Remember when HD Radio was supposed to be terrestrial radio’s savior? The digital signal boasted surround sound, it was a lot clearer than a normal broadcast signal, there were additional substations on HD2 and HD3 bands, and best of all, it’s free once you buy an HD-compatible radio. But with all the choices available to consumers, a different version of terrestrial radio just hasn’t caught on so far. Apparently, the HD Radio Alliance thought they might be able to change things by redesigning and relaunching their site, hdradio.com. However, daily music industry e-mail RAMP noticed that the formats of the stations on their station guide is hopelessly out of date. New York’s K-Rock (WXRK) is still listed as a rock station, but they’ve been dance for two years now. And Los Angeles station Indie 103.1 hasn’t been an alternative station for several years, either. Maybe they should have taken some time to update their station list before launching a new site. What’s frustrating is that HD Radio isn’t a terrible idea. While terrestrial radio isn’t necessarily “cool,” and won’t be as long as endless commercials take away from music listening, it’s still immensely popular, especially for those that commute by car. But HD is like an uncle going through a midlife crisis by buying a new sports car and dressing like “the kids” do. It’s trying a little too hard, and it shows. We’re just waiting for one alternative/rock station to come up with an all-metal sub-channel and then we’ll start listening.
