May 11, 2007
Song Premieres on HD Channel
The five listeners were ecstatic: It's much more of a publicity move than anything substantive, but it gives the artist and station bragging rights. Gretchen Wilson's "One of the Boys" was premiered on what WKIS-FM (Miami) called "Gretchen 99.9 HD2" six days prior to general release.
April 18, 2007
HD Radio Gets Conditional Access
NDS will provide tools for HD Radio to offer per-radio programming access: The system, called RadioGuard, uses a combination of serial numbers and encryption to allow broadcasters to enable access on a per-radio basis for digital AM and FM. The applications could vary from subscriber-only access to digital channels to pay-per-listen concerts to public-radio subscribers hearing pledge-free broadcasts. The FCC hasn't yet approved charging for digital-only services; rather, they recently asked for comments on the idea. But conditional access isn't limited to fee-based services.
In a briefing a few weeks ago, NDS's director of data applications Tom Rucktenwald said that the company expected to have chips out for radio makers to work with by about September. The NDS RadioGuard technology would initially be in a separate chip that would work with existing HD Radio decoders. The system would eventually be embedded into a single decoder/conditional access chip, probably by the second quarter of 2008, Rucktenwald said. RadioGuard was announced at NAB this week.
Existing HD Radio receivers won't be able to tune conditional-access channels, but most industry analysts peg an installed base of perhaps a few hundred thousand HD Radio equipped receivers so far. Millions are expected to ship during 2008, and most of those, I expect, will have this technology embedded. (Existing receivers simply won't "see" conditional access channels.)
One key use for conditional access is enabling Radio Reading Service for the sight impaired, which arose out of an exception granted in copyright law: radio stations can broadcast people reading current periodicals and other materials without violating copyright law because of this exception. Thousands of volunteers read material for these services, which typically regional. Some are broadcast as Internet radio, too.
Stations currently use an FM sub-carrier that provides reasonable, but not terrific sound quality, and requires a special receiver to tune in. With conditional access and HD Radio, the estimated 3.5m qualified blind and sight impaired Americans could use an off-the-shelf radio that they register with a station. Sound quality would also be improved. "The quality difference is remarkable," said Rucktenwald. And "the same piece can be used for entertainment." (National Public Radio's chief technology officer suggested in 2005 that HD Radio could be used for captioning of broadcasts for the deaf and hearing impaired, too!)
For public-radio listeners, there's a great carrot and stick here, too. NPR and individual stations have speculated that it would be possible to identify those who had donated recently or regularly to a station and grant them access to a programming feed during pledge drives that wouldn't be interrupted by requests for funds.
NDS's deal isn't exclusive, but they will likely achieve lock-in as the first provider approved by iBiquity, and one whose technology could be embedded in millions of early radios. Rucktenwald said NDS's long experience with the broadcast industry through set-top box and receiver conditional access for video and TV programming has led it to be extremely careful about pricing and licensing to make their offering as relevant and ubiquitous as possible.
The RadioGuard system could be used for data as well as audio, enabling downloads of songs or delivery of podcasts alongside regular programming.
March 29, 2007
Paid Access for HD Stations
The FCC approval of HD Radio also includes requests for comments on for-fee broadcasting: While the public airwaves are open, digital multicast channels may be available (that's still a may) on a for-fee basis. Radio World reports that iBiquity has been working with NDS to enable conditional access for one-time events, higher-quality audio, or other services. This could also allow secured access for first responders or adult-themed channels.
This could also cover reading services, which are broadcast on subcarriers currently, and for which there is a lot of interest among broadcasters to migrating to thin slices of digital spectrum to reduce cost and improve quality. Reading services are provided as a public service where copyrighted materials may be read over the air under a statutory exemption because of the purpose. Conditional access would ensure only impaired people would continue to have access without violating copyright or restricting those core listeners from the service.
NPR's Mike Starling, a long-time digital broadcasting backer, repeated something in this article he told me a couple of years ago: That he could see a non-pledge-drive alternative station for donors! Which is something that would drive pledges to public radio stations.
December 20, 2006
Popular Bluegrass Host Anchors WAMU 88.5-3
An interesting move, and the first I've seen where a personality becomes the voice of an HD-only channel: Ray Davis, described here as a "legendary...music host," will have a live, 3-6 pm program weekdays on WAMU 88.5-3 (Washington, DC)--the station's third HD channel--starting Jan. 2, 2007. WAMU devotes 88.5-2 to a collaboration with WTMD in Maryland, while 88.5-3 is all bluegrass, all the time.
This could be an interesting pull for dedicated licensers. A public radio station thrives on donations, and WAMU already simulcasts its bluegrass offering at Bluegrasscountry.org. Convincing more listeners to get HD Radio receivers to hear regular programming could also boost pledges.
November 28, 2006
Pioneer Press Puts HD Radio on Front Page
As receivers appear, so, too, does coverage in local newspapers: The St. Paul newspaper writes about what's available in the local market and looks briefly at receivers. Local stations are using multicasting to gain new listeners. I expect, as this Pioneer Press reporter does, that HD Radio will make people interested once again in listening to whatever comes across a radio instead of what feels to me sometimes like the obligation to handle my own programming on an iPod.
There's more in reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata's blog about the four receivers that he tested and his reactions to their features.
April 24, 2006
Clear Channel Offers 75 Channels for Rival HD Broadcasts
A fascinating development: Clear Channel is programming for its competitors: The Format Lab includes genres rarely heard on commercial radio, as well as straightforward mixes not found in every market. Clear Channel apparently wants to help program its rivals, which extends their reach even further. The Format Lab channels are available for other purposes, too, including satellite broadcast.
March 14, 2006
Audio Graphics Complains: Few HD Radio Samples Online
Audio Graphics notes that while HD Radio is being marketed like crazy, it's hard to hear a sample: It would make a lot of sense to offer some limited HD Radio feeds or downloads that would have actual digital broadcast quality to demonstrate to a potential buyer what they're going to get. But Audio Graphics came up empty, finding no streams. This might have something to do with the nature of digital rights: radio stations might not own the rights to stream music at the quality that HD Radio can offer--although plenty do offer 128 Kbps or 192 Kbps MP3 and similar streams which aren't far off.
January 9, 2006
PRI Launches HD-only Spanish Language Programming
Public Radio International will distribute BBC Mundo on secondary HD Radio channels: KPCC (Los Angeles), KVCR (San Bernardino), and KNAU (Flagstaff, Ariz.) are among the stations that will offer the PRI/BBC programming. PRI is also distributing a 24/7 (24 hours a day, seven days a week) classical station and BBC Radio in English as HD options.