally cheaper because there is no subscription fee, consumers still need to buy an HD digital radio receiver to listen. The receiver translates the broadband signals that current models do not. HD Radios retail for close to $130, which is around the price of a comparable Satellite receiver with a year's service.

The primary benefit to HD radio is that it carries local, commercial free content, as compared to the more generic national content provided by satellite radio. Many of the same radio personalities, newscasters, and reporters that have shows and segments on local, standard broadcast radio, do the same thing for HD radio stations. At this point, iBiquity estimates that there are around 1,200 HD radio stations which account for 1,700 different channels. A listener, however, will only have access to the HD radio stations broadcasting in their area.

As it is, iBiquity has the only license issued by the FCC to produce and market the HD codec for radio. This may account for why the HD radio standard isn't taking off like the company had hoped. Unlike HD television or satellite radio, the HD format hasn't to date been aggressively marketed, and as a result the number of people using the format is less than 4 million, as opposed to more than 13 currently using satellite services. While the industry itself seems to acknowledge that a change is needed, the public seems to be largely unaware that HD radio stations even exist.

Whether HD radio becomes the flag-bearer format or just another footnote in media history largely depends on how iBiquity and its partners are able to sell the system, and whether the jump in quality is enough that customers come around to it. Currently, HD radio is commercial free, as an incentive to gain new listeners, but this will eventually switch over to commercial radio, and satellite will again have the advantage. The way things are now, HD digital radio is a interesting and entertaining curiosity, but unless it becomes something more soon, it's not likely that radio stations will stick with it much longer.



Sources:
"HD Radio." Wikipedia. 23 Feb. 2007. 26 Feb. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio>.
What is HD Radio Broadcasting. iBiquity Digital. 2007. iBiquity Digiatal Corporation. 26 Feb. 2007 <http://www.ibiquity.com/hd_radio>.
El Boghdady, Dina “The Dawn of HD Radio.” WashingtonPost.com.  6 Nov. 2004. The Washington
Post Company. 26 Feb. 2007 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/ A29597-2004Nov5.html>.
Hanna, Douglas. “What do HD Radios Cost.” E-Zine Articles. 7 Oct. 2005. 26 Feb. 2007 <http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Do-HD-Radios-Co st?&id=80304>.