HD Radio Report

MyerEmco Executive, James Stocks II, Joins iBiquity Digital

2008-02-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

iBiquity Digital Corporation, the developer of digital HD Radio™ technology for AM and FM broadcasting, announced today that it has hired James (JR) Stocks II as Director of Retail Marketing. His responsibilities will include retail product launches, promotions, and point-of-purchase materials.

Previously, Mr. Stocks was Vice President of Sales for MyerEmco, a retail chain in the Mid-Atlantic States that specializes in high-end audio/video equipment sales and installation. Previously, he was General Manager of Dominion Radio Supply in Richmond, Virginia.

In making the announcement, Bernie Sapienza, iBiquity’s Vice President of Retail Business Development, said, “We are happy to bring JR on board at this important time, when the growth in HD Radio products at retail is increasing. We will rely on him to work with our retail and manufacturing partners to build HD Radio technology’s presence at retail.”

HD Digital Radio Alliance Promotes Diane Warren to Executive Vice President

2008-02-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

The HD Digital Radio Alliance, a joint initiative of leading radio broadcasters to accelerate consumer adoption of HD Digital Radio, today announced the promotion of Diane Warren to executive vice president.

Previously senior vice president of marketing and communications, Warren has been the primary liaison for HD Radio marketing partners and was instrumental in helping to secure a number of distribution deals, including Wal-Mart and Radio Shack. She directed the Alliance’s advertising campaigns and other marketing components focused on the nationwide rollout of HD Radio broadcasts. She has also been the primary point person for the National Association of Broadcasters’ HD Radio Marketing Task Force. In her new role, Warren will expand her management of relationships with HD Radio receiver makers, radio stations and press.

“Diane is one of the most focused and dedicated executives I have worked with,” said Peter Ferrara, president and CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance. “Her passion for excellence is only exceeded by her enthusiasm and positive outlook. Much of the success the HD Digital Radio Alliance has garnered over the past two years is due to her hard work. I am delighted she will be taking on increased responsibilities as we move HD Radio forward.”

"The level of commitment and cooperation that’s been demonstrated by the technology, radio, consumer electronics, automotive and retail industries in launching radio into this bold, new age has been unprecedented," said Warren. "It’s been a privilege to have a seat at this table and I look forward to building on the success the Alliance and our many partners have had working together in the coming year."

A 25-year veteran of the radio industry, Warren was previously senior vice president of public affairs for Clear Channel Communications and the founder and president of RadioAE.com, the first subscription interactive Web site in the radio industry providing ideas, information and tools for radio sales professionals online. She held sales positions at Shamrock Broadcasting, Lyn Broadcasting, Greater Media and US Radio; and managed sales departments at US Radio, Dalton Group, and Atlanta CapCities/ABC, Granum, and Infinity/CBS.

HD Radio™ Growth on Display at CES

2008-02-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

iTunes tagging is here!

CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES

Saturday, January 5, 4-7p.m.
Marco Polo Ballroom in the Sands/The Venetian

Innovation Honorees Displayed During CES (Visit Booth 70621)

Alpine’s TUA-T550HD, a 2008 CES Innovations Award Honoree for In-Vehicle Audio
Polk Audio's I-Sonic® Entertainment System 2, also a 2008 CES Innovations Award Honoree for the Enabling Technologies

iTunes tagging demo at the HD Radio booth (North Hall 1835)

Polk Audio (South 1 20507) and Alpine (North Hall N101 – N107), other HD Radio products with iTunes Tagging can be seen at Harman/JPL (Hilton 18121), JVC (North 1431), jWIN (Central 12838) and Sony (Central 14200).

HD Radio technology goes mobile!

Samsung’s new mobile chipset at HD Radio booth (North Hall 1835)
Prototype concept devices at HD Radio booth (North Hall 1835)

Other NEW advanced services, products and applications!

Microsoft and Clear Channel Radio’s “MSN Direct HD” at iBiquity booth (North Hall 1835) ... Clear Channel suite and MSN Direct suite are invite-only

MSN Direct HD will launch with a full suite of location based content including Clear Channel traffic as well as a variety of other services including radio program guide, weather, gas prices, movie information, news, stocks, send destination to GPS and much more.

Conditional Access Demonstrations

Premium sports programming demo at iBiquity booth (North Hall 1835)
Harris Corporation Press Event

Las Vegas Convention Center; Room S 227
Tuesday, January 8th, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
National Public Radio, Harris Corporation and Towson University will announce an exciting international initiative to create cutting-edge technologies and services aimed at providing sensory disabled consumers worldwide full accessibility to radio broadcasts. The event will include the first live, over-the-air HD Radio broadcast of these accessible radio services.

Consumer Telematics Seminar

JW Marriott Las Vegas, Spa & Resort
Tuesday, January 8th, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Panel Discussion: Data Broadcast Services Charge Forward!
Speaker: Joe D’Angelo, iBiquity Digital Corporation

HD Radio products for home and car will be on display at the HD Radio booth including:

Accurian, Alpine, Audio Design Associates, Boss, Cambridge Soundworks, Denon, DICE, Dual, Insignia, Integra, JBL, Jensen/Audiovox, Jensen/Insignia, JVC, jWIN, Kenwood, LG, Marantz, Niles, Onkyo, Pioneer, Polk, Radiosophy, Roadmaster, Rotel, Sangean, Sony, Visteon, Yamaha.

Brands showing HD Radio products at CES 2008

AAMP of America/Peripheral (North Hall 5218 & 5333)
AGT (Central Hall 9817)
Alpine (North Hall 101)
Audio Design Associates (The Venetian Tower 30-121)
AudioVox/Jensen Mobile (Central Hall 10506 & 11006)
Boss (North Hall 4208)
Cambridge SoundWorks (South Hall 30642)
Denon (Mandalay Bay Ballroom)
DICE (North Hall 4828)
Dual (North Hall 1007)
Harman/JBL Hilton (Invite-Only)
JVC Automotive (North Hall 1431)
jWIN (Central Hall 12838)
Kenwood (North Hall 1001)
LG Electronics (Central Hall 8214)
Marantz (Mandalay Bay Ballroom)
McIntosh (Mandalay Bay Ballroom)
Metra (North Hall 3406)
Onkyo/Integra (The Wynn Invite-Only)
Pioneer (Central Hall 9827)
Polk Audio (South Hall 20507)
Roadmaster (North Hall 5618)
Sangean (Central Hall 15007)
Sony (Central Hall 14200)
Spectra/Jensen (Central Hall 13238)
Visteon (North Hall 6027)
Yamaha (The Rio Invite-Only)

Ford to Offer Factory-Installed HD Radio Technology on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Vehicles in 2009

2008-02-13T01:24:00.000-08:00

Ford Motor Company becomes first U.S. automaker to confirm availability of factory-installed digital AM/FM technology, beginning in 2009.
Factory-installed HD Radio™ technology will be available as standard or optional equipment on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products next year. HD Radio receivers are currently offered as a dealer-installed option.
Ford’s HD Radio strategy builds on company's commitment to offer customers more choice and be among the industry’s leaders in delivering newest automotive entertainment technologies.

Ford Motor Company today became the first US automaker to announce the availability of factory-installed HD Radio™ technology as a standard or optional feature on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles beginning in calendar year 2009.

The announcement follows Ford’s launch of HD Radio technology in the fall of 2007 as a dealer-installed option. As with the company’s ground-breaking SYNC system, the factory-installation of HD Radio technology expands Ford’s commitment to deliver state-of-the-art entertainment and communications technologies.

“Our goal is to offer drivers the best new features and the most choice,” said Jim Buczkowski, Ford’s director of Electrical System Engineering. “The great local content, the crystal-clear sound quality and the variety of channels and data services offered by HD Radio is exactly what customers are beginning to expect in their vehicles. Moving forward, a radio will no longer be considered competitive if it doesn’t include digital technology.”

HD Radio technology dramatically increases the sound quality of radio broadcasts and enables more than one radio broadcast on a single channel. As a result, consumers hear a wide range of new HD2/HD3 multicast stations as well as their favorite radio stations in crystal clear digital sound. More than 1500 radio stations in the U.S. currently broadcast in digital HD Radio sound, with more than 700 stations also airing HD2/HD3 multicasts.

Beginning in 2009, HD Radio technology will join other factory-installed technologies – including SYNC and the company’s next-generation of navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link – offered in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles to make driving more enjoyable and convenient than ever. Digital radio will be additional source of source of information and entertainment that drivers can choose, particularly for great local and community information not available through other sources.

HD Radio™ Applications Move Beyond Music This Week at CES 2008!

2008-02-13T01:19:00.000-08:00

HD Radio Applications Move Beyond Music, Led by iTunes® Tagging, Location-Based Services, and Conditional Access of Premium Content

WHAT: HD Radio™ applications take AM/FM beyond music this week with demonstrations of advanced digital services made possible by iBiquity Digital Corporation’s next-generation, digital broadcast technology. On display will be the first three – iTunes® Tagging, location-based services, and conditional-access of premium content from leading companies including:

Alpine
Clear Channel Radio
Harman/JPL
Harris Corporation
JVC
jWIN
Microsoft
National Public Radio
Polk Audio
Sony

WHEN: January 7-10, 2008

WHERE: Las Vegas during CES 2008

iBiquity booth 1835, North Hall, LVCC
Alpine booth N101-N107, North Hall, LVCC
Harman/JPL booth 18121 at the Hilton Hotel
JVC booth 1431, North Hall, LVCC
jWIN booth 12838 at Central Hall, LVCC
Sony booth 14200 at Central Hall, LVCC
Harris Corporation press conference , Room S227, LVCC, Tues. 1/8 at 10:30am

iTag, You’re It!

2008-02-13T01:12:00.000-08:00

First Generation Radios Featuring iTunes Tagging with
HD Radio™ Technology to be Showcased at CES

Alpine, JVC, Sony Join Polk and JBL

iBiquity Digital Corporation, the developer of digital HD Radio™ technology, will showcase and demonstrate the first group of HD Radio receivers incorporating Apple® iTunes® Tagging technology at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here this week. Devices from Alpine Electronics of America, JBL, JVC, Polk Audio and Sony will be seen for the first time publicly. Las Vegas’ Clear Channel stations KPLV and WKNR are currently offering tagging information. For demonstrations of the service, visit the HD Radio booth #1835 in the North Hall at CES in Las Vegas, January 7-10! Also stop by receiver manufacturer booths:

Alpine - North Hall meeting rooms N101 – N107
JBL - Hilton 18121
JVC - North 1431
Polk Audio - South 1 20507
Sony - Central 14200

iTunes Tagging takes the HD Radio system one step beyond multicast channels, high-quality digital sound and text services. It enables consumers to "tag” and download songs heard on HD Radio stations to an iPod with the touch of a button. The next time the iPod is synced on iTunes, the selected songs are displayed on a list, ready for purchase.

"In one short year, the number of HD Radio units available has more than tripled, the number of HD Radio stations has shot up by over 400, and national retailers have come on board in droves,” said Robert Struble, President and CEO of iBiquity Digital. "HD Radio is now mainstream, and with new advanced features like iTunes Tagging, offers the most advanced listening experience for the digital lifestyle.”

The revolutionary iTunes tagging feature is found in devices with special iPod connectivity. It allows consumers to "tag,” download and purchase songs heard on both primary FM frequency and HD2 multicast radio channels. Broadcasters like CBS Radio, Clear Channel, Cumulus, Cox, Entercom, Greater Media and others are currently implementing iTunes Tagging in their HD Radio broadcasts.

With more than 1,500 AM and FM stations broadcasting in HD and over 700 HD2 multicast channels on the FM dial, HD Radio is the newest advancement in broadcast radio – a medium accessed by more than 90% of the U.S. population in any given week. HD radio offers listeners new and unique formats and content in crystal clear, digital sound with no subscription fee.

From Harris Corp: HD Radio Services for the Hearing and Sight Impaired

2008-02-13T00:50:00.000-08:00

NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University Launch Global Effort To Make Radio Accessible to Hearing and Sight Impaired

First Over-The-Air Transmission From Special CES Station

NPR, Harris Corporation and Towson University today announced a new initiative to make radio more accessible to the hundreds of millions of hearing and visually impaired people around the world.

At a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the three organizations announced the global accessible radio technology initiative and provided the first live demonstration of the accessible radio technology. The group also announced a new research center for developing future technologies on the campus of Towson University near Baltimore, MD. Additional plans call for the establishment of an international consortium of equipment manufacturers, broadcasters and other organizations to help foster broad adoption of the initiative.

The initiative will be spearheaded by the three founding organizations and will leverage cutting-edge HD Radio™ technology to enable hearing-impaired people to “see” live radio content on specially equipped receivers by applying television closed-captioning processes to radio broadcasts. The technology also will provide audio cues and voice prompts, as well as advanced radio reading services, for those visually impaired and blind.

“Digital radio technology makes it possible — for the first time — to serve the sensory impaired,” says Mike Starling, vice president and chief technology officer of NPR. “Beyond developing the technology, this initiative will ensure the accessibility of these radio services at minimal costs.”

During the press conference, the organizations showcased the first over-the-air transmission of the accessible radio technology using a signal from WX3NPR, a special temporary station authorized by the FCC for the live broadcast. Attendees at the press conference watched the text transcript of the NPR flagship morning news magazine “Morning Edition” on the HD Radio receiver’s viewing screen, which is what a hearing-impaired listener will see using the technology. Additionally, the demonstration carried a digital radio reading service that will assist the visually impaired with daily readings of current books, newspapers and magazines.

Following the demonstration, the participating organizations unveiled details for the International Center for Accessible Radio Technology (ICART), which will be headquartered at Towson University in Towson, MD. Towson will house the primary administrative and academic research office for the initiative, with NPR Labs in Washington, DC, providing technology R&D and software development, and Harris Corporation supplying transmission and research support at its radio broadcast technology center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Members of the global initiative went on to detail plans to further study and understand the challenges faced by the sensory-impaired population in accessing radio broadcasts, and develop methodologies to address those issues through cutting-edge technologies. To ensure that the effort represents the widest range of participants and fosters the broadest possible adoption, organizers said they will work to bring together policymakers, broadcasters, transmission equipment companies and receiver manufacturers from around the world. Presently, the initiative has more than a dozen members, representing virtually every aspect of the “microphone to loudspeaker” chain: broadcasters, network content providers, infrastructure and transmission equipment companies, and receiver manufacturers. In addition to founding members NPR, Harris and Towson University, supporting organizations include iBiquity Digital Corporation, Delphi, NDS, Radiosophy, Helen Keller Institute, Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH(NCAM), Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons, and the G3ict, an Advocacy Initiative of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

NPR, Harris and Towson will jointly determine strategic direction of the organization, with assistance from the initiative’s full membership. NPR will provide much of the content, Harris will provide much of the transmission-related technologies, and Towson will provide research into the needs of the sensory-disabled population and will house the primary ICART facility on its campus.

“We’re working very closely with radio stations around the world to ensure they have the right technical infrastructure in place for this initiative,” said Howard Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris Corporation. “The new HD Radio transmission systems we’re installing are tailor-made for this effort, as their digital capabilities will make it relatively easy for stations to transmit live textual transcripts to HD Radio receivers.”

“There is tremendous need for accessible radio for sensory-impaired people, including the deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, visually impaired, print impaired, deaf/blind, and mobility impaired,” said Dr. Ellyn Sheffield, assistant professor of psychology at Towson and co-director of ICART. “There is no question this initiative will have a profound impact on the quality of millions of people’s lives. Finally, sensory-disabled individuals will have access to all radio programming, as well as radio emergency alerts and vital disaster recovery information.”

HD Radio enables station operators to split their broadcasts up into multiple channels, providing several CD-quality channels for their audiences. Through this accessible radio initiative, a small amount of the total data capacity will be used to carry textual data that will be shown live on a screen on new versions of HD Radio receivers, essentially providing a closed-captioning transcript of live broadcasts for the deaf. Initially, the closed-captioning text will be created by live, court-reporting-type captioners at individual stations and networks. Ultimately, the initiative is hoping to leverage advanced speech-to-text translation software applications that one day allow expansion of captioning across the radio dial. Specially equipped HD Radio receivers are in development with several features to provide the visually impaired audience with better access to broadcasts, such as audio prompts that notify which direction the tuner is going, what channel the radio is on, and larger, easier-to-read text on the radios.

More than 1,500 radio stations are currently broadcasting in HD Radio in the United States. Over half of the CPB-qualified stations have been awarded HD Radio conversion grants by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. According to current estimates, by 2010, all 825 public radio stations should be broadcasting digitally.