Re: [IRCA] am iboc

["Craig Healy" <bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some interesting conversations recently...

First is with a salesman at the Best Buy auto radio department.  I asked if
there was any call for HD Radios.  Took him a minute to figure what I meant,
but after he understood his answer was no.  It seems this specific Best Buy
has not sold even one of them.  None were on display.  It's a very busy
store in the corridor between Boston and Providence.

Similar conversation at two local Radio Shacks.  No interest, didn't
remember any sold.

Chatting with a guy who works in a local sandwich shop.  Early 20's and
would like to work in radio.  He was well aware of what HD Radio was and
called it a scam.  Bear in mind that he would like to ba an announcer and
has no technical interest at all.  His quote was pretty much that radio
sounds fine now and why would he spend the money for something that will
give no improvement.  My question to him was what he thought about HD Radio.
Nothing that would lead him in one direction or another.  He was much more
negative about HD Radio than I would have expected, and also differentiated
it from HDTV for which he had praise.

There has been a fairly big deal made about the fact that Ford now offers a
dealer installed HD Radio.  What they have ignored is the Ford Sync that is
standard in some Focus models, among others.  This offers voice-controlled
iPod and other audio choices, but *no* HD Radio.  This is a factory-equipped
option and not something the dealer has to do.  Seems like Ford isn't really
behind HD Radio after all.  Just tossing iBiquity a very small bone.

Local WPRO-630 has had the IBOC turned off for quite a while.  And a couple
other local IBOC stations don't decode well at all, even in the city grade
coverage.

I don't see any big interest in IBOC developing for this holiday season.
Maybe even less than last year, if that's possible.

The Fat Lady is warming up in the wings, and she's in analog.

Craig Healy
Providence, RI

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