HD Radio seems to have ended the year, at least subjectively, on something of an uptick -- at least it's been nice to see more positives than negatives on the 200-odd sources I scan in my blogroll, portable devices finally made it to consumers, and some decent transmitter power is on the horizon. [See George Williams' take in Radio 2020.]
iBiquity's CEO, Bob Struble, is of course a strong advocate for HD Radio and he does that in a new column for FMQB. But in particular he has some interesting and important words of caution for those of us who may be taking the vehicle as the unassailable bastion of radio listening. He writes:
... Don't get me wrong, AM/FM is still a fundamental part of the driving experience. Every car sold in this country comes with a radio, positioned square in the middle of some of the world's most valuable real estate – the car dashboard. But the days of AM/FM's monopoly hold on auto infotainment are long gone. ¶ AM/FM can no longer take for granted that it will be automatically built into cars, or that it will be used by drivers. No, radio has to fight for its position in the dash. The green flag has been waved in this race, and after starting in the pole position, radio is no longer leading the pack. ...
Link: FMQB. --Dennis
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