More on HD: Is Anyone Out There?

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10/17/entertainment/radio/13_32_3810_17_07.txt

By: RANDY DOTINGA - For the North County Times

If a radio station broadcasts music and nobody listens, does it make a sound?

Last week, I wrote about how local stations are embracing HD Radio, which allows them to broadcast in higher fidelity and offer alternative programming on digital subchannels. If you get an HD Radio ---- they cost $100 and up ---- you can tune in to about 10 of these local channels, some of which I wrote about last week.

But while plenty of stations have spent money and time on the digital technology known as HD, there are plenty of signs that few people are interested.

Consider North County rock station KPRI, which doesn't have a digital signal. According to KPRI's Bob Hughes, it seems that a grand total of one person has asked when the station will start broadcasting in digital.

And who's that person? Me. Your humble radio columnist. That, Hughes said, "speaks volumes about HD."