[BC] Re: HD receiver

[Rich Wood]

------ At 08:52 AM 2/14/2007, Douglas B. Pritchett wrote: -------

>Our local news/talk station has an ID that says: "now broadcasting 
>in HD sonic clarity". No mention of new hardware, no mention how it 
>works. So the average listener here's that message, listens 
>carefully on their radio and notices no difference. Then the 
>listener concludes that it's all hype. Or as my mother in  Texas 
>says "all hat and no cattle". If this new technology is going to be 
>a success, the general public needs the information. And, of course, 
>the entertaining and compelling content. Neither is happening yet.

Unfortunately, right now it is all hype. The $250 million being 
"spent" on promotion is using distressed radio inventory and giving 
listeners the impression they already have it. There's virtually no 
quality difference because of the heavy processing on digital caused 
by the need to make blending from digital back to analog seamless, at 
least in New England with its mountainous terrain. The already weak 
digital signals often drop below the digital trigger level and analog 
takes over. Secondaries with their awesome alternative niche 
programming disappear.

The phrase "now broadcasting in HD sonic clarity" sounds like it came 
from the accounting department with an unbalanced balance sheet. It's 
a little like a new mother saying "I've just delivered an additional 
small human." In this market I've only heard the NPR stations make it 
clear you need a special receiver.

Marketing is going to have to be taken away from the Keystone Kops 
and that $250 million is going to have to become real dollars spent 
in TV and print to have much impact. The puffy press releases are as 
credible as today's government blather. Remember that the satellite 
services even used terrestrial radio for promotion until most 
stations stopped accepting their spots.

As a group, the receivers stink. How do you demonstrate the awesome 
Seedy Quality through 3 inch speakers after you've mounted the 
rooftop antenna for your clock radio. I'm afraid we're losing the all 
important first impression by bragging about it before it's ready for 
prime time. Once a consumer hears nothing different the first time 
will they give it a second shot before spending the money on an 
iPod?  My "Where in the World is Carmen IBUZ" retailer visits 
continue to show nearly 100% of the receivers being returned as 
defective. They're either really defective or simply deaf. It seems 
only radio people keep them.

In my market the secondary formats are either different mixes of the 
analog (add an occasional Hip Hop cut to a Hot AC) or a simulcast of 
the Talk AM. Yet another reason to return an expensive radio.

I saw a puffy press release of the Directed Electronics "universal" 
tuner. It's still too expensive at $199 and, according to Cruthfield, 
"universal" doesn't include any Nissan from 2000 - 2007. I'm out of 
luck unless I want to rip the dashboard apart and modify the antenna 
connector. Nissan doesn't use the standard Motorola connector. Again, 
too much heavy lifting for the average consumer who hears nothing special.

It's really sad that major broadcasters who should know marketing and 
a formerly respected PR firm have over hyped the technology way 
before its time. David Ogilvy was a stickler for honesty in his 
advertising. It's a shame the firm has lost its founder's respect for 
the truth. Instead of promoting the Rolls-Royce, they've resorted to 
used Rent-a-Wrecks.

Rich