Russo on the HD Digital Radio Alliance

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Rich Russo, JL Media’s SVP/Director of Broadcast Services, writes to RBR with comments on yesterday’s announcement from the HD Digital Radio Alliance’s 3-year anniversary:


“WOW, I just read the first sentence about the HD radio alliance and am a bit confused…

‘The HD Digital Radio Alliance yesterday marked three successful years’

Successful? How are they defining that? I can write forever about the HD radio missteps and can even channel a previous article I had written called “HD, Huge Debacle” from a few years ago and it would seem just as timely now as it did then.

The bottom line remains this, they have had 3 years and have had Tens of Millions of dollars of free advertising and there is no awareness, no buzz and no movement. If the broadcasters used those spots to solicit funds for Katrina victims or for a charitable cause, the world would be a much better place.

The average person doesn’t get jazzed about buying new radios like they do TV’s, although it seems that the Bose Wave Radio is quite popular, oops that doesn’t have HD capability, why is that? Makes no sense not to have Bose on board…

How come HD radio capabilities aren’t built in the new TV sets with their digital tuners or with the TV satellite companies or cable companies?

Since everybody in the country has at least one radio, wouldn’t it be better to focus attention on some sort of an adapter that could convert any existing radio to pick up HD signals as opposed to asking people to buy new radios?

Ironically 3 years later and these are the same questions raised from day one, so if status quo or treading water for 3 years in a world of rapidly changing technology is considered successful, then I all I can say is WOW and invoke that famous quote of our current and soon to be gone president : MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.”