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Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
A survey by a researcher on HD Radio looks at how many stations in North America are actually using the technology (on FM) and what the biggest formats that are on those channels have been.
The study is unusual in that, even though its origins are in America, it also looks at the use of the "extra channels" in Canada. And it probably won't surprise you that Toronto, the biggest market in the country, has the most active HD stations. What's interesting to me is not how many stations on this side of the border are on HD, but how many aren't.
"The percentage of Canadian FM stations that use HD Radio, with 51 out of 1,747 stations in the database using the technology. I excluded low-power and very low-power stations, as classified by the CRTC, Canada’s broadcast regulator.
The majority are in Toronto, which has 16 HD Radio stations, accounting for 31% of the country total. Vancouver has nine, while Montreal and Ottawa have four each.
Bell Media operates the most HD Radio stations with eight. The CBC has six, followed by Corus Radio, Rogers Media, Durham Radio and Dufferin Communications, all tied with three each."
The question he doesn't answer, of course, is whether listeners even know or care that they're there or have the ability to receive them, since so few stations north of the border bother to promote the fact they exist at all.
Instead, most seem to want you to listen on either a Smart Speaker, an app, or online. Or even, as a last resort, an actual radio.
U.S. & Canada HD Radio by the Numbers
- Hansa
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Do any HD subchannels (or whatever HD2/HD3/HD4 channels are called) show up in the ratings? Does Numeris even record their ratings?
Last edited by Hansa (September 22, 2025 10:17 am)
- RadioAaron
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Hansa wrote:
Do any HD subchannels (or whatever HD2/HD3/HD4 channels are called) show up in the ratings? Does Numeris even record their ratings?
They do not. In the US, the subchannels often don't show up, and if they do they tend to max out around 0.2-0.3 (unless they're being used to feed an analog translator)
- Scarboroughbluffsradiof99
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
I can guess the most popular formats for hd subchannels in canada.
1.
News/talk.
2.
Sports.
3.
Ethnic/single language programing with tamil being the most popular.
4.
Smooth jazz.
5.
Country.
6.
Classic hits.
7.
Rock
- haydenmatthews14
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
None of the radio stations in London ON has HD signals except 104.7 from Woodstock which counts as part of the London market that has HD1 and HD2. The problem is that the HD signal cuts out if you are in downtown or other parts of London etc. Hopefully in the future one of the London stations could get HD signals. My guesses are: 92.7, 93.5, 95.9, 97.5, 98.1, 102.3 and 103.1. Now I know K/W has only one HD station and that is CKKW Bounce 99.5. Even Windsor has no HD stations at the moment unless you tune in the Detroit FM stations that has many HD stations to choose from.
- dmcjeff
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
HD sub Channels absolutely get listened to.
My current and previous car didn't have 'A.M.' and for sure I'm not alone at 92.5 HD2 for 'city news 680' let alone the sports fans etc.
I suspect it's just lazy recording/reporting by the local measurement/BBM's. 92.5 HD2 for example should be recorded differently than AM680.
Last July while in Las Vegas, Long-running CHR (KLUC 98.5) had a better sounding HD2 channel in Spanish complete with announcers, DJ's and contests. It is about to pass the main channel in their ratings at 3.0 and regularly beats it. Might be time to swap the programming to HD1.
URL
Surely WKSE's 98.5 four x HD sub channels get some traction in Buffalo.
Also, I think 107.7 Buffalo HD2 still broadcasts an automated version of the ole Star 102.5 to the nostalgic delight of a few thousand locals.
[img]!AuF8Sd9OzvCbg5oAXaSlHwJVUvLp-w?e=arHBuk[/img]
- RadioAaron
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Last July while in Las Vegas, Long-running CHR (KLUC 98.5) had a better sounding HD2 channel in Spanish complete with announcers, DJ's and contests. It is about to pass the main channel in their ratings at 3.0 and regularly beats it. Might be time to swap the programming to HD1.
The ratings come off the analog FM signal that's repeating the HD2, as the "Fiesta 98.1" branding indicates. There are no HD subchannel-*only* stations with any real ratings.
- RadioAaron
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Also, I think 107.7 Buffalo HD2 still broadcasts an automated version of the ole Star 102.5 to the nostalgic delight of a few thousand locals.
0.2 share in the last book:
It exists to park the IP and avoid royalties on the stream.
Last edited by RadioAaron (September 23, 2025 3:30 pm)
- dmcjeff
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Is it a significant cost and process to get HD secondary channels going?
[img]!AuF8Sd9OzvCbg5oAXaSlHwJVUvLp-w?e=arHBuk[/img]
- RadioAaron
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Is it a significant cost and process to get HD secondary channels going?
No, not if you're already running an HD transmitter. You pay a license fee to Ibiquity and in some cases (like 1st Canada Place) an extra fee to whomever you're renting tower space from. Anything above and beyond that is what you want to spend on the product.
Last edited by RadioAaron (September 23, 2025 6:21 pm)
- torontostan
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Re: Toronto Has The Most HD Radio Signals In Canada
Is it a significant cost and process to get HD secondary channels going?
No, not if you're already running an HD transmitter. You pay a license fee to Ibiquity and in some cases (like 1st Canada Place) an extra fee to whomever you're renting tower space from. Anything above and beyond that is what you want to spend on the product.
I suppose, but the HD transmitter is the expensive part