Hey Steve you were right about HD Radio

[max1]

Hey, Steve just wanted to let you know that I tried the HD radio in Omaha for a few months and boy is it bad. They have a few HD 2 channels but they are crappy-although it does sound good when they broadcast but they still have commercials. I forgot how much the stations change formatts as well. Now I think there is more country than rock or pop plus Omaha doesn't have a big market for stations as well. However it does pull in Sioux CIty and Lincoln good but only have a couple decent stations. Luckily my brother wants it for his office at work so he will buy it and I will activate the sirius radio for me here probably tomorrow- but I think I will get the antenna so i can get a strong signal. Max.

[Steve Mehs]

Yep, HD Radio is a joke. Why HD Radio is supposed to be better then traditional AM/FM is beyond me. The same execs that run the crappy analog terrestrial radio stations are the same ones that run the crappy digital ones, where as satellite radio has a lot of people who defected from terrestrial radio, when terrestrial radio started on it's downward spiral. With terrestrial radio you are not a listener, you are not even a human being, you are a demographic statistic used by advertisers and station management. Have fun with Sirius again!

[paja]

Not only is HD radio a joke but the cost of the over-priced radios are a joke as well:nono2:

[max1]

paja, luckily I got mine on line and pretty cheap so it wasn't a huge cost. Hey, just wanted to know when I listen to Sirius on Dish is it broadcast in digital format or something else?It sounds great on our tv. Plus I like some Dish's music channels as well believe it or not. I think it's better than HD radio as well. Forgot to mention I listen on line to aol radio with xm with new Bose speakers and the sound quality is awesome with Bose. Max.

[Earl Bonovich]

Not only is HD radio a joke but the cost of the over-priced radios are a joke as well:nono2:

I am looking into "HD" radio... which is just a marketting term.
They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

I guess the experience is really going to depend on the ara you are in.

I just about to order a new radio for the car for ~$150 that includes a built in HD tuner.... so the cost is not so "over-priced" (at least IMHO)

[Bajanjack]

I am looking into "HD" radio... which is just a marketting term.
They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

I guess the experience is really going to depend on the ara you are in.

I just about to order a new radio for the car for ~$150 that includes a built in HD tuner.... so the cost is not so "over-priced" (at least IMHO)

Earl I have HD radio in my BMW (from the factory) and find it to be terrific....on my way in to work I listen to talk radio on am and it is static free...also any music played is fm quality... you may want to check the "coverage" because the one issue I have is that the HD reception can go in and out from digital to analog depending on where I am driving

[Steve Mehs]

They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

Replace channels with commercials, and you're correct. Terrestrial radio exists for one reason and one reason only, to try to sell you junk, music is just filler. Commercials, censored content, shallow programming, no variety, there is a reason I pay $50 a month for radio.

HD Radio, The Worst Radio On Radio
HD Radio, Radio To The Power Of Suck
HD Radio, Bury It!


Here's a great example of terrestrial radios lies and fear of satellite radio. I've sworn off dinosaur radio, haven't willingly listened to that crap in almost 5 years, but at work radios are blasted, and my ears bleed when I can actually hear the radios over the loud machinery. I heard a commercial on how 'More people listen to Buffalo radio then XM and Sirius combined'. XM and Sirius have over 14 million subscribers, Buffalo is in the 50s or 60s when it comes to radio market size, I don't see how that statement is even remotely close to being accurate. More lies by ‘local broadcasters’ whatever a local broadcaster is. Last year it seemed like there was nothing but promos for HD Radio, this year not one mention. The ‘local’ crappy work day station used to use ‘Now broadcasting in HD’ in their station ID, they have dropped that. Looks like even the stations themselves don’t believe in that gimmick that has been rejected by quite a bit of the population. Now if HD Radio broadcasted in quadraphonic sound and had commercials for New Coke ever hour I might buy one…nah! Radio should not be free!

[Chris Blount]

I guess it really depends on what you listen to. I use mine not so much for music, but for talk radio. Nice to have AM stations sound like FM.

I enjoy my HD radio. I listen to it every day.

[jazzyd971fm]

I enjoy my HD radio. I listen to it every day.

+1 I guess it does depend on where you are located. In St.Louis the FM stations that are broadcasting in HD are not running commercials on their HD 2 & HD 3 channels. I have not heard a commercial on radio in over a year !!!!!!!!!!

The area coverage for HD 2 & 3 seems to be 35 to 40 miles from the station tower.

[max1]

jazzy thats what I was going to say it depends on where you live as well. We live in Ia 30 miles from Omaha . We only get 1 am station KFAB in hd which sounds great but the rest come in bad think it's because they are low powered. The fm is ok but only about 3 stations to listen to. If I lived in Phoenix or Chicago I prbobably would go with HD Radio with bigger market. Plus we live near a hospital and i have always had a feeling they block signal somehow but now I am getting a strong signal for Sirius now that i have the antenna. We decided to give the HD Radio to my niece who is graduating from college soon as gift nice gift for her. Max.

[Steve Mehs]

The area coverage for HD 2 & 3 seems to be 35 to 40 miles from the station tower.

As opposed to the approx 3.7 million sq. miles covered by XM and Sirius.

[Bajanjack]

As opposed to the approx 3.7 million sq. miles covered by XM and Sirius.

Consider me selfish.........it works great for me!.........................

[jazzyd971fm]

As opposed to the approx 3.7 million sq. miles covered by XM and Sirius.

Steve, I can't argue that point on coverage, but listening to HD radio (costs me $175.00) rather than paying close to $160.00 per year for satellite radio, HD radio works for me when I am not listening to my CD's:)

Besides once the auto makers start offering HD radios(other than BMW & Ford) in their vehicles, it will grow in stature.

If you want to have satellite radio, that's fine, HD radio is a less expensive option:)

[Steve Mehs]

Less expensive shouldn't even be a consideration. Ibinqry or whoever is the brain of HD Radio is not proving a free service because they like you. Free typically means 1) It's not really free 2) Nobody is willing to pay for it. Our local country HD2 stream is 'Young Country' WTF is Young Country. HD Radio will never take off, BMW and Ford are just two players, they can offer HD receivers all they want, Universal and Paramount, also two major players in another business, the movie business, supported HD DVD and we know what happened with that. (sorry I can’t help taking cheap shots at HD DVD whenever I can)

I have access to 138 channels of commercial free, uncensored channels of music, with formats dinosaur radio will never touch, that I can access pretty much anywhere in America and most of Canada, and at home. It is worth every penny and it shouldn’t be free and I’m glad it’s not free. With 3 XM Subscription, 2 Sirius Subscriptions, Music Choice on Digital Cable and a 160 Gb iPod Classic the NAB, so called ‘local broadcasters’ and the entire terrestrial radio industry will NEVR get any listening from me in analog or the gimmick of HD Radio, which won’t be around in a few years unless something major happens.

HD Radio is only around as a half assed attempt to compete with satellite radio, it was around for a few years before the big push in 2006, and now there is no news to report, because nobody is interested. People are either happy with regular terrestrial radio (I’m baffled by that), in satellite radio bliss (since 8/12/03), or don’t listen to radio in any form. I really do love the trend when it comes to broadcasters. Let’s change a stations format, then put a canned version of the format people have been listening to for years on a subchannel so people will buy an HD Radio.

Why is it satellite radio, an industry that was never given a chance, has over 14 million subscribers that pay, but HD Radio, which has been around for the same amount of time, can’t even get enough demand to get over 1.5 Million listeners, when it’s ‘FREE’. There is no demand for HD Radio, without demand, it will die.

[B Newt]

I am looking into "HD" radio... which is just a marketting term.
They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

I guess the experience is really going to depend on the ara you are in.

I just about to order a new radio for the car for ~$150 that includes a built in HD tuner.... so the cost is not so "over-priced" (at least IMHO)

I bought the JVC KDHDR1 w/built in HD for $ 160 last year. I like the sound and the extra stations you get. But what pisses me off is why dont stations have different formats on the hd2 and hd3 channels. If you switch from hd1 to hd2 the music is almost the same format. If I was a programe manager I would have classic rock on hd1 and oldies on hd2 and Jazz on hd3. Las Vegas needs a GOOD classic rock station. KKLZ was good untill they switched formats a few months ago.

[Bajanjack]

Less expensive shouldn't even be a consideration. Ibinqry or whoever is the brain of HD Radio is not proving a free service because they like you. Free typically means 1) It's not really free 2) Nobody is willing to pay for it. Our local country HD2 stream is 'Young Country' WTF is Young Country. HD Radio will never take off, BMW and Ford are just two players, they can offer HD receivers all they want, Universal and Paramount, also two major players in another business, the movie business, supported HD DVD and we know what happened with that. (sorry I can’t help taking cheap shots at HD DVD whenever I can)

I have access to 138 channels of commercial free, uncensored channels of music, with formats dinosaur radio will never touch, that I can access pretty much anywhere in America and most of Canada, and at home. It is worth every penny and it shouldn’t be free and I’m glad it’s not free. With 3 XM Subscription, 2 Sirius Subscriptions, Music Choice on Digital Cable and a 160 Gb iPod Classic the NAB, so called ‘local broadcasters’ and the entire terrestrial radio industry will NEVR get any listening from me in analog or the gimmick of HD Radio, which won’t be around in a few years unless something major happens.

HD Radio is only around as a half assed attempt to compete with satellite radio, it was around for a few years before the big push in 2006, and now there is no news to report, because nobody is interested. People are either happy with regular terrestrial radio (I’m baffled by that), in satellite radio bliss (since 8/12/03), or don’t listen to radio in any form. I really do love the trend when it comes to broadcasters. Let’s change a stations format, then put a canned version of the format people have been listening to for years on a subchannel so people will buy an HD Radio.

Why is it satellite radio, an industry that was never given a chance, has over 14 million subscribers that pay, but HD Radio, which has been around for the same amount of time, can’t even get enough demand to get over 1.5 Million listeners, when it’s ‘FREE’. There is no demand for HD Radio, without demand, it will die.

Whew.....I have Sat radio as well as HD........when I drive to work in the morning, I enjoy listening to "talk radio" on am ("Imus")-my HD radio provides static free listening..... and music, when played, is markedly better then analog. Quite frankly I could care less about the number of listeners or the possibility that at some point in the future HD radio could be gone. What matters to me is making my miserable commute a little more enjoyable!!...and that is exactly what happens. It sounds like you are real knowledgeable with this stuff.....me....I am not a deep thinker during my commute, I get to do that when I arrive at work........

[Steve Mehs]

My commute to work is 10 minutes when the roads are clear, life too short to listen to terrestrial radio.

[Bajanjack]

My commute to work is 10 minutes when the roads are clear, life too short to listen to terrestrial radio.

If I was lucky enough to have a 10 minute commute I could be persuaded to give up my HD radio...........

[paja]

I am looking into "HD" radio... which is just a marketting term.
They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

I guess the experience is really going to depend on the ara you are in.

I just about to order a new radio for the car for ~$150 that includes a built in HD tuner.... so the cost is not so "over-priced" (at least IMHO)


I stand corrected Earl. Did some research and listening and found HD radio to be a bargin . At least in an area like Chicago(I live in Orland Park). I didn't realize that there are 55 HD stations here with 19 HD2 stations now available . More on the way. I used to be a WJMK fan when they played Oldies. Then they switched to Jack, but they continue to run the Oldies on their HD2 station.

I checked out the Sony XDR-S3HD over the weekend. Retails for 199 but available for 175. Nice unit with 20 presets AM & FM. Great sound and the AQ, at least in this area, is leaps ahead of satrad. I'm getting a new car when the 2009 models come out and I'm going to be sure to have HD in it.

[TERRYB2241]

Steve, I can't argue that point on coverage, but listening to HD radio (costs me $175.00) rather than paying close to $160.00 per year for satellite radio, HD radio works for me when I am not listening to my CD's:)

Besides once the auto makers start offering HD radios(other than BMW & Ford) in their vehicles, it will grow in stature.

If you want to have satellite radio, that's fine, HD radio is a less expensive option:)

How much are you spending for those CD's? SATELITE RADION THE WAY TO GO.:lol: :lol: :lol:
I have 5 Sirius Satelite Radio's and XM from DirecTV. List to Sirius at work off the internet.

[TERRYB2241]

Less expensive shouldn't even be a consideration. Ibinqry or whoever is the brain of HD Radio is not proving a free service because they like you. Free typically means 1) It's not really free 2) Nobody is willing to pay for it. Our local country HD2 stream is 'Young Country' WTF is Young Country. HD Radio will never take off, BMW and Ford are just two players, they can offer HD receivers all they want, Universal and Paramount, also two major players in another business, the movie business, supported HD DVD and we know what happened with that. (sorry I can’t help taking cheap shots at HD DVD whenever I can)

I have access to 138 channels of commercial free, uncensored channels of music, with formats dinosaur radio will never touch, that I can access pretty much anywhere in America and most of Canada, and at home. It is worth every penny and it shouldn’t be free and I’m glad it’s not free. With 3 XM Subscription, 2 Sirius Subscriptions, Music Choice on Digital Cable and a 160 Gb iPod Classic the NAB, so called ‘local broadcasters’ and the entire terrestrial radio industry will NEVR get any listening from me in analog or the gimmick of HD Radio, which won’t be around in a few years unless something major happens.

HD Radio is only around as a half assed attempt to compete with satellite radio, it was around for a few years before the big push in 2006, and now there is no news to report, because nobody is interested. People are either happy with regular terrestrial radio (I’m baffled by that), in satellite radio bliss (since 8/12/03), or don’t listen to radio in any form. I really do love the trend when it comes to broadcasters. Let’s change a stations format, then put a canned version of the format people have been listening to for years on a subchannel so people will buy an HD Radio.

Why is it satellite radio, an industry that was never given a chance, has over 14 million subscribers that pay, but HD Radio, which has been around for the same amount of time, can’t even get enough demand to get over 1.5 Million listeners, when it’s ‘FREE’. There is no demand for HD Radio, without demand, it will die.


I AGREE IF YOU. LOVE MY SATILITE RADIO.

[FogCutter]

Can anyone tell me how HD radio does with distant broadcasts. I find myself listening to 50Kw stations at considerable distance. The promise of less static is appealing, but will I be stuck with nearby stations?

Thanks.

[jazzyd971fm]

How much are you spending for those CD's? SATELITE RADION THE WAY TO GO.:lol: :lol: :lol:
I have 5 Sirius Satelite Radio's and XM from DirecTV. List to Sirius at work off the internet.

Way less than you think :) Enjoy your satellite radio.

[jazzyd971fm]

I am looking into "HD" radio... which is just a marketting term.
They are just using Digital broadcasts, so they can get more channels out there.

I guess the experience is really going to depend on the ara you are in.

I just about to order a new radio for the car for ~$150 that includes a built in HD tuner.... so the cost is not so "over-priced" (at least IMHO)

Enjoy your HD radio Earl:) There are a bunch of HD 2 stations in the Chicago area

[jazzyd971fm]

Here's a great example of terrestrial radios lies and fear of satellite radio. I've sworn off dinosaur radio, haven't willingly listened to that crap in almost 5 years, but at work radios are blasted, and my ears bleed when I can actually hear the radios over the loud machinery. I heard a commercial on how 'More people listen to Buffalo radio then XM and Sirius combined'. XM and Sirius have over 14 million subscribers, Buffalo is in the 50s or 60s when it comes to radio market size, I don't see how that statement is even remotely close to being accurate. More lies by ‘local broadcasters’ whatever a local broadcaster is. Last year it seemed like there was nothing but promos for HD Radio, this year not one mention. The ‘local’ crappy work day station used to use ‘Now broadcasting in HD’ in their station ID, they have dropped that. Looks like even the stations themselves don’t believe in that gimmick that has been rejected by quite a bit of the population. Now if HD Radio broadcasted in quadraphonic sound and had commercials for New Coke ever hour I might buy one…nah! Radio should not be free!

Here's a solution to that problem, install satellite radio at work and convert all your fellow co-workers to satellite radio:)

[jazzyd971fm]

jazzy thats what I was going to say it depends on where you live as well. We live in Ia 30 miles from Omaha . We only get 1 am station KFAB in hd which sounds great but the rest come in bad think it's because they are low powered. The fm is ok but only about 3 stations to listen to. If I lived in Phoenix or Chicago I prbobably would go with HD Radio with bigger market. Plus we live near a hospital and i have always had a feeling they block signal somehow but now I am getting a strong signal for Sirius now that i have the antenna. We decided to give the HD Radio to my niece who is graduating from college soon as gift nice gift for her. Max.

Yeah Max the station selection is better in the major markets. Enjoy your Sirius radio:)

[dmurphy]

If I was lucky enough to have a 10 minute commute I could be persuaded to give up my HD radio...........

I don't know anyone who lives in New Jersey with a 10-minute commute. Mine is an hour each way...

And to be frank - I think there are some excellent radio stations in the NY area. I enjoy Q104.3, and it's really great to have CBS-FM back on the air. Not to mention that the one thing HD radio offers that Sirius/XM do not is 1010 Wins. I have a lot of static on 1010, and having it in "HD" would be great.

I've thought about replacing my head unit with an HD one, but I've been too lazy. :)

[Bajanjack]

I don't know anyone who lives in New Jersey with a 10-minute commute. Mine is an hour each way...

And to be frank - I think there are some excellent radio stations in the NY area. I enjoy Q104.3, and it's really great to have CBS-FM back on the air. Not to mention that the one thing HD radio offers that Sirius/XM do not is 1010 Wins. I have a lot of static on 1010, and having it in "HD" would be great.

I've thought about replacing my head unit with an HD one, but I've been too lazy. :)

Exactly.....my commute is an hour each way, god bless route 78......I have a lot of options on my car and one of the best (and cheapest) was HD radio........I get my money's worth each morning............

[dmurphy]

Exactly.....my commute is an hour each way, god bless route 78......I have a lot of options on my car and one of the best (and cheapest) was HD radio........I get my money's worth each morning............

I get to shoot up 287 from near Morristown to Rockland County .... fun, really. 48 miles each way, door-to-door.

The best option I ever installed in my car was a $70 "aux input" kit that allowed me to add iPod input to the factory radio. Works like a champ!

[Bajanjack]

I get to shoot up 287 from near Morristown to Rockland County .... fun, really. 48 miles each way, door-to-door.

The best option I ever installed in my car was a $70 "aux input" kit that allowed me to add iPod input to the factory radio. Works like a champ!

wow, that is an ugly commute as well.......I do the HD radio on the way in and the ipod on the way home.......

[max1]

Forgot to mention that I got 2 month's free service. Now that I have the antenna outside am getting a signal strength of 7-10 bars. I went with the quarterly plan for now. Also have Sirius in the car I have 30 minute drive to omaha but it's an easy commute also plan to re activate my stiletto portable when I start walking here soon. Only bad thing about stiletto doesn't work well in the house but works great when I walk usually an hour a day.Max

[OverThereTooMuch]

Terrestrial radio exists for one reason and one reason only, to try to sell you junk
<cut>
there is a reason I pay $50 a month for radio.

Our local country HD2 stream is 'Young Country' WTF is Young Country.
<cut>
I have access to 138 channels of commercial free, uncensored channels of music, with formats dinosaur radio will never touch,

So you bash HD radio because they TRY to sell you crap, yet you pay $50/month for satellite radio.

And you bash the weird formats that your local station runs in their HD2 stream, while considering the "formats dinosaur radio will never touch" a bonus.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Do you realize where a lot of the people in satellite radio came from? That's right...dinosaur radio.

Programming is ALL about making money. AM/FM/HD/Satellite/Muzak.

You seem to have a LOT of hate for radio. Life is too short to hate something this unimportant dude. Please try to let it go.:icon_hug:

Full disclosure - I worked in the radio industry many years ago; I don't work in anything related to it anymore thank god!

[Steve Mehs]

So you bash HD radio because they TRY to sell you crap, yet you pay $50/month for satellite radio.

I pay not to have commercial interruptions. That doesn't seem to be something that's too hard to understand. Same reason I pay $40 for all the movie channels on cable. I could watch a movie on TNT thats cut up and has commercials, or I could watch it on HBO without that nonsense.

And you bash the weird formats that your local station runs in their HD2 stream, while considering the "formats dinosaur radio will never touch" a bonus.

Tell me what exactly young country is? It's a made up format used to sell HD Radio, death metal, southern gospel and electronica on the other hand are real formats that get no airtime from terrestrial radio.

Do you realize where a lot of the people in satellite radio came from? That's right...dinosaur radio.


Yep, I said that above. The smart ones went over to satellite radio.

You seem to have a LOT of hate for radio. Life is too short to hate something this unimportant dude. Please try to let it go.

Nope, terrestrial radio .......... ! This is important to me, I enjoy audio entertainment, and satellite radio provides me with just that. I could spend my 10 minute commute listening to nothing but commercials or rockin out to the heaviest most satanic maggot infested metal known to man that will melt your face and make your ears spew blood. You know the stuff crappy radio can't play because of the Federal Censorship Corporation.

Dinosaur radio offers nothing remotely interesting or compelling unless you like to hear the same 5 hit songs over and over along with local car bandits screaming at you or enjoy hearing how you can turn into a 'Sexual tyrannosaurus rex'.

[OverThereTooMuch]

I pay not to have commercial interruptions. That doesn't seem to be something that's too hard to understand. Same reason I pay $40 for all the movie channels on cable. I could watch a movie on TNT thats cut up and has commercials, or I could watch it on HBO without that nonsense.

No, I certainly understand the advantage to commercial free radio. It's not for me, but clearly you love it. You were blasting local radio for trying to sell you something with ads while you're willingly handing over your money to Sirius every month. I just thought it was ironical. :P

Tell me what exactly young country is? It's a made up format used to sell HD Radio, death metal, southern gospel and electronica on the other hand are real formats that get no airtime from terrestrial radio.

Young country could mean many things...I'm sure listening to it for a while would clarify. I'd bet it's a lot like "New Country" or "Prime Country" on Sirius. If there was a high demand for those other formats, they would get the airtime. The HD stations allow them to create any sort of narrowcast format they want. I would think you'd consider that a good thing, since you seem to want more formats to choose from.

Yep, I said that above. The smart ones went over to satellite radio.I have personally worked with at least one of the major players in satellite radio. You could not be any more wrong :D

I have limited personal experience with satellite radio. It was in a few rental cars I've used. After a day or two, I found myself flipping between the same 3 stations. That's a lot like my terrestrial radio experience :) And I'm pretty sure there were some commercials on what I listened to. I think it was XM. Do they do commercials while Sirus does not?

Dinosaur radio offers nothing remotely interesting or compelling unless you like to hear the same 5 hit songs over and over along with local car bandits screaming at you or enjoy hearing how you can turn into a 'Sexual tyrannosaurus rex'.What you describe doesn't sound like any of the local radio that I listen to. Maybe you live in a smaller market?

They offer plenty of compelling content. Local morning shows that don't have to be filthy to entertain for one. That's important for folks with families, and for businesses that want to leave the radio on. Satellite radio will also never match the local traffic/weather info, or the local news/talk programs.

Sounds like your real beef with terrestrial radio is the big corporations that are buying up all of the local stations and turning them into the same crap in every market (ClearChannel and whoever is promoting the "Jack FM" format).

[Steve Mehs]

You were blasting local radio for trying to sell you something with ads while you're willingly handing over your money to Sirius every month. I just thought it was ironical.

How is that ironic? Is subscribing to HBO also ironic? Net Zero offers free dial up service with ads, I pay $50 for broadband and don't have continuous banners, is that ironic? I pay my cable company a fee for DVR service, I use my DVR to fast forward through commercials is that ironic? Over 14 million people in the US subscribe to satellite radio, quite a few of them for the lack of commercials. There is no irony here. Why you like commercials is beyond me, whatever, it's just a desperate attempt by you. Next...

Young country could mean many things...I'm sure listening to it for a while would clarify. I'd bet it's a lot like "New Country" or "Prime Country" on Sirius. If there was a high demand for those other formats, they would get the airtime. The HD stations allow them to create any sort of narrowcast format they want. I would think you'd consider that a good thing, since you seem to want more formats to choose from.

If Young Country is what I think it is, all country stations play it. The new pop country crap by 19 year olds that think they're country because they were born in the south. That's not a niche format that's what country has turned into.

I have limited personal experience with satellite radio. It was in a few rental cars I've used. After a day or two, I found myself flipping between the same 3 stations. That's a lot like my terrestrial radio experience And I'm pretty sure there were some commercials on what I listened to. I think it was XM. Do they do commercials while Sirus does not?

Both satellite radio services have commercials on talk stations, satellite radio was never about being 100% commercial free, it was 100% commercial free music. XM has four music channels with commercials, thanks to Clear Channel. XM has commercial free clones of those four channels. As for not finding anything on, maybe it's time you ditch your terrestrial radio mindset and I don't know, try something different. What a notion. 6 Years ago you couldn't pay me to listen to dance music, now The System is one of my favorites. I'm a metal head, but discovered Christian Pop and Southern Gospel thanks to XM.

What you describe doesn't sound like any of the local radio that I listen to. Maybe you live in a smaller market?

I live in Buffalo, in recent years I've been to Boston, Hartford, Philly, Detroit, Cleveland. All terrestrial radio sounds the same. In Buffalo we have no Clear Channel owned stations, but it doesn't matter, next door in Rochester 90% of the radio market is owned by Clear Channel, it it sounds the same.

They offer plenty of compelling content. Local morning shows that don't have to be filthy to entertain for one. That's important for folks with families, and for businesses that want to leave the radio on. Satellite radio will also never match the local traffic/weather info, or the local news/talk programs.

I enjoy 'filthy' talk. Family content, I don't need that garbage, I can handle swear words. Don't need traffic reports, I live 10 minutes from work, and besides there's not much traffic at 2:30 in the morning. Weather? WHo needs it, this is Buffalo it snows, I don't need a so called 'meteorologist' to tell me that.

Sounds like your real beef with terrestrial radio is the big corporations that are buying up all of the local stations and turning them into the same crap in every market (ClearChannel and whoever is promoting the "Jack FM" format)

No, I don't care who runs the station, if there's commercials and the content is censored, I want no part of it. My ears are too good to be subjected that crap. Over 14 million people have rejected terrestrial radio infavor of satellite, 20+ million iPods have been sold. Terrestrial radio is on a downward spiral, there is nothing anyone could do to get me to listen to it agian.

[OverThereTooMuch]

Why you like commercials is beyond me, whatever, it's just a desperate attempt by you. Next... I don't like commercials. I just choose not to spend $50/month to get rid of them. I'm not bashing you for your choice, don't know why you feel the need to attack me for mine.

Like you, I have a pretty short commute. I can flip through several FM and AM stations, or put my CD player on. That's the best way to guarantee I'll find something I'll like ;)

Both satellite radio services have commercials on talk stations, satellite radio was never about being 100% commercial free, it was 100% commercial free music. XM has four music channels with commercials, thanks to Clear Channel. XM has commercial free clones of those four channels.I just checked out XM's website. Looks like at least a few of the channels I was listening to were the CC music stations. Thanks for pointing that out. Didn't know CC was programming stations there too.

As for not finding anything on, maybe it's time you ditch your terrestrial radio mindset and I don't know, try something different. What a notion. I find plenty of different things to listen to.

All terrestrial radio sounds the same.You know that's just not true.

I enjoy 'filthy' talk. Family content, I don't need that garbage, I can handle swear words.Not everyone has the same views as you. Perhaps you should try something different ;)

Terrestrial radio is on a downward spiral, there is nothing anyone could do to get me to listen to it agian.Good to know, so I won't even try :)

[paja]

To say that all subscibers to satrad have rejected terr.radio is not an accurate statement by any means. I am a dual satrad sub(2 XM 1Sir and Sirius through DISH) but I recently purchased and outstanding Sony HD radio for my home office. I live in Chicago and we currently have 55 HD stations and 19 HD2(with more to come). I can sit here and using only AM/FM/HD2 stations( and the hand remote that came with the radio) can listen all day without ever hearing a commercial for more than a second or so. In addition, only my local AM stations can give me the local talk(especially sports talk) that I enjoy.

And last but certainly not the least. The AQ on local AM/FM/HD2 blows away even the best sat reception I've ever had.

[reddice]

Steve gets over hipped all the time. He always bashes anything I say on the forums. I agree that I also got Satellite Radio have only XM to get rid of the commercials. I hate commercials and radio commercials are the worst so I gladly pay to listen to commercial free radio. I also have all the xL channels blocked which he criticizes me for. He might like that filth but I don't like it so it is my choice and I am proud of it but yet again he criticized me for that.

[max1]

Hey, Steve I think you are right here is story about the ratings in Omaha. I didn't realize they have tanked so much. Hope you guys don't mind but I pasted the story-Max. The Death of R-O-C-K in Omaha?
When the latest report from the Arbitron radio ratings service came out at the end of last month many longtime rock radio listeners in Omaha no doubt did a double take.

Heritage rock and roll gorilla Z-92 (KEZO-FM), launched in 1978, had been overtaken by 2-year-old rock station the Brew (96.1 KQBW-FM) in the broadest demographic of listeners available, during the Fall 2007 rating period.

Listeners 12 and older, Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight, chose the Brew – a 4.2 share to a 3.9 share – over Z-92.

Sure, advertisers seek specific demos, such as the coveted adults 25- to 54-year-old group, but the 12-plus result is significant nonetheless.

While the Brew led Omaha’s rock stations, the Brew was No. 8 with listeners 12 and older overall. The top three stations were, in order: News-talk KFAB (1110 AM), country station the Kat (KXKT 103.7 FM) and oldies KGOR (99.9 FM).

Two of the Omaha market’s other rock stations were lagging as well. New station the Big O (KOOO 101.9 FM), a light rock station that went on the air two months ago, came in at No. 10 (behind No. 9 Z-92). Meanwhile, longtime classic rock station CD-105.9 (KKCD-FM) was No. 12.

So where has the rock gone on commercial stations in Omaha? Are their too many rock stations sharing the same play list, with the same usual suspects – the Eagles, the Police, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Journey, Bryan Adams, John Mellencamp, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, etc.?

“Yawn,” seems to be the response from local listeners.

The River (89.7 FM), a non-commercial station based out of Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, plays a lot of modern rock and has respectable ratings. However, scoring good ratings and selling advertising based upon those ratings is not the main goal for non-commercial stations like it is for commercial stations.

The biggest story in this latest report for Omaha’s commercial rock stations is that the once-mighty Z-92 appears to be slipping. Z-92 has beaten all of the other rock stations consistently in recent years, including the past five ratings periods. But from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007, Z-92 went from having a 7.1 share of the 12-plus market to a 3.9 share.

It could be a fluke, and likely is. I expect Z-92 to bounce back in the next ratings period. Maybe not to the station’s glory days, but certainly better than a 3.9 share.

"Over the years, there has been plenty of rock competition for Z-92. That's nothing new," said Steve Wexler, executive vice president of television and radio operations for the Journal Broadcast Group, which owns Z-92. "They seem to show up every couple years then disappear. There's not much to 'tweak' on Z-92. We know that our audience expects us to play everything that rocks...they expect to start their day with Todd and Tyler in the morning...and they expect fun, larger-than-life contests and promotions, like the 'Todd and Tyler Party Plane to Vegas,' which starts next month. That hasn't changed and won't change. As for the Fall ratings, we've learned over the years not to pay much attention to the occasional 'down' ratings book. I can tell you that we're extremely happy with Z-92's performance and it's continued dominance."

[Nashcat]

Can anyone tell me how HD radio does with distant broadcasts. I find myself listening to 50Kw stations at considerable distance. The promise of less static is appealing, but will I be stuck with nearby stations?

Thanks.

FogCutter, I wish I could answer your question, but I'd like to know that myself.

If just one of these self-serving egotistical know-it-alls would quit prattling on, trying to look so informed, maybe they could take the time to post something worthwhile to read... :zzz:

[B Newt]

FogCutter, I wish I could answer your question, but I'd like to know that myself.

If just one of these self-serving egotistical know-it-alls would quit prattling on, trying to look so informed, maybe they could take the time to post something worthwhile to read... :zzz:

I was listening to HD radio and was leaving town about 30 miles out, lost hd and station went back to analog. This was a while back... the distance could be shorter I just cant be sure...

[jacksonm30354]

The "Young Country" format is not new. When I lived in Dallas in 96-97 they had a station that labeled themselves "Young Country 105.3" and in Atlanta I believe Y106 used to call themselves "Young Country" for a while.

It's no different than XM/Sirius calling their stations "The Beat" or "Hits 1".

Not everyone can afford to spend even $12.95 a month on satellite radio. HD Radio is a good, free alternative.

[Steve Mehs]

The "Young Country" format is not new. When I lived in Dallas in 96-97 they had a station that labeled themselves "Young Country 105.3" and in Atlanta I believe Y106 used to call themselves "Young Country" for a while.

It's no different than XM/Sirius calling their stations "The Beat" or "Hits 1".

Sure there's a difference. 'Young Country' is listed as a format not as a moniker. The Young Country you refer to along with The Beat and Hits 1 are station monikers not formats.

HD Radio is a good, free alternative.

No it's not.

[Richard King]

Are you saying that The Beat and Hits 1 don't have a format? I don't see what the difference is between a "moniker" and a "format".

[Steve Mehs]

The Beat is the station name/monikier of Sirius' Dance Hits station
Sirius Hits 1 is the station name/monikier of Sirius' Hot AC station

No different then the lame work day station here uses the moniker of Star 102.5 and the format is adult contemporary.

[max1]

Hey, Steve, did Sirius get rid of Super shuffle, I haven't listened in a while and noticed the Rolling Stones. Is it now all Rolling Stones. I like the Super shuffle channel. I am now looking into getting xm the one with the white boombox for mlb-I wanted to know what radio will I need with that as well?? One more example how bad fm is in omaha now one of the local channels in the morning are going to start having kids be the guest dj's how exciting. They act like it's a great deal. Just heard on the 70's channel that it's only going to be the stones channel april 12 or so too bad they should just make it a regular channel and not get rid of super shuffel. Max.

[Doug Higley]

100% of HD Radio is available Free and STREAMED. All Cities. You can hear how crappy it is without any investment...if you like it, buy in.

[max1]

Doug, i did try Hd radio and problem with Omaha is there is not much HD out there about 5 channels and they are not good plus the reg fm is not good. I am like Steve anymore FM is not a choice for me. I am 100 percent Sirius for the comercial free music and when I listen on line it's aol radio with xm.. When I walk I use my Sirius headset. Plus when we have company or realitives come over they always compliment on how good the music sounds on Sirius. Max.

[armophob]

I guess it really depends on what you listen to. I use mine not so much for music, but for talk radio. Nice to have AM stations sound like FM.

I enjoy my HD radio. I listen to it every day.

Nothing like the old Quadraphonic FM signals though?:lol:

[Steve Mehs]

Yes, Super Shuffle is Rolling Stones Radio, I think I read somewhere this is temporary, but I'm not sure when it's going to end.