iBiquity CEO Robert Struble tells Radio Ink, "This has been HD Radio Technoloigy's best CES ever by any measure - new product announcements, new advanced feature introductions, booth size, business meetings and attendance." Struble says HD had its biggest booth which included products and five new cars with HD Radio receivers from Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and Scion. HD also had 60 new radio product announcements including new low cost HD Radio table top units and a host of new aftermarket car radios. We spoke with Struble following the show in Vegas
You made a lot of announcements. What's the most significant?
Really hard to say, but based on the importance of in-car listening to AM/FM, probably the progress of HD Radio Technology in cars. 22 automakers are now building HD Radio receivers in their vehicles, many as standard equipment. These manufacturers are adding advanced HD Radio services such as iTunes Tagging and Artist Experience, the ability to broadcast images such as album covers, helping radio stay competitive with other digital offerings. Millions of HD Radio equipped vehicles are on the road, and we will add millions more this year, including the first cars from General Motors.
The battle for the dashboard is out of control. What are your thoughts about that?
It is more intense then you can imagine, and radio broadcasters need to step up their game. The days of radio's near monopoly position in the dashboard are a fading memory. It is clear that now or in the very near future, all cars will have internet connectivity and the standard offering will include streaming services like Pandora and iHeart Radio, social app integration like twitter, satellite radio, iPod USB integration and data storage for music libraries. Unless broadcasters upgrade their offering to digital to meet consumer expectations and work together to deliver a compelling and consistent consumer experience, they risk AM/FM becoming a forgotten app in the digital dashboard.
What message will you bring back from Vegas for broadcasters, that they need to hear?
The time for HD Radio Technology is now. I looked hard, and across almost 2 million square feet of exhibit space and thousand of exhibitors, I did not find one single analog technology besides AM/FM. That is not healthy. CES showed that there are entire digital industries gunning for radio's audience and ad dollars. The industry must upgrade to over-the-air digital HD Radio broadcasting to address these competitive threats.
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