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The Uncertainty of a Digital Radio Future
The Charleston, SC, Post and Courier files a solid article on the uncertainty that HD Radio will take off: I've sometimes been accused of being an HD Radio booster because I write so extensively (and often positively) about the technology and its potential. But I'm as in the dark as anyone inside or outside the industry as to whether consumers will find expanded offerings that continue in the same vein as regular offerings, and improved sound quality (with a lot of provisos) compelling enough to buy enough new radios to have made the transition worthwhile.
The Post and Courier notes the whole chicken-and-egg problem of good content leading to people purchasing hardware that allows them to listen to it, which produces a mass audience that increases the amount of advertising that can be sold, which allows a station to invest potentially in less-than-mainstream content.
It's possible that Internet radio will simply supercede both terrestrial and satellite digital radio. I love this quote from a radio industry consultant at the end of the article, who recommends to stations to add HD if they can afford, but: "I see an equal, if not greater, opportunity for stations to stream. ... If you go on your computer right now, you've got thousands and thousands and thousands of channels."
Fundamentally, I don't think we've really seen much of HD Radio's potential yet in terms of radios, programming, or special features. The radios on the market range from poor to good, but they cost far too much. Radiosophy $120 HD100 (which will be $60 after a discount and rebate through July 3) will show whether a cheaper radio provokes more purchases. Stations need to experiment more, but all the commercial chains have straitjacketed themselves into a programming system that requires exclusive format cooperation to avoid overlap in markets. Public radio is certainly doing the most innovative work, and they'll continue to offer more.