Greater Media tries to reach youth...with HD station

[Howard Glazer]

----- Original Message -----
From: Larry Weil <kc1ih@mac.com>
To: 'BostonRadio Mailing List'
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2007 4:08 PM
Subject: RE: Greater Media tries to reach youth...with HD station


> At 12:45 PM 3/3/2007, radiotony wrote:
> >
> >That's actually a good idea although I wonder if it would drive listeners
> >away from the main channel ... Which would defeat the entire purpose.
> >Radio is trying to build new audiences; not drive them away from main
> >channels to secondary channels.
>
> I think they would rather have you listening to the secondary
> channels part of the time than having you buy satellite radio and
> never listen to the main channel.  I think  the broadcast stations
> will do just about anything to keep people away from satellite, that
> is their biggest fear.
>

I'm listening to WDRC-FM HD-2 (Hartford) right now. The last two songs
played have been Big Bopper's "Big Bopper's Wedding" and the Dixie Cups'
"People Say," neither of which would ever get played on the main signal.
DRC-FM has a liner they play every hour advising listeners to "check us out
on HD Radio ... find out more at drcfm.com!" When you go to the Web site,
you find out that you can receive something called "Big D on HD," but the
rest of the blurb gives you no idea what you'll hear. And the liner played
on the main signal merely tells you that you'll hear "your favorite good
time rock 'n' roll like you've never heard it before" -- i.e., better audio
quality -- on HD.

I'm baffled. Here's a channel that actually goes DEEPER than either
satellite service's '60s channel and DRC would rather promote a way to hear
"Jet Airliner" and "Incense and Peppermints" and all the other oldies on
DRC's daily playlist in higher-quality audio. Why? Are that many FM
listeners dissatisfied with the audio quality that they're dying to plunk
down $200 for a radio that promises improvements?

Howard