Just Radio Only: Are You Killing HD Radio?

Are You Killing HD Radio?

Controversy always surrounds HD Radio, and after this article I'm sure I'll hear from a few dozen readers who will tell me that HD is a farce, it can't do anything for radio, and it should be killed immediately. Even though I released an HD product called Mighty Red last Christmas (and sold out a couple of thousand units), I too am critical of HD. There are issues, including some technical issues. But, frankly, most of the issues are not with the technology, or with the iBiquity people. We, the industry, are the problem with HD Radio.

HD Is A Throwaway
Thankfully, most radio groups have embraced HD Radio, but I dare say many of the HD2 and HD3 subchannels are throwaways. If HD is to gain any consumer interest, there must be a good reason to buy the technology, especially if the technology is a lot more expensive than a non-HD receiver.

In the 1970s, FM radio was commercial-free, was hipper and cooler, was playing album cuts instead of the top 40, and had alternative-sounding DJs. That approach, thanks in part to FM pioneers like Lee Abrams, Jim Donohue, Buzz Bennett, Jerry Clifton, and others, was about knowing what the young generation wanted, finding a way to reflect that, and putting it on FM. But what are we putting on HD Radio today? And does it appeal to the generation most likely to embrace something new?

Splat, Splat, Splat
What is the advantage of HD Radio? It sounds better, and it can do some cool digital and interactive things. But does it sound that much better than FM? Enough that a consumer can tell a difference? I'm not sure the difference is as noticeable as AM vs. FM was, but the better sound could still be an advantage.

But many of the stations I'm listening to on HD are playing MP3s instead of higher-quality .WAV files, making the difference in sound less noticeable. Somewhere along the line it was not communicated that if your source is an MP3, with the sound of splattering highs and drums, your HD signal will output garbage as well. (Frankly, no FM should be playing MP3s either. They don't sound good.)

Radio's Biggest Advertiser
Though quality is a starting point, a bigger issue is that the extensive marketing isn't getting noticed. The stations I've heard running HD Radio spots don't seem to be touting what the difference is with HD. Nor are they trying to use their existing HD listeners as a viral tool to sell more interest in the technology to others. Yes, many stations are running spots, and the HD Radio Alliance was one of radio's biggest advertisers last year, but most consumers still don't know or care about the technology There is a disconnect somewhere.

Nothing Worth Listening To?
HD Radio is the unwanted child of FM. Most managers I talk to run it because they are told to run it, but few believe in it. Too many HD channels are sub-content from a more mainstream format (for instance, a specific decade). Or they're formats that can no longer make it in the mainstream, or dog formats that may appeal to a small segment of an FM's audience.

And most HD subchannels are an afterthought. Most are automated (and sound like it), most get no attention from their PDs (who are already low on time), and few are using live talent, because of course it's not cost-effective to put live personalities on a channel with no listeners. That would be the cart before the horse.

Maybe HD isn't taking off because there is simply nothing worth listening to?

The Unwanted Radio Child
In the 1940s-1970s, FM was the unwanted child of AM. No one could make a dime on an FM station, and they were considered just a nuisance (sound familiar?). Thankfully, there were some young, brash programmers who talked some owners into letting them try something new. They brought about the real birth of FM, after it had been a wasteland of elevator music for 30 years. Where are those young, brash programmers today, and why aren't we letting them invent something new for HD?

It seems to me that if we came up with something that is not researched to death, that is as radical as FM was in its early days, and that gives HD the feel of being "underground" or offering something you can't get anywhere else (and that a large audience actually cares about), HD could take off. Go steal some college radio programmers and let them dazzle you. Innovation rarely happens in big corporations, which tend to be risk-averse. If today's owners were in charge when those bold young FM pioneers were begging for a chance to try their formats on the FM wasteland, I fear FM would have never taken off and we would be an industry of AM stations today.

If You Build It, They Won't Come
Last week iBiquity CEO Bob Struble stated that HD can help radio grow. He's right, but HD won't move the needle unless there is compelling content. At the moment, HD is nothing more than an annoyance to some GMs and owners, just like FM was, and I've even heard rumors that some groups have turned off their HD signals just to save power (if this is true, let me know).

HD Radio has the potential to be as big or bigger than FM was and to create new interest. But only if there is compelling content.

It's The Content, Stupid
Struble is right, but radio isn't buying it because they're focusing on the wrong things. HD Radio success isn't about the distribution method, what it can do digitally, or even its improved audio fidelity. It's about the content, and how much attention we pay to the content. Features don't make money unless there are audiences attached. Programmers have proven that a crummy fringe signal can be number one in a market if the content is better than everything else.

Cart Before The Horse?
Too often I hear "We will pay more attention to HD Radio once there are more HD receivers in the marketplace." Many said the same about FM too. I know one man who turned his FM back to the FCC because he thought it was useless to own. But a few brave souls created great radio brands, some of which have lasted 40 years now, because they put content first. Why not go to the local college, find some kids who want to change the world, turn the HD signal over to them and say, "Anything goes, as long as you don't lose the license"?

Building The Car Without Going To The Race
What radio company is really behind HD? Signing up, going to the expense of converting to the equipment, increasing your electric bill, and having one more format to be responsible for is a commitment. But it's not enough of a commitment. It's like buying the best race car and forgetting to show up at the race.

Every radio company with HD Radio should be promoting it to death, finding a way to get compelling content on the air, looking for a way to create something listeners can't get anywhere else, and seeking an edge that will make HD channels appeal to youth culture.

They should be in the face of every retailer who can sell HD, making sure units are available and that retailers understand what the benefits are. I'd hold seminars for every salesperson at every electronics store to educate them about HD in each market. When I go to stores and ask about HD Radio, no one even knows what I'm talking about. If you promote it and make it compelling and unique, you will get an audience.

I'd love to hear examples of stations with actual HD successes, but frankly, if they're out there, I've heard nothing. As an industry, our priority is still survival, and HD is just another thing to go on the back burner -- until it finally burns out.

While some will applaud when HD dies, I think it would be an opportunity lost. What about you? Have you given up on HD? Are you paying proper attention to your HD channels or just letting them ride on autopilot? Don't let the opportunity pass. We're in a digital world, and HD allows radio to do things with digital that can't be done with a radio signal alone. We should not let it die because of our apathy.

Eric Rhoads

PS: We have a killer lineup at our Convergence Conference, June 3-4 at the Microsoft campus in Mountain View, CA:
Guy Kawasaki returns with a new, expanded session on "The Art Of Social Network Marketing"
Best-selling author Jeffrey Eisenberg, on the real strategies for social media success
Promote A Book founder Michael Drew's acclaimed "Pendulum" presentation explains how entrepreneurs can take advantage of cyclical the shifts in societal attitudes
Rob Curley of Greenspun Media Group and the Las Vegas Sun,showcases innovative new ideas for hyperlocalism
Kurt Hanson, founder and Publisher of RAIN and CEO of AccuRadio, with his highly anticipated "State of the Industry" talk
Mark Ramsey lays out his vision for radio in the days ahead
Gordon Borrell, with the facts on who is doing the best at bringing in interactive revenues, and how they're doing it

PLUS: We've added tech guru Eric Greenspan as emcee, and musician Andy Grammer will join us to add some color to the event.

Click here to register for Convergence 2010, or call 561-655-8778.

AND....

Did you know we have a pre-Convergence conference called the Radio Tech Summit? It's being held right before Radio Ink Convergence and will deal with the issues of HD Radio and other technical issues related to radio. Please join us. We start on June 2. To learn more, go to www.radioink.com/techsummit, or click here to register.