[BC] NO HD RADIO FOR CHRISTMAS

[Ernie Belanger]

I have been looking in the usual Retail Outlets this first shopping weekend of the 05 Christmas season.

And what did I see..... no big signs or end caps or even specials featuring HD Radio's on special or even on the shelves. NO HD Radio Store in Times Square or any High Visibility NYC promotions during this the busiest shopping season. Not a featured HD Radio word anywhere where shoppers could see.

But there were flyers chock full of HD TV sets and iPods.  Huge HD TV promotions, iPod this and that..   $40 Satellite Radios and MP3 Players Galore. 

One would have at least expected Jumbotron ads on the Time Square Billboards where they could be picked up by CBS's cameras during the Thanksgiving day parade or where ABC's cameras might pick them up  during "GMA"...  So once again another perfect chance to get this technology in front of consumer's eyes has passed with all three proponents sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to do something.

 iBiquity is  waiting for the receiver manufacturers to advertise the receivers... or maybe the radio stations to advertise the receivers......or for radio to broadcast in living "HD Radio" live from in front of the MTV studios in Time Square so consumers could ask "WHAT IS HD Radio Anyway... and Where can I buy one????"

The whole thing reminds me of the old story where everybody thought someone else was going to do something so no one did anything and nothing ever got done.... Then when failure occurs everyone blames everyone else for not doing anything when they did nothing   because, like everybody else involved  they were waiting for someone else to do something..anything!

FACT: Radio isn't going to launch this technology by itself, nor will the receiver manufacturers by themselves nor will iBiquity by itself.

It will take each of them working together like a symphony orchestra to build  a great work. Not one lonely player (Radio) beating a single drum, all by itself, struggling desperately to be heard in a world of well organized and rehearsed marketing orchestra's  playing the praises of other consumer technologies like MP 3, iPod and Satellite Radio. 

But I don't think the powers at be  (whoever they are) have figured that out yet. I  truly hope they do, before their 15 minutes of fame slips through their fingers and HD Radio is lost in abyss of failed ideas.

If iBiquity would spend half the energy it spent selling the broadcasters on HD Radio, on selling consumers, perhaps this technology would stand a chance against its competitors.

Well there's always Next year...  So we can hope someone gets their act together by then ..that is ... If HD isn't RIP Radio by then.  

Ernie