Detroit Pistons moved to CBS due to HD Radio interference?

Pete Skorich, Detroit Pistons Director of Broadcasting, addressed a rumor that  RBR-TVBR heard regarding a rate reduction in The Detroit Pistons contract with Clear Channel’s Sports WDFN-AM 1130 kHz over poor reception in the evenings. Details had it that 50-kW KMOX St. Louis (1120) and 50-kW WRVA Richmond (1140) were killing WDFN’s nighttime signal because of their skywave HD Radio carriers on 1130. Well, Skorich tells us there was no rate reduction but instead a complete move to CBS Radio’s The Ticket (WXYT) simulcast of 97.1 and 1270 some two years ago.
But he did note it was because of reception complaints: “That was one of the components, and we were with them for five years. They had a weak signal and we were getting a lot of people that could not hear us. It could have been [because of] HD Radio, but at the time we were totally unaware of it.”

 

 

AM HD Radio Has Stalled. Now What?

AM HD Radio Has Stalled. Now What?


by Leslie Stimson, 08.31.2010


AM HD Radio, it seems, is the stepchild of the digital world.
Proponents point to AM HD’s dramatic improvement in audio quality over that of analog. But several experts say that, at best, AM HD is having mixed success. Many even characterize it as struggling or not successful. Others, however, say it’s too early to tell what its future will be.

HD Radio on AM – Not worth it

HD Radio on AM – Not worth it


August 29th, 2010 by Paul Riismandel in HD Radio
 
One of the supposed advantages of HD Radio is improved fidelity over analog. As I observed in my listening test of HD on FM, there’s almost no real improvement for HD over the analog signal. The advantage for HD on FM, then, is the addition of one or two more channels of audio. However, due to the more limited sonics of analog AM radio, we are led to expect HD AM stations to offer significantly better fidelity; they don’t offer any additional channels.

But compared to FM, there are much fewer HD stations on AM. This is largely due to the fact that the AM band is seriously congested, with quite a bit of interference. Adding an HD Radio IBOC side-channel to a station greatly increases the potential for interference to adjoining analog stations. A secondary reason is that the AM band is dominated by talk radio formats where fidelity improvement is less important.

HD Radio "Practically Buried Again"

From a translated article, Switzerland has switched off HD radio:

Praktisch schon wieder beerdigt

HD-Initiant Ruoss sieht Projekt gescheitert. HD-initiator Ruoss provides project failed.

Five private radio stations presented in February 2010 an application for an HD Radio (digital FM ") from autumn 2010. Die technische Konzession erhielten sie dann im Juni. The technical concession, they then received in June. Und nun dies: Markus Ruoss, Inhaber von Radio Sunshine und einer der HD-Initianten, gab am RadioDay sozusagen die Beerdigung des Projektes HD-Radio Schweiz bekannt. And now this: Markus Ruoss, owner of Sunshine Radio and the HD-initiators, announced on RadioDay known, as it were the burial of the project HD Radio Switzerland.

AM IBOC Stations on (off?) the Air

From Barry McLarnon's website, the latest roll-call of stations that have switched off AM IBOC...

Stations which previously ran IBOC but currently have it turned off completely are shown in green (nearly 50 as of September 2010):

AM IBOC Stations on the Air

HD Radio Shouldn't Be This Hard

by Thomas R. Ray III, 08.11.2010

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. — Unless we give Joe Consumer a reason to go out and purchase an HD Radio for his car — until he can obtain it easily and at a reasonable cost, and a device that works — I fear that HD Radio is going to go the way of FM quad and AM stereo, relegated to the scrap pile of history.  
This statement may surprise you, coming from me. I'm the vice president/corporate director of engineering for Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio, New York City. As you may be aware from news reports and my own commentaries, I've been a vocal HD Radio supporter; indeed our station WOR was the one of the first AMs on the air with an HD Radio signal.

The author contemplated the install of his new Kenwood KDC-HD545U, featuring built-in HD Radio…

HD Car Radio Investigation

Now the trial lawyers are smelling blood... never a good sign:

 HD Car Radio Investigation

The trial lawyers at Keefe Bartels, LLC are currently investigating the marketing and sales of HD car radios by certain car manufacturers.  HD radios utilize a technology by which AM and FM radio stations transmit both audio and data signals along with their analog signals.  HD radios are frequently touted as cutting edge technology which will dramatically improve sound quality, provide new benefits to the user and enhance the radio listening experience.  In recent years HD car radios have been included in various high end automobiles.  HD radios are also frequently sold as an add-on feature for such luxury brands as BMW and Jaguar.

(snip)


Despite the increased sales of HD car radios and the growing number of radio stations transmitting digitally, there are continual complaints about the technology and these audio devices.  HD car radios are plagued by an inability to receive the digital signals transmitted by FM and AM radio stations and a significantly reduced sound quality when such signals are received.  Such problems coupled with the increased costs for HD car radios call into question the utility of this supposed technological innovation.  Consumers are being enticed to purchase HD car radios that commonly fail to perform or provide any benefits and features.  The additional cost to the consumer is both unwarranted and unnecessary when the HD radios do not work as they are supposed to.

Despite iBiquity’s claims of improved sound quality and transmission, there have been numerous complaints about HD Radio from not only the radio industry but also consumers. These complaints have included:


-Radio receiver bumping station from HD to analog mode;

-Echo sound heard when the radio switches between HD and analog modes;

-Crackling or static sound when HD mode is inactive;

-Insufficient numbers of HD Radio stations;

-Loss of signal while driving in valleys or between high buildings;

-Signal disruption for environmental conditions; and

-Adjacent channel interference.