Pubcasting and the HD Radio Pretense - Part 2

Who knew my premise would be proven so quickly? Just a few days after posting Pubcasting and the HD Radio Pretense, WGCU in Fort Meyers, Florida, announced they were dropping classical music entirely.

According to NaplesNews.com,

WGCU already moved its classical music programming from FM to its HD-2 radio signal in 2008. The limited broadcast power of its HD signal, however, had left classical music fans in Naples and Marco Island no alternative but to stream it online from the station's website.

As I said in my post, the trend is for public radio stations to shove their classical programming onto an HD2 channel rather than kill it to avoid a sh*tstorm of bad publicity. And that's exactly what WGCU did. At the time, of course, it was represented as simply continuing the service.

And now that another station is broadcasting classical music in the same market (sort of)? WGCU dropped classical like a hot potato, and is introducing a new format.

Now keep in mind, this new format will still have the same dismal over-the-air audience numbers that classical did on the HD2 channel. This decade-old technology has never really gone anywhere. And with the available of streaming Internet audio via smartphones in cars, HD Radio's become irrelevant.

According to the article, the new format will be AAA.

XPoNential Radio is produced by WXPN in Philadelphia. WXPN also produces "The World Cafe," heard on WGCU-FM. [Station General Manager Rick] Johnson said the genre, known as adult album alternative, "opens the door of public radio to a new group of listeners from college students to young professionals [emphasis mine] to children of the 1960s and '70s who will appreciate this eclectic blend of music."

Check that Jacobs Media study of core public radio listeners again. Internet usage is growing, and it's growing among the younger demographic. In reality WGCU probably doesn't care if anyone listens to their HD2 channel -- they're looking to grow their online listenership. And WGCU probably be successful.

I just wish they were a little more honest about the whole thing. According to Johsnon, "This summer WNPS began broadcasting the same classical music programming as heard on our HD radio channel. As public broadcasting, we want to provide listeners with variety and we do not want to duplicate services."

Fair enough. WGCU's trying to follow the money, which -- with public broadcasting under siege -- seems like the responsible thing to do. But why not be totally honest about it?

After all, have you ever known a public radio station to drop Morning Edition or All Things Considered just because another station with some coverage overlap also carried the programs? (In other words, duplicate services?)

Me neither.

CES &HD Radio -- reality check, please!

Last post I commented on the disconnect between radio industry magazines and general media coverage on the importance of HD Radio. A Mashable.com post today further reinforced that distinction. Their post What We Learned from CES: 5 Big Consumer Trends to Watch listed the following as said trends:

1.  Dual-core smartphones
2. Continued growth of Android OS
3. New computing tablets to compete with the iPad
4. The improved Internet connectivity of new TVs,( and speculation that consumers won't care)
5. Apple's continued market dominance, and how they're responding to competition.

The article is definitely worth reading, but I invite you to do something else with it, too. Do a word search for "HD Radio" -- or even just "radio."

Then read HD Radio Technology at CES 2011... More Than Ever, iBiquity's press release. As my high school English teacher used to say, compare and contrast.

HD Radio's Rate of Decay

Obviously HD Radio's on my mind again. As expected, the news after the Consumer Electronics Show broke down along party lines. The magazines and websites such as Radio and Radio World that cater to radio industry professionals gushed about all the exciting new HD Radio products and features (many times pulling copy straight from the iBiquity press release).

Go to news sources outside of the industry, however, and HD Radio's barely mentioned. Inside the industry, HD Radio leads the list of new car features. Outside, smartphone connectivity and interactive software lead the list of new car features.

HD Radio's been an emerging technology since 2004. It did have a lot of potential (which public radio was quick to latch on to), but for the bulk of radio broadcasters, it's been treated and marketed as a haphazard answer to the threat of satellite radio. Since that time, we've seen the rise of the iPod, then the smart phone, and now the tablet, each providing more and more options for discovering music, enjoying favorite music, and -- most importantly -- sharing music socially. Yet HD Radio market copy still defines itself in terms of satellite radio.

It's marketing talks about having no subscription fees (unlike satellite radio), having specialized music channels (just like satellite radio, although not really as many stations simply simulcast their on-air signal), and great digital sound (just like satellite radio, although both HD Radio and SIRIUS/XM do compressed digital formats that are no great shakes sonically).

Is HD Radio really going to be the next big thing, or another grand failure? If the latter, it won't be the first. Player pianos really took off as a home entertainment system in the late 1800's. When phonographs came along in the early 20th century, player pianos were marketed as the smart choice. They sounded better, after all.

But better sound wasn't really what people were after. The phonograph took up less space than a player piano. It had a more varied sound. The player piano sounded like a piano. But depending on the record, the phonograph could sound like a piano, an orchestra, a bluegrass band, an opera singer, or anything. Manufacturers didn't give up. They kept improving the instruments, replacing foot pedals with electric mechanisms; adding more parameters to the hole-punch recorders to achieve a more natural sound and so on.

But despite these improvements, they couldn't overcome the biggest drawback -- people simply found the phonograph more convenient than a piano. And so all the improvements made in player pianos were in some sense for naught -- the battle had already been lost. What the public wanted in home entertainment had moved beyond the 19th century piano in the parlor.

Has the same thing happened to HD Radio? After seven years of continual marketing, there's still very little demand (or even awareness) of the technology among consumers -- consumers that very much want a smart phone or a tablet. Consumers that very much want an Internet connection in their car. Will all the vaunted improvements to HD Radio recently announced seem as quaint years from now as the electrification of the player piano?

I don't think we'll have to wait too long to find out.

CES - HD Radio = CES + HD Radio?

Three news alerts hit my inbox almost at the same time, all talking about HD Radio in context with the 2011 Consumer Electronics (CES) show. The first comes from Jim Motavalli, blogging for Forbes Magazine. His post certainly had an engaging headline:

HD Radio: Is it the auto industry's next big thing?

I had to double-check the date. I could have sworn I saw that headline at least once in 2010, and 2009, and 2008, and each year back to 2004. But wait! There's more! Motavilli writes:

Is HD Radio the next big thing for in-car audio? Well, it’s not like the transition from AM to FM (that was a big leap), but it’s an interesting improvement. And it has a big advantage over satellite radio — it doesn’t cost anything. As long as you have an HD-equipped radio (three million have been sold by Ibiquity, which is owned by big-league radio chains) you can listen to the digital signal free, without a subscription, and at the same frequencies, too. [NOTE: It's taken seven years to move 3 million HD Radio units -- 10.3 million iPads were sold in 2010]

Classic 2004 talking points, playing off what the radio industry thought would pull listeners back from satellite radio subscriptions (better content is why they left in the first place -- content they were willing to pay for). I had to wonder where Mr. Motavilli's been for the last seven years if he thinks this is a startling new innovation.

The second piece is from Radio Survivor. Paul Riismandel writes about what he anticipates is the role of HD Radio at CES.

While all the biggest buzz around the show is in anticipation of new tablet competitors for Apple’s iPad, we can still expect to hear announcements of new radio gadgets across the spectrum, from analog broadcast and HD Radio to satellite and internet radio.

On the satellite radio and HD Radio front things have been quiet for the pre-show period. In fact, it doesn’t seem like iBiquity is even ready for CES this year, since their press release site is still touting a special section to highlight HD Radio at the 2010 CES from twelve months ago.

And finally, Mark Ramsey of Mark Ramsey Media weighs in on the subject, with his post-Toyota's Entune raises the stakes for Radio Online and on the Road.

Here’s a peek at Toyota’s new Entune in-dash entertainment system, which includes Pandora, iheartradio, local search, movie tickets, dinner reservations, and a whole lot more – all powered by an app you download to your mobile device and driven by your phone’s data plan.

Interestingly, Radio Ink reports that the system includes HD Radio and SiriusXM, too, but it’s telling that those assets are nowhere to be found in Toyota’s promotional video or on the Entune page of its website. Does that suggest that these assets are either too fuzzy or too non-compelling to merit a full frontal pitch?
You bet it does

That doesn’t mean they won’t be used, of course. Just that they won’t be used to sell cars.

That last sentence from Mr. Ramsey seems to neatly answer the question raised by Mr.Motavalli's headline. (And in case you're wondering, the algebraic expression in the title works if HD Radio = zero)

HD Radio sells out

Something interesting happened in Gainesville, Florida this week. The city completely sold out of HD Radios. There're some lessons to be learned here, but first a little background, and then some perspective.

The background
Public radio station WUFT had been the area's sole classical music station for some time. The station, owned by the University of Florida, decided to ditch the classical format for news and talk. Rather than just pull the plug, the classical music was moved to an HD2 channel. In answer to the howls of protests from long-time listeners, the general manager said: "buy radios." Which, apparently, they did.

The perspective
It's no secret (except to the radio industry) that HD Radio is a non-starter with the general public. So the total number of HD Radios available for sale in the Gainesville area was not that high, to begin with. I would be surprised if a retail store like Best Buy had more than 10 units total in stock.

No matter how vocal the opposition, when it comes to format changes, only a fraction of the pissed-off audience actually does anything. Out of tens of thousands of listeners, a station will receive perhaps 10 or 20 letters of protest. So the total number of people looking for HD Radios to keep listening to classical music is only a fraction of the total disenfranchised audience.

The takeaways
This story has three important messages if you pay attention.

1) Want to move HD Radios? Give listeners a compelling reason to use them.
Most HD Radio signals are just simulcasts of a station's regular programming. That's not compelling. Some do additional programming, but it's not promoted. In WUFT's case, the switch was a highly publicized one, primarily due to the controversy. And it was the only source of the programming people wanted.

2) Music to talk: get used to it.
Just because a station's non-profit, doesn't mean they're not looking at the bottom line. For public radio stations, the numbers speak for themselves: news/talk attracts more listeners than classical music, brings in more donations to the station, and (because it's all syndicated) can be run with less staff. WUFT's switch may seem evil to its long-time listeners, but in management's eyes, it was the logical thing to do. The story's been played out on other stations throughout the system and will occur in much more in the future.

3) HD Radio offers a way out.
WUFT's management knew their decision was controversial, but they had an out. They didn't kill classical music, they just moved it to another location (albeit an underpowered one that few had the necessary equipment to access it). WAMU did it with their popular bluegrass programming, and other stations have done it with formats they wish they weren't saddled with. This is a tactic we'll see used again throughout the system.

4) Internet streaming, the untold story.
Missing in all the coverage is the fact that WUFT's exiled classical programming is streaming on the web. And that's really where the potential for audience growth lies. As it gets easier to access the Internet in portable devices you can use in your car, Internet radio listening will continue to grow. So in the end, it doesn't matter how many bought HD Radios. The smart people have made the move to their smartphones, and even if it didn't make the news, that's where the action really is.

- Ralph

Day 116 of the WJMA Podwatch.

HD Radio Keeps Pushing the Rope Uphill

The HD Radio Alliance is at it again. They’re launching a new ad campaign to help education consumers. According to their press release,

“Research tells us that consumers think they are listening to HD Radio because the promos on the station say `broadcasting in HD Radio,’” a spokesperson said. The new ads “will continue educating consumers that they need a new receiver to enjoy the HD experience.” All ads therefore will incorporate the tag, “If you don’t have an HD, you’re not hearing HD. It’s time to upgrade.”

HD Radio technology was approved for use back in 2002. Let’s think on that a moment. Seven years later, people still don’t seem to know (or care) whether they're actually using this technology or not.

Bravely pressing on, the Alliance hopes to let radio listeners know that:

1. If they don't have an HD Radio tuner, they're not getting HD Radio.
2. They should get an HD Radio receiver because they're missing out on loads of fantabulous programming.
3. They should get an HD Radio receiver because, unlike certain other kinds of media (read: satellite radio), it's free -- there's no subscription.
4. They should get an HD Radio receiver because of the pure, digital sound.

So why is HD Radio still stuck at the starting gate after seven years? Well, primarily because of the stations. The networks weren't willing to invest in new programs until the receivers had reached market saturation. But why would you buy a special radio that only tunes in dead air?

For the past three and a half years the HD Radio Alliance has been beating the drum, hawking the charms of this exciting new technology. Live Text Updates! Audiophile digital sound! Fantastic new programming!

The reality has been far different. Few stations did any text at all. The digital signal is better than analog, but still highly compressed (and far from “audiophile”). And as for programming, most stations simply simulcast the same old sh*t they were spewing out of their FM channel.

Here’s the way it’s supposed to work. Identify a consumer need. Create a product that addresses that need. Make consumers aware that you have answer for their need (and it’s better than anyone else’s).

With HD Radio, the product came first, then the “need” was crafted to fit what it could do, and then the struggle began to educate the consumer that they really did have this need they weren’t aware of.

And radio’s been trying to push that rope uphill for the past seven years.

According to their press release,

“In this economic environment, being able to receive all these extra stations around the country for free is immensely appealing.”

Fair enough. If you’re strapped for cash, HD Radio’s better than satellite radio, because there are no subscription fees. But I can just stick with my beat-up old AM/FM radio that still works just fine and not buy anything at all -- and if you're talking saving money, that's even more appealing. Am I missing out on amazing programs? Perhaps. But it’s tough to miss programming you’ve never heard.

Rather than a campaign to educate the public about HD Radio, I think someone should launch a campaign to educate radio broadcasters about the increasingly apparent DOA nature of HD Radio. I’m not sure which would be more difficult, or less successful.

- Ralph

HD Radio and Valentine's Day -- Stick with the flowers

Remember when your parents tried to be cool and use your lingo? Cringe-worthy, wasn't it?

That's sort of the same feeling I got when reading this splendiferous HD Radio press release. The basic idea's fine, but the execution, the demographic the message is aimed at, and pretty much every other aspect of the thing shows the same lack of comprehension our parents displayed when they tried to show their hipness.

The idea is a good one: after years of trying to persuade people to purchase HD Radio tuners to make it worthwhile for broadcasters to invest in content, the HD Radio Alliance is trying the reverse. For Valentine's Day, they're offering special music programming that will only be available through HD2 channels. As they say:

WHY: Because meeting Smooth Jazz on HD Radio was fate, becoming HD Radio's friend was a simple and easy choice, but falling in love with Smooth Jazz on HD Radio, now that's a perfect Love Story.

So if you want the programming, you have to buy the radio. That's what should have been happening all along.

And while they've finally come around on the concept, the execution is decidedly flawed. Here's the pitch: For Valentine's Day radio stations across the country will be broadcasting a special smooth jazz programming to get everyone into the mood for romance. All you need is an HD Radio tuner, and....

Listen and relax with the likes of peaceful Kenny G, silky Sade and Benson and the soulful Marvin Gaye. These multicast stations... are providing some of the best romantic smooth jazz ballads to make your special day a little sweeter

Ick. Only someone living in radioland would think this is a good idea. Let's break it down, shall we?

1) The format -- Smooth Jazz appeals to primarily to 25-54-year-olds, skewing slightly female. Audio gear is purchased primarily by men. So only about half the people they're pitching to are potential buyers.

2) The coverage -- The scope of the project is underwhelming. While we're talking about nationally distributed programming, it's riddled with caveats. First, it's only being broadcast in select cities. If you're in East Weewah, WI, too bad, or Richmond, VA, or Denver, CO or many other cities. So take the group of potential buyers from Point 1 above and trim it by about 80%.

3) The programming -- Who wouldn't want a non-stop mix of romantic music for Valentine's Day? I do. So I've set up a special playlist on my iPod. And that's what more than a few people will do -- those that just don't choose an appropriate Internet radio station, that is. After all, I don't like Kenny G, so having him in my Valentine's mix would be, um, something of a buzz kill. Why take a chance? I can select all the songs I want, hit random play, and start talking like Barry White. Ooooh, baby!

4) The concept -- If you take a step back, the whole concept's pretty goofy. To make Valentine's Day special, you should purchase an HD Radio tuner. Yep, nothing says "love" to your partner like specialized audio components! And what's the point, here? To provide background music? See Point 3. To show your love? I'm thinking flowers, candy, dinner, and more importantly, time together might be a better and perhaps less expensive choice.

And what happens after Valentine's Day? Will the smooth jazz continue? Will it change to something else? Will those channels go dark? I don't know. But I sure as heck would want to before shelling out any kind of serious dough. According to the press release,

Tell her you really love her with the clear and dulcet tones of Smooth Jazz on HD Radio
It's so Romantic!

Thanks, mom and dad. I think I can take it from here.

- Ralph

Day 233 of the WJMA Web Watch. (I wonder how many of the staff will be given their wives/girlfriends HD Radios for Valentine's Day.)

What Plays in Peoria

It's not just me. Other people -- even some within the industry -- have figured out what's wrong with commercial radio, and what needs to happen next.

I recently ran across a Peoria Journal-Star article by Steve Tarter profiling radio personality David Manning. Manning's a long-time radio veteran currently managing four stations for Independence Media. His take on the current situation?

"If people want nonstop music, they'll find it. What they can't get from their iPod is local weather, news and updates on area activities."

In other words, local programming. And when asked about the radio/Internet interface?

"Radio has never been able to generate revenue off the Internet. It's still a programming tool. We've got to figure out a way to tap into it locally."

Local content again.

So it's not just me. Even some people inside the industry get it. And Manning's take on HD Radio, the savior of the industry?

"I don't think it's something that's needed. I think sometimes you can offer too much of a menu."

'Nuff said. Who needs Clear Channel when you've got someone with clear vision?

- Ralph

Day 197 of the WJMA Web Watch. (Don't know if they're still big HD Radio supporters or not -- they never mention it on air.)

HD Radio - The Grand Illusion

So the HD Radio Alliance issued a press release yesterday.

"HD Digital Radio Alliance Continues Aggressive Marketing Campaign in Q1 Despite Down Economy"

It makes for fascinating reading, although probably not in the way intended by the Alliance.

The new 2009 campaign will focus on HD Radio's evolution (not sure how that will play to a certain segment of the population, but we'll let that pass).

So what will this fantabulous new campaign be about? According to the press release,

HD Radio has 'evolved' and wants to show off its cool new features (iTunes Tagging), low price-points (as little as $79), extra stations (from Indie Rock to Smooth Jazz to The Irish Channel), and no subscription fees (perfect during a recession). And with less advertising 'clutter,' there has never been a more perfect time for the message to resonate with consumers.

OK, let's look at those points in detail.

Cool new features (iTunes Tagging) - What customers want:

1. Hear a song on the radio
2. Press a button
3. Download song

What customers got with iTunes tagging:

1. Hear a song from an HD Radio broadcast that has compatible metadata on an HD Radio tuner that has the iTunes tagging option
2. Press a button
3. Metadata (NOT song) stored on tuner until customer syncs iPod with tuner
4. Customer syncs iPod with computer
5. Metadata loaded into iTunes and displayed as an option to purchase

Not only does this take way too many steps, but look at all the qualifiers in step one. Only some of the radio stations in this country broadcast an HD Radio signal. Of those that do, only some have the iTunes Tagging metadata. And there are only a few tuners capable of even using said data. My dad might think this is cool, but I'm used to downloading directly from the Internet. I find this a lukewarm feature at best.

Low price-points (as little as $79) - Low prices are good, in context. Getting a product you want for $79 instead of $300 is a real bargain. Being asked to spend $79 dollars for something you neither want nor need is just a waste of money. So far, most consumers have shown a steadfast indifference to HD Radio.

Extra stations (from Indie Rock to Smooth Jazz to The Irish Channel) - This could be attractive, if all of these stations were available in all markets. They aren't. Most commercial stations only have one HD Radio signal -- the simulcast of their regular programming. Of those that do offer an alternative channel, it's up to the station to pick the one -- or two -- other programming feeds it offers. So I'm sure the Irish Channel is being aired somewhere, but not in every major market, and certainly not in most other markets throughout the country. So if you're thinking of getting an HD Radio for that fine Indie Rock Channel, better check your local program listings first.

No subscription fees (perfect during a recession) - Cool. But analog broadcasts are also free. So if money is really tight, why not save $79 (see above) and just keep using the radio I already have? I know this tis a swipe at satellite radio, but that's still a small percentage of the radio market. This seems to be paying it a disproportionate amount of attention.

And with less advertising 'clutter,' there has never been a more perfect time for the message to resonate with consumers - Does it mean that the Christmas season is over, so there's fewer ads? Nice, but filling the empty spaces with HD Radio spots isn't really the solution. Listeners have consistently complained about the overburdened spot breaks for years. Too many commercials in every break simply makes every ad less effective, and all of them more annoying. This press release acknowledges that there's clutter -- so why not address that problem (less spots at higher ad rates) and make everyone happy?

I'm not sure talking about HD Radio in terms of evolution is the way to go, but one thing's for sure. This isn't intelligent design.

- Ralph

Day 189 of the WJMA Web Watch. (We could do with a little evolution here.)

The Halcyon Days of HD Radio

Ran across an interesting article from 2004 the other day (it seems like everything remains perpetually available online). Reading it today, you can really see the shortfall between the promises made for HD Radio technology and what was actually delivered.

In the Knight Digital Media Center article titled "HD Radio Offers Tantalizing Hope for Niche, Hyperlocal Radio Content," author Mark Glaser wrote:

Pity the poor folks running local radio stations. On the music side of things, downloadable MP3s, satellite radio and podcasting have eroded their power to create hits and keep people listening to commercials. As millions of people discover the joy of programming their own playlists on iPods that play right onto their car radios, the pain of listening to preprogrammed, repetitive playlists becomes apparent. [Emphasis mine]

And after four years, the problem's only gotten worse. Glaser continues:

But wait, there's a white horse on the horizon for radio broadcasters in the United States: HD Radio.

And what follows is all the wonderful things HD Radio was expected to do:

...digital channel that delivers higher quality sound -- and data... perhaps the most exciting part of HD Radio is that one station on one frequency could serve multiple digital streams -- meaning a public station could have news on one channel, classical music on another and public affairs programming on another. Plus, there's the possibility of rich data services such as local weather and news beamed to portable devices in the future...

Well, it's happening on the public radio side, but how many commercial stations are really doing anything with those other channels? Better question: four years later, how many stations are broadcasting HD Radio content at all (even if it's just duplicating the analog signal)?

Anybody see that streaming news and weather scrolling across their radio dials? Me neither. But you can get those widgets for your smartphone.

So far, HD Radio hasn't consistently delivered on any of its promises -- not that many were interested, anyway. But there's another part to this story that I also find extremely interesting. Glaser goes on to talk about how HD Radio could be used for local content.

What if radio stations gave the extra channels over to community groups to run hyperlocal programs or niche music for ethnic communities?
The one advantage radio broadcasters have over satellite radio is their local focus: local weather, local traffic, local news and local advertisers. If they could really dig down to the hyperlocal level, commercial and public stations could strengthen their ties to local communities.
Richard Redmond, director of broadcast systems for Harris Broadcast Communications, says he hasn't heard any broadcaster say that they'd like to turn over one of their digital channels to the community, [emphasis mine] but he still thinks there's potential.

So here we sit. Most stations aren't interested or don't have the resources to program a separate digital channel (outside of public broadcasting, that is). And yet it's better to keep that subchannel dark than broadcast truly local programming (which has to be cheap to produce -- heck, community groups would probably be willing to pay for airtime).

Even back then, there were voices of reason. The article quotes Richard Warner of What's Up Interactive:
"It's not DVDs taking over from VHS. There is no groundswell of support from consumers for digital radio. [Emphasis mine. Four years later and the ground still ain't swelling] They're more interested in all the hits and whether traffic is bad, and they get that just fine now.[Emphasis mine]."
Four years later, we've learned that the digital sound isn't really that good (it's very compressed), and the signal strength makes reception problematic for many -- especially if you're indoors. HD Radio broadcasts are still the exception rather than the rule for many stations, and of those that do broadcast, only a fraction use a second or third channel of programming. And as far as all that metadata goes, well, it's minimal.
Most radio listeners are still where they were in 2004; contented to hear the hits, weather, and traffic on the gear they already have. To them, there's no perceived advantage to buying an HD Radio to receive programming that was promised years ago and still isn't readily available. And while the radio industry waits for the public to begin buying enough radios to get serious about providing content, the rest of us moved on long ago.

- Ralph


Day 176 of the WJMA Web Watch. (These guys used to have an HD Radio simulcast. I wonder if they still do? I'll just go to the website and - oh, wait. Never mind.)

HD Radio and the MMTC -- WTF

So the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council has weighed in on the issue of mandatory inclusion of HD Radio tuners on satellite radio receivers. According to Radio Ink:

"The MMTC feels the FCC "should require seamless scan AM/FM and HD Radio capacity in SDARS receivers because, without such a requirement, Sirius XM could use its satellite monopoly in the marketplace, the cost savings generated from the merger, and its relationships with equipment manufacturers and retailers to retard the growth of terrestrial services."

As they state on their website, the MMTC's concerned about promoting and preserving equal opportunity in the mass media and telecommunications industries. But is that cause really being furthered here?

One proposed condition for the merger was to have some frequencies set aside for minority broadcasters. MMTC support for that proposal would make a lot of sense, as it keeps the door open for others to enter the satellite radio game.

But this petition only makes sense in the strange alternate universe of the NAB. In this mythical realm, broadcast radio's audience is only declining because of satellite radio's existence. Listeners are lured to the pure, digital sound of satellite radio. If only HD Radio had a fair chance, broadcasters know they could win those listeners back!

In such a world, the MMTC's reasoning makes sense. After all, "Sirius XM could use its satellite monopoly... to retard the growth of terrestrial services." Therefore, by placing AM/FM/HD receivers on satellite radio tuners, listeners wouldn't be forced to only get the programming that SIRIUS/XM monopoly doles out. The world would open up for those boxed-in listeners.

Well, in this reality things are quite a bit different. First off, broadcast radio listeners aren't exclusively fleeing to satellite radio. They're moving to MP3 players to enjoy their own music libraries, and smart phones for streaming Internet radio. They're enjoying "radio on demand" (podcasts) and services such as LastFM and Pandora that let them program their own radio stations. And almost all of this is commercial-free (or at least not as commercial-heavy).

Secondly, the appeal of satellite radio isn't the sound quality -- it's the content. A lot of subscribers are grousing about the programming after the merger, but it's only in comparison to what each service offered before. I doubt you'll find anyone saying broadcast radio has far better music options!

Thirdly, HD Radio's been pitched as having better sound quality (which no one really cares about), and no subscription fees! But what people are subscribing to is the content. And since most stations simply simulcast their main signal on their HD Radio frequency, that's not much of an incentive. (And I grant public radio's done a much better job in this regard). Which is why, even after five years in the marketplace, HD Radio's gone nowhere.

And fourth, the satellite radio monopoly really isn't one at all. It's a subscription service. If you don't pay the subscription, you're not cut off from news, talk, sports, music or any other audio information. You still have the above-mentioned terrestrial radio, MP3 players, smart phones, etc.

So the MMTC's stance doesn't really wash. If every satellite radio receiver had AM/FM/HD built in, how much do you think they'd be used? Remember, these devices are in the hands of people who are paying money for content they can't get on terrestrial radio in the first place.

And if it's so important that every citizen have access to HD Radio, why is the petition limited to just satellite radio tuners? Why isn't there a mandate requiring every radio receiver have HD Radio built-in? And really, to be fair, why isn't there a petition requiring every radio receiver to be satellite-ready? After all, if a "seamless scan" of AM/FM/HD is vital for SDARS receivers, then shouldn't AM/FM radios also provide a seamless scan through HD and SDARS as well? Wouldn't that really be equal opportunity, as it places all platforms on all devices?

I'm sure the MMTC only wants to ensure that all people have access to all media -- but I just don't see how this petition does that. The only "winner" I see here is iBiquity. Because if this requirement is passed, then iBiquity will receive a licensing fee for every satellite radio tuner manufactured. And even if not a single owner ever turns on the HD Radio option, it won't matter. iBiquity will -- by government mandate -- make a fortune.

And IMHO, there's nothing fair or equal about that opportunity at all.

- RalphDay 172 of the WJMA Web Watch.

HD Radio - Who's Listening?

H.R. 7157 is a senate bill that would require HD Radios be built into every satellite radio tuner as a requirement for the merger. It's currently Docket Number 08-172 on the FCC's agenda.

The bill has a lot of bafflegab about giving consumers choices, most of it virtually word-for-word what iBiquity and the NAB presented to Congress back when the XM/SIRIUS merger looked like it had legs.

The proposal is currently under consideration by the FCC, and open for public comment. And the commentary seems to break down into two camps. Employees of commercial radio (whether they admit the connection or not) are for it, citing consumer choice, and actual consumers who are against it, pointing out that the government would be requiring them to pay extra for technology that they don't want. From the consumers:

I prefer you do not switch the radio to digital. We already have to pay to change our TV- now you want us to pay for the 'upgrades' to our 3 cars? With this economy, give us a break!

I find it very telling that this docket has recieved a mere 52
comments. Nobody cares about HD radio. It is a failed technology.

And the radio industry:

Digital FM and soon to be digital AM signals will re-energize the existing radio world as we know it. More programming, more services should be accessible via this very simple and inexpensive addition to the SDAR's "radios" where at the push of the button, fee-less digital radio can be had. Such a positive decision of this type would promote and foster a stronger and more open-frame diverse radio climate for our country.

And the auto industry, which is what this is really all about. Terrestrial radio believes that if they can force HD Radio into cars (where satellite radio's already an option), then HD Radio will take off, and satellite radio will be killed forever. How do carmakers stand on this?

The Alliance’s members oppose any action by the Commission that would require the
incorporation of HD Radio technology into satellite radio receivers. First, the Alliance believes
that current market forces are sufficient to afford consumers the opportunity to purchase vehicles with HD Radio if they so desire.

If you're a satellite radio subscriber, you might want to make a public comment. So far, there's a little over 50, with a significant number posted from Clear Channel, iBiquity, Saga Communications, et al.

The radio industry is telling the FCC that mandated HD Radio is best for the consumer. Actual consumers are telling them differently.

What decision can we expect when the dust settles? Would it make a difference if there were twice as many consumer comments as radio industry ones? A hundred more? A thousand?

- Ralph

Day 154 of the WJMA Web Watch.

HD Radio - Hall of Shameless

So Representative Ed Markey has introduced H.R. 7157, the Radio All Digital Channel Receiver Act, on the House floor. The bill's title makes the proposed legislation seem straightforward enough -- who could be against ensuring the public has unfettered acess to all bradcast digital media?

And the goal seems worthy. Now that XM and SIRIUS have merged, there is only one satellite radio service. So forcing the inclusion of an HD Radio tuner into the satellite radio receiver should help break that monoply, right?

Well, there's two things wrong with this.

1. Satellite radio isn't a real monoply
2. The legislation supports another monoply

Satellite radio isn't a real monoply
Sure. If you want to get audio broadcast from a satellite, you now only have one choice. So what happens if you chose not to pay the subscription fee? Are you totally cut off from news, music, and sports?

Hardly. There's AM and FM radio, your CDs, your MP3 player, your Internet radio (if you're at home), MP3s stored on your phone, etc. Further, because you don't subscribe to satellite radio, you'll never see a satellite radio tuner -- only subscribers have to purchase one of those.

Now compare that to, say, the electric company. If you choose not to pay the electric company for power, are you totally cut off from electricity? Well, yeah, pretty much.

If the electric company raises its rates, then you just have to dig deeper to pay them. If satellite radio raises it rates, you just cancel your subscription -- there's plenty of other entertainment options out there.

The hidden monopoly
One company -- the iBiquity Digital -- owns all the patents involved with HD Radio technology. So every manufacturer who builds an HD Radio transmitter has to pay a royalty to iBiquity. Every manufacturer who builds an HD Radio for the consumer has to pay a royalty to iBiquity. Every manufacturer who adds an HD Radio chipset to a component has to pay a royalty to iBiquity. Every HD Radio chipset manufacturer has to pay a royalty to iBiquity.

Now the general public has shown little interest in HD Radio, so cash hasn't been flowing into iBiquity in the torrents they expected. But what if every satellite radio tuner had to also have an HD Radio tuner? Well, by piggybacking onto those sales, iBiquity picks up a nice amount of cash -- perhaps even enough to cover their investement in senators and representitives.

I'll be writing my congresscritters instructing them to oppose this legislation. And just to be clear, I'm doing this on principle -- I don't subscribe to satellite radio and have no plans to do so in the immediate future. But getting the government to legislate revenue for a company that can't get it in the general marketplace is just plain wrong.

- Ralph


Day 115 of the WJMA Web Watch.

HD Radio Hall of Shame Revisited

Some offline comments have prompted me to revisit yesterday's post. I talked about the latest effort of iBiquity Digital Corporation, through various politicians, to require by legislation that all satellite radio receivers also have HD Radio tuners. What makes H.R. 7157 such a bad idea?

It's presented as controlling the new satellite radio monopoly. But where's the real monopoly?

Sure, if you want to subscribe to satellite radio, you now only have one choice. The operative word there is "subscribe," as in "pay for." Satellite radio is optional entertainment. You don't need it to survive (like power from the electric company). It's a premium service -- like HBO.

Don't want to pay for radio? You don't have to. There are plenty of AM/FM receivers around. And most satellite radio subscribers put their receivers in the car next to their AM/FM tuners. So satellite radio's hardly the sole source of audio that everyone must pay to get.

Sure, satellite radio plays a greater variety of music than commercial radio -- but so does your CD player, or your MP3 player, or even your smartphone.

Compare that to a real monopoly, like your local power company. You need electricity, and there's pretty much only one place to get it.

But there is a monopoly involved in this legislation, and it's the company pushing for mandated HD Radio tuners. One company -- iBiquity -- owns the patents for HD Radio technology.

That means every manufacturer who builds HD Radio capability into their products has to pay iBiquity an up-front cash payment and a license fee for every unit made. The chip manufacturers who sell the HD Radio tuner chipsets to those manufacturers have to pay iBiquity a licensing fee for each unit. And every company that makes HD Radio transmitters for radio stations has to pay iBiquity a licensing fee.

So if every satellite radio receiver has to have an HD Radio tuner, then iBiquity will get money from the manufacturers for each unit made, and from the chip makers for each chipset installed in each tuner. For a technology that most Americans (voting with their wallets) aren't particularly interested in.

Final thought: the official reason for this legislation is that by forcing HD Radio into satellite radio receivers, we ensure the consumer has a choice. So shouldn't we also require that every HD Radio tuner also be satellite radio-ready for the same reason?

- Ralph

Day 108 of the WJMA Web Watch.

The HD Radio Hall of Shame

Here it comes again. When the XM/SIRIUS satellite radio merger was finally approved (read: when the NAB ran out of roadblocks to throw in its path), an open letter to FCC chairman Kevin Martin arrived. Senators John Kerry, Claire McCaskill, and Ben Cardin were so concerned that the public has access to commercial radio that they wanted the FCC to mandate HD Radio tuners be included with every satellite radio tuner.

That didn't work. So now Representative Edward Markey and five other co-sponsoring chowderheads are bringing H.R. 7157 to the floor of the House. The bill will require satellite radio receivers have -- you guessed it -- HD Radio receivers built in. As Markey said:

"Millions of Americans today rely on local broadcast radio for news, public safety bulletins, sports, weather, traffic and other information. As the broadcast radio industry migrates to digital broadcasting technology, this legislation will ensure that consumers are able to readily receive free service through consumer electronics systems that are otherwise receiving satellite digital audio radio and traditional AM or FM stations.”

Does your head hurt yet? Let's look at that again. So this law would ensure that people who have paid for satellite radio will have an analog AM/FM tuner and HD Radio built into the receiver they buy -- which makes those receivers more expensive. And remember that the people who subscribe to satellite radio are paying for it because free radio isn't meeting their needs.

After four years of aggressive marketing and hoopla, awareness of HD Radio is a little over half of the population, and actual sales still in the gutter.

So where do all of these congressional leaders get the idea that HD Radio is central to consumer protection against a monopolistic satellite radio industry?

In 2007, the iBiquity Digital Corporation begged the FCC to mandate HD Radio receivers in every satellite radio tuner. iBiquity, the company that holds the monopoly on the technology. iBiquity, the company that isn't making a lot of money now because no one's buying HD Radio tuners, but would make a lot more if HD radio tuners were required in every satellite radio unit (even if they were never used).

Talk about an industry bail-out. This proposed mandate is neither needed nor wanted by the consumer. It's there for one reason only -- to generate business for iBiquity through legislation.

So shame on iBiquity for trying to make the government increase revenues to their monopoly. And shame on each and every congresscritter who's helping them do it.

- Ralph

Day 107 of the WJMA Web Watch.

HD Radio's unrealised potential

I always enjoy the HD Radio session at the Public Radio Development and Marketing conference. On the whole, public radio's understood the potential of the medium far more than commercial radio.

Commercial radio (read: the HD Radio Alliance) has been trying to sell the sizzle without worrying overly much about having any steak on hand. HD Radio lets you tune into other channels -- but most commercial stations don't have them. You can get song and artist info displayed -- but most commercial stations haven't activated that feature. You can get time, weather and traffic reports -- but most commercial stations don't offer the service.

On the other hand, public radio's been building solid, valuable services and only after they're up and running do they put the word out to their listeners. In other words, the steaks are cooking, come hear them sizzle.

In the presentation on Saturday, the panel talked about some real-world solutions. WAMU had a strong audience for their bluegrass programming. But as they grew more into a news/talk station, that smaller (but loyal) group was holding them back. Now the commercial radio solution would be to flip the format and blow off that audience. But WAMU developed an Internet bluegrass service, (Bluegrasscountry.org), and put it on their HD2 channel.

They then launched a concerted effort to help those listeners get HD Radio tuners (through fund-raising premiums and giveaways) so that they could still hear their beloved format. Instead of just a few hours of bluegrass programming, the HD2 channel gives listeners 24/7 coverage.

Remember the message in the Jacob Media presentation? You don't have to choose which audience to serve. Develop different content for different media and serve both. And that's what WAMU is now doing.

And public radio, especially the NPR Labs, are working on further services that can happen through the HD Radio digital data stream. Like closed caption displays for the hearing impaired. So now a station's news/talk programming can reach a previously unreachable market.

And there's other data services, such as navigation info, traffic reports and more that are available and public radio stations are using right now. And they're leading the initiative to improve range by making digital signal repeaters to strengthen the signal throughout the station's normal coverage area.

For most radio stations, "HD"could stand for "half-dead" radio. And no wonder. Only 17% of commercial radio stations are using any form of HD Radio.

Meanwhile, in the public radio sector, where 75% of pubcasters are using the technology, things are different. They're not dying, they're adapting.

- Ralph

Day 37 of the WJMA Web Watch.

"Radio Nowhere" and Half-Dead Radio

In my post yesterday, I asked a question:

Something that the radio industry trumpets as its savior is significantly absent from John Amos' essay. Do you know what it is?

John Amos, in his essay "Radio Nowhere" talked about the changing (for the worse) face of radio from a listener's perspective.

The subject was commerical radio, but he mentioned many other listening alternatives. Amos talks about:

CDs
National Public Radio
community radio
satellite radio
Internet radio

He talks a lot about content, and about the role local radio played in his life. But there's something missing from Amos' essay.

Have you figured it out?

There's no mention about the importance of sound fidelity, and no mention of HD Radio.

The listener is more concerned about the quality of the content than the amount of static in the signal.

According to the HD Radio Alliance,

It’s the most significant advancement in radio broadcasting since the introduction of FM stereo more than 50 years ago. HD Radio technology enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally – a tremendous technological leap from the analog broadcasts of the past.

Yet in the cold light of day,

...some hard numbers on HD radio sales: 330,000 sold in 2007, up from 40,000 receivers in 2006.

Spin this any way you like, the reality is that these are low numbers, particularly after hundreds of millions of dollars of radio promotion provided gratis.

Indeed, by this time next year, there will be more HD radios in the U.S. than Ham Radios.

One day the radio industry will awaken to realize that inventing a new channel of distribution in a sea of already popular distribution channels is no pathway to the future.

Particularly not if the consumer has already spoken. - Mark Ramsey

And in John Amos' case, the consumer has spoken -- by not speaking about it at all.

- Ralph

Radio Websites -- Creating Compelling Content

The last post, inspired by the lack-luster website of our local radio station WJMA, I outlined three ways for a radio station to build a strong Internet presence and start generating revenue from it. As promised, here's a closer look at the first point -- creating compelling content.

To generate traffic, there has to be a reason to come to the site, and there has to be a fresh reason to come every day. There are two basic ways to do this:

1. Re-purpose the station's existing content
2. Create new web-only content

Neither of these is especially difficult, especially if there's someone on staff who's primary purpose is updating and maintaining the site content.

Re-purpose the station's existing content

PSAs (Public Service Announcements)
Radio stations receive a steady stream of PSAs from local charities, community music groups, high school organizations, churches, and various other groups. All these groups want to get the word out about their event.

Every single one of these announcements should go to the radio station website in a community bulletin board. It can be a straightforward listing, one after the other in chronological order, updated daily by the webmaster. A calendar in a sidebar would be very helpful, too. Just click on a date a see what's happening that day. And of course, any web address given should be a live link to the organization's site.

A properly maintained online community bulletin board can be a useful asset.

News and Information
Not everyone has a news department, but WJMA does. Why not recycle the broadcast news on the web? I'm not talking about streaming -- I mean really repurposing the content for a different media.

The national and state news Goodwin reads from various news agencies have no value online -- one can get that information straight from the source. What is of interest is the unique content Goodwin provides.

For example, Goodwin reports on an Orange County Board of Supervisor's meeting and uses some actualities (soundbites) during the newscast. That segment should be posted to the WJMA news page on the website as an MP3. It should also be carefully tagged, with the date, the subject, the names of everyone used in the actualities, and the name of the reporter.

Right now those reports are heard once and forgotten. Posting them online just adds value to the station's website.

Airchecks
J.D. Slade now does the morning show on WJMA. And if it's anything like his last stint at the station, the show should be funny and entertaining. I'm assuming the station can do airchecks (that is, have a setup that automatically records when the mike gets turned on, and stops when the mike turns off).

So take the best bits and post them to the site as MP3s. Even if there are only a couple of segments a week worth posting, it won't be long before the station's website has a nice collection of J.D.'s funniest moments.

Bits from other announcers can be posted as well. It can be very effective if there's an in-studio guest. Although listeners might miss the interview when it's broadcast, they can always revisit it online. And once WJMA has several of those posted, they'll have an impressive roster of names that show how important the station really is.

Create new web-only contentThis does not have to be a daunting task. Here're some suggestions.

Start a station blog
Give the webmaster authority to crack the whip, and open it to everyone at the station. So what should go in this blog?
1. Best bits from the shows (see above). The DJ should set up the sound clip, which would be inserted into the blog entry.

Ex. "Something totally unexpected happened this morning when I was talking to a caller. I know what she meant to say, but what she said was something else! [insert mp3 link here]."

2. New music/features. The program director/music director could talk about new music or a new feature. Again, it can be short but it will help promote the station.

Ex. "Next week we start a new program "Nashville Now" on Sunday mornings. The show will keep you up to date on what's happening in country music. Listen for it 10:00 every Sunday beginning this weekend."

or

Ex. "WJMA just added the new song by Kenny Chesney. It's the first tune off his new album and represents a return to his country music roots. Listen for the debut of "Walk Away, Rene" on J.D. Slade's show during the 9:00 hour tomorrow morning."

3. Events!
Any time the station does a live remote, or a charity event, someone should be taking as many digital pictures as possible. Use the best two in a blog post, and create a page for the rest of them.

Ex. "FunRun 07 was a huge success! WJMA was there in force, and over $10,000 was raised to fight cancer. Here's the WJMA crew hamming it up after the race [insert picture here]. Joe Smith was the winner, with an impressive time of 1:05:02 [insert picture here]. Check out our events page for all the fun! [link to the appropriate events page here].

Aggregation and Conversation
A simple way to have fresh content is to employ an aggregator on the station website. If you look over at the right sidebar of this blog, you'll see the latest tech news headlines, courtesy of Digg.com. Some of these services (like Digg.com) are free, and some are available for a fee. Either way, once the aggregator's in place, the site will have up to date headlines without any work from the station staff. And you avoid embarrassing things like having a blank headlines page with a date two weeks out of date.

Sean Tubbs of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network posted some excellent suggestions about getting content from outside providers. That's another great source, and Sean's post demonstrated another effective -- and important -- way to generate fresh content.

Radio broadcasts are one-way transmissions: I send, you receive. A website, however, can provide two-way conversations: I post, you comment, I respond, others chime in. And when folks post comments, they're showing that they're interested in your content.

Many old media websites offer free content but require a sign-in process to collect demographic data. This slows the conversation to a trickle. While you need to have some kind of simple screening process to prevent spam in your comment fields, the conversation should be open to all.

There's plenty of programs (some free) that provide data about your website's traffic (we use Statcounter.com). That's the information you should be concerned about.

When I wrote about the recent Board of Supervisors race, local traffic shot way up. Within two posts I knew what keywords would bring in Orange County readers. I also knew where they were coming from -- several came from the public school system's server, suggesting school board related topics might increase that traffic. I also knew what time of day they were reading, and how long they were spending on the site, suggesting the optimal post time as well as best text length. In other words, everything I needed to know to grow that segment of our readership.

Almost every page should have room for comments. And these should be read carefully. They'll suggest directions the site should grow in. Several posts on this blog were directly inspired by comments from readers.

Archive
Everything posted should be available forever (with the exception of old PSAs). The more content a station has, the more it appears to be a going concern. Plus, the more chances people will find something they're looking for.

Here's a real-life example. On this blog, I talked about HD Radio on QVC back in early September. Last week I started seeing an upswing in traffic. The post showed on a site collecting stories about HD Radio on November 21. So something I wrote two months ago is now driving traffic to our site.

If that post wasn't still available, it wouldn't have happened. So keep that content available. You don't know when someone will be looking for that Board of Supervisors meeting actuality, or something about FunRun 07 or that crazy thing that happened on the morning show a few weeks back.

OK, so say WJMA has their site packed with all this valuable and unique content. How do they make it pay?

Stay tuned.

- Ralph

HD Radio and QVC -- looked good on paper.

The HD Radio Alliance sponsored a half-hour program on QVC last night. As the Alliance breathlessly announced in their press release:

"QVC provides a unique retail at-home environment that is ideal for helping even more consumers discover the cool new content and crystal clear sound provided by HD Digital Radio," said Peter Ferrara, president and CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance. "When QVC shoppers see the wide variety of stylish HD Radio receivers and discover the benefits, they are going to want to experience the digital upgrade immediately."

Interestingly enough, that press release and the new Paragon Media study of HD Radio awareness (41% among radio listeners, of which only 9% understood that it required an HD Radio receiver) arrived in my news aggregator about the same time.

So I decided to watch the QVC special aired last night to see exactly how they would pitch this technology with very little consumer awareness (or interest).

To their credit, neither the QVC pitchman nor the representative for HD Radio ever called the technology "high-definition," or "hi-def." Neither did they describe the secondary channels as "the stations between the stations."

Their three key selling points were:

• Better quality sound
• More programming choices
• No subscription fees

They also kept citing two stats over and over: HD Radio technology is in 85% of the radio markets, and over 1,500 stations now broadcast HD Radio signals.

Sounds like it's everywhere -- unless you know that there are currently over 13,000 stations on air. So it would be more accurate to say that a little over 10% of all stations use HD Radio technology. More accurate, but less compelling.

Better quality sound
I won't argue the better sound argument, although I don't think QVC really made the case. They turned up the radios they demoed and ran the sound through the studio's boom mike. Reproduced on my 15-year-old TV's speakers, it sounded anything but "crystal clear." A better demo would have been to also sample an analog broadcast to get an accurate side-by-side comparison.

More programming choices
I couldn't readily find national stats on this, but I do know that only a fraction of the stations broadcasting in HD is even offering an additional digital-only channel.

Just looking at my own state, Virginia, there are approximately 350 stations on the air. Of that number, 33 broadcast HD Radio signals (I'm not counting the "coming soon" listings). Of those 33, 10 have at least one additional digital-only channel. So about 3% of the stations in Virginia offer "more programming choices" -- and they're all public radio stations. I think folks in the Old Dominion looking for the Christian rock, deep country and other formats talked about by QVC are going to be somewhat disappointed.

No subscription fees
True enough, but I've commented on the irrelevance of this selling point before. It was fun to watch the pitch for the Polk I-Sonic when this oblique reference to satellite radio finally came to the fore. The QVC host, running down the bullet points provided by Polk, mentioned it was "XM-Ready, giving you 150 digital channels."

Oops. That went over like a turd in a swimming pool. The HD Radio rep was quick to point out that you needed to buy extra gear and pay a subscription to get that feature while HD Radio was subscription-free.

It was an interesting half hour.

One final thing I noticed. Usually, there's a countdown in the item info bar. How many have sold, how many are left; that kind of thing. That information was absent. At the end of the half hour, I have no idea how many of the three radios were available, nor how many sold.

And no one called in with a testimonial.

- Ralph

A New Hope

Well, I'm back from the Public Radio Development and Marketing Conference, and in a different frame of mind than when I left. Yes, I did run into the Dunning-Krueger Syndrome on occasion, but not as frequently as I imagined.

While there were many nuts-and-bolts sessions about the technique of fund-raising, the overarching theme of the conference was how to move with the audience.

Now it may seem like a simple thing, but compared to commercial radio's reaction to change, it's a very big deal. Commercial radio's answer to the shift to MP3 players was the introduction of the Jack/Bob/Single syllable man's name format. No DJ's and a mix of music that was supposed to simulate shuffle play on an iPod -- if your iPod only had the top 40 tunes from two or three different radio formats, that is.

Commercial radio answer to satellite radio was their version of HD Radio, which I've discussed elsewhere.

In neither instance did content enter into the equation. It's the same old bland focus-group-tested tunes, just slightly repackaged.

At the PRDMC it was an entirely different story. The emphasis was not just on the different media people now use, but how to not just repackage but to create new content for the appropriate media.

People listening to iPods? Supply more downloadable clips and podcasts.

People using the Internet more than the radio? Expand the website with content that's user-friendly and not just recycled from what's on-air.

People subscribing to satellite radio? Be there with exclusive content they can't get anywhere else.

Cellphone feeds, expanded RDS -- they're even testing new services to take advantage of the digital broadcast capabilities of HD Radio. Yep, it may be moribund for commercial radio (who wants to hear a 10-minute commercial block in pure digital sound?), but public radio is looking at text-based services and new programming channels that make HD Radio a valuable addition to the public's media options.

So what's the difference? Simply this. Public broadcasters believe they're providing an important service. Whether its news, entertainment or music, their main concern is the quality of their programming, and how to best serve their audience however they listen.

Change is difficult -- but on the whole, public broadcasters aren't shirking the challange. So while commercial radio blathers on about the "stations between the stations," pubcasters are evolving along with their audiences.

I'm looking forward to what's going to happen next down at the lower end of the dial.

- Ralph