[BC] Re: HD Radio and its definition

[Rich Wood]

------ At 08:33 AM 8/27/2006, Xmitters at aol.com wrote: -------

>Why do you cringe? What does HD stand for? I called a broadcast equipment
>manufacturer and they referred to HD as High Definition.  I attended the PREC
>convention in Vegas this year and someone (organization) that 
>clearly should have
>known better, referred to HD as High definition. I do not understand why this
>is an issue. If people are adopting HD Radio as meaning  High Definition,
>then why not roll with it? There is all kinds of marketing technobabble out
>there, like RMS power when referring to audio amplifiers, for example.

Actually, in my regular "Where in the World is Carmen IBUZ" tours of 
retailers HD means HDTV, not radio. High Definition television. Walk 
into a store and ask for HD Radio. I guarantee you'll be directed to 
the TV department. Ask for digital radio and you'll be sent to one of 
the many satellite radio kiosks with at least a dozen radios and accessories.

Marketing 101 teaches never to use terms that refer to other 
products. Find one that defines your product. In programming and 
promotion we spend a lot of time and effort positioning our stations 
in ways that clearly separate us from the competition. In fact, we 
try to deny to an audience that there's any competition at all. The 
worst thing you can do is promote that "We're not WXXX." To a New 
Yorker "Give us 22 Minutes and We'll Give You the World" means WINS. 
No question. It's been used for decades and is still as relevant as 
it was on day one. It's one of the most listened-to stations in the 
nation - possibly THE most listened-to. Their positioning is dead on. 
Always has been.

>Why not be happy that people are at least talking about HD Radio?

Who's talking about HD Radio? Consumers aren't. At Circuit City I 
asked people in the automotive department if I was the only person 
ever to ask about it. The answer was "Yes." They have one receiver in 
stock that, with a separate tuner, can receive it along with 
satellite radio. They don't stock the tuner. They do stock both 
SIRIUS and XM tuners for the dozens of models that are SAT Ready.

There's a lot of talk about it within the industry. So what? For 
programming, it's irrelevant since noone in broadcasting can fill out 
a diary. The number of stations in a market broadcasting IBUZ (FM) 
isn't important. No one can receive it and won't for decades to come. 
So long as it doesn't damage the analog signal the upside is the 
facility upgrades it's causing. While every trade magazine is filled 
with IBUZ articles and product ads, consumer magazines rarely mention 
it. When they do it's usually little more than a glowing reprint of a 
press release. Newspapers might do one article about it. They rarely 
do a second unless there's some dramatic change. The HD Dominion has 
blown its wad in the promotion arena long before anyone could buy a 
receiver. In the future, the focus will be on receivers and 
programming. So far, both are breathtakingly undramatic, unworthy of 
a repeat visit.

I've been told often by publishers and editors that once anyone in 
their market has covered a non-news topic they're not interested in 
being second banana.

>What makes me cringe is seeing a wide screen TV screen that is fed 4:3 aspect
>video. It makes a skinny person look grossly overweight. it amazes me what
>the public is willing to pay for; stretched TV images, dropped calls on their
>cell phone and crappy quality when the cell connection holds up.

Agreed. However, when properly installed and set up HDTV offers 
something dramatic. Cell phones offer so many features that every kid 
has to have one. Each one has the "Oh, wow" factor.

>Apparently, all you need is a Wow factor to sell technology. Actual technical
>quality as we think of it, does not matter to the public. Wow factor and
>status is what sells technology.

Yes. It's always been that way. The CD had it. It has no scratches 
and such fidelity that warning labels were added so consumers 
wouldn't destroy their speakers. Even at $1 a minute, cell phones had 
it. Clearly the iPod has it. Even though the actual recorded quality 
of a CD is far from its capability it still outsells all other forms 
of music delivery by a very wide margin. "Sound and Vision" magazine 
did an article that found young music buyers still want something 
they can hold with graphics and liner notes. While CD sales are 
slowing, they still far outnumber downloads and, according to those 
interviewed, will for years to come. Even with the terrible quality 
(even Bob Dylan complains about it) CDs have lower listener fatigue 
than iPods.

What's the "Oh, Wow" factor in IBUZ for the consumer? So far, the 
real life response I've gotten when talking to consumers is "Oh, 
that's nice." Would you pay $300 for more of what you already get on 
radio even if there's no subscription fee? The only answer I've 
gotten, so far, is "No."

I may make fun of a not-ready-for-primetime technology on a list 
focused on broadcasters but my questions to retailers and consumers 
are absolutely objective. As a programmer I want to know how to reach 
users of all content. I don't care how it's delivered. I want to know 
how to market the 600-800 million receivers needed to make this work. 
The HD Dominion and the NAB predict it's just around the corner. 
Trouble is, the corner is miles away.

Rich