darcyh wrote:

I'm not sure operating a station solely on the HD subchannel of FM radio is a solid business plan. It is okay if you wish to add an existing AM to a subcarrier and maybe pick up a few listeners in the car. 

There are very few stand alone portable HD radios available and the HD signal range is significantly less than the parent analog signal.

I would really have to like a station a lot to invest in this equipment to receive it. On the other hand you could probably stream it.

Putting it on an HD subchannel reduces the music royalties.

radiokid wrote:

Also... the era of any station analog or digital getting home tuning via a radio is over.    Radio really is in the "CAR" for most listeners.   At home they use streaming via smart speakers, computers etc.   Outside the much older boomer generation, no one is buying home radios on mass anymore.  AND home listening is much lower vs in the car today.

Stations don't care how you listen... as long as you listen.. PPM/diary count on streaming, HD, or regular radio the same.  There is a business plan for HD if people know you exist and how to get to you.. Sadly so many broadcasters in Canada don't promote their HD, and like 1320 didn't push during a transition period to their HD... they only did a brief move announcement a week before it happened...  this is not long enough to make new habits. CBC was the last one who did this correctly... when they moved it to FM... Pushed people to the new home... then ran a loop on the old frequency for a long period of time.   They managed to get people over because of this. 

To start a new station on HD you would have to spend big marketing dollars to get people to know you are there.  Sadly the marketing money for that doesn't exist currently unless you own analog stations that share an audience. 

The concept of just putting it on HD and thinking it will be discovered is never going to happen on mass.   AND for sure won't happen if you offer the same thing on analog.  People are not going to spend big money to get a new radio just to get the station they currently get free.   BUT like progressive rock did for FM... once someone tries to do something unique, it's in demand on HD AND promotes the hell out of it... you could see it take off.   This involves vision... and planning for the future, not just today, with some broadcasters taking some risk..  and no one currently will do this. 

 

There's already more stations than can be supported by advertising. Further, even a well-marketed sub-channel wouldn't get the critical mass needed to ever register in the ratings. There just aren't enough radios (and that's *if* Numeris rated them, which they don't)