- Factory-installed HD Radio is standard on Volvo vehicles - an option or standard feature available on BMW, Hyundai Genesis, Mercedes, and MINI.
- Dealer-installed HD Radio technology is available on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.
- More than 1,800 HD Radio stations are on the air in the US.
- More than 900 new HD2 or HD3 multicast channels are on the air.
- More than 90 unique HD Radio SKUs are available at retail.
- More than 14,000 stores and online outlets offer HD Radio products.
That all looks very impressive but, the real issue for HD Radio is not the availability of receivers for the consumer or the availability of programming for the receivers.
Nobody is talking much about who is listening and if they even care. Arbitron released a report last year called "The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio's Digital Platform". Here's what it said about HD Radio:
Awareness of HD Radio has not generated momentum over the past year. In January 2006, 14 percent said they had heard or read anything recently about HD Radio; the following year that number nearly doubled to 26 percent, but for 2008 the awareness level remains fairly flat with 24 percent saying they have heard or read anything recently about the new broadcasting technology."
I don't mean to be a naysayer but the anecdotal evidence I pick up from speaking to folks mirrors the lackluster reception Arbitron points out.
Here are what I think are some of the reasons why:
1. The Radio industry is not effectively teaching listeners what HD Radio is.
2. The Radio industry is not properly promoting the technology.
3. Entry level equipment has to be made more affordable. In a world where formerly expensive cell phones are now given away free, it's getting harder to justify a separate or new purchase of an expensive radio. HD Radio needs an infrastructure - but the consumer probably will not foot the bill.
4. The economy is now even more of an obstacle.
The question I often mull over about HD Radio is one of timing. With the fast growth of Internet Radio and increased competition from Podcasts, Satellite Radio, cell phone streams, and MP3 players is HD Radio trying to stay afloat in a perfect storm of inventive technology all vying for the same users?
