Now 'free' radio has more formats, too
Jan 23, 2006 13:41:34 GMT -5
Post by musicradio77 on Jan 23, 2006 13:41:34 GMT -5
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The major terrestrial radio companies say the growth of satellite radio wasn't a factor in their announcement last week that they will be offering dozens of "new" stations thanks to high-definition (HD) radio technology.
"HD has been in the works for almost a decade," says Tom Poleman, senior vice president for Clear Channel. "It's an investment in the future of radio that has nothing to do with satellite."
XM and Sirius satellite now have some 10 million subscribers, a tiny percentage of the radio audience. But they have been growing, and one reason is they offer many formats that are scarce on terrestrial radio even in New York, like oldies, country, standards, cutting-edge dance and modern rock.
Conventional radio has lately been striking back at satellite, stressing how much it offers for free. So it certainly doesn't hurt to say it can now offer dozens more formats - including, in New York, country, oldies, modern rock, gospel and classic hip-hop.
These "new" stations come from a technology that enables an existing station to "split" its signal, broadcasting two separate things on the same frequency.
This doesn't affect the existing broadcasts. It adds another, for listeners willing to spend $250 and up for an HD radio.
Clear Channel estimates that there are only a few thousand HD units in use at present, but then, until last week there was almost no programming for them. Now that there is, said Clear Channel CEO John Hogan last week, "We expect this to be a fast-growing area."
Most new HD2 stations have no deejays, a situation Poleman says he expects "will evolve as they become established."
A few of the HD2 formats now being offered in New York include oldies on WCBS-FM, country on WKTU, modern rock on WXRK and gospel on WRKS.
In a rare show of cooperation that probably underscores the importance terrestrial radio places on HD, the major companies got together and divvied up formats so there weren't, for instance, three classic hip-hop stations and no country.
Moreover, says Poleman, you ain't heard nothing yet. "Within three to five years," he says, "we may be able to offer up to six formats per frequency."
R.I.P. WILSON PICKETT: Wilson Pickett was the unlikeliest of top-40 radio stars, simply because his style was so hard and funky that it was astonishing top-40 radio would play it.
Pickett came along at a time when top-40 radio was fairly open, but the biggest black artists were the pop-flavored "girl groups" and Motown, whose slogan was "The Sound of Young America."
That isn't a phrase most people would have used to describe "In the Midnight Hour" or "Funky Broadway." But Pickett forced his way onto the air anyhow, at the same time his colleague and sometime-rival James Brown was finally making his own top-40 breakthrough.
Pickett also developed - not always intentionally - the "Wicked" image.
Lee Mrowicki remembers deejaying for a Pickett show at the Stone Pony around 1990. He came to the deejay booth and Mrowicki noticed he had bulges on his ankles.
"So I said, 'Wilson, are you packin'?
"And he said, in the cool voice of a soul legend, 'I have many ex-wives and you ne-ver know.' "
Many radio shows paid tribute to Pickett this weekend - and next Friday at midnight radiosoleil.com will feature covers of his hits recorded in Congolese.
STRIKE TALK: Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg of WBAI (99.5 FM) explore the rejection of the transit workers contract tonight at 7 on WBAI (99.5 FM).
There is also contract discussion every night with Imhotep Gary Byrd, midnight-5 a.m. on WLIB (1190 AM).
AROUND THE DIAL: Tony Paige - not the WFAN host - has been named program director of WDHA (105.5 FM) in Morristown, N.J. He has been program director and morning host at WRCN, and worked at WDHA years ago. ... Steve Malzberg returns for an encore this afternoon on WOR (710 AM), 4-6 p.m.
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The major terrestrial radio companies say the growth of satellite radio wasn't a factor in their announcement last week that they will be offering dozens of "new" stations thanks to high-definition (HD) radio technology.
"HD has been in the works for almost a decade," says Tom Poleman, senior vice president for Clear Channel. "It's an investment in the future of radio that has nothing to do with satellite."
XM and Sirius satellite now have some 10 million subscribers, a tiny percentage of the radio audience. But they have been growing, and one reason is they offer many formats that are scarce on terrestrial radio even in New York, like oldies, country, standards, cutting-edge dance and modern rock.
Conventional radio has lately been striking back at satellite, stressing how much it offers for free. So it certainly doesn't hurt to say it can now offer dozens more formats - including, in New York, country, oldies, modern rock, gospel and classic hip-hop.
These "new" stations come from a technology that enables an existing station to "split" its signal, broadcasting two separate things on the same frequency.
This doesn't affect the existing broadcasts. It adds another, for listeners willing to spend $250 and up for an HD radio.
Clear Channel estimates that there are only a few thousand HD units in use at present, but then, until last week there was almost no programming for them. Now that there is, said Clear Channel CEO John Hogan last week, "We expect this to be a fast-growing area."
Most new HD2 stations have no deejays, a situation Poleman says he expects "will evolve as they become established."
A few of the HD2 formats now being offered in New York include oldies on WCBS-FM, country on WKTU, modern rock on WXRK and gospel on WRKS.
In a rare show of cooperation that probably underscores the importance terrestrial radio places on HD, the major companies got together and divvied up formats so there weren't, for instance, three classic hip-hop stations and no country.
Moreover, says Poleman, you ain't heard nothing yet. "Within three to five years," he says, "we may be able to offer up to six formats per frequency."
R.I.P. WILSON PICKETT: Wilson Pickett was the unlikeliest of top-40 radio stars, simply because his style was so hard and funky that it was astonishing top-40 radio would play it.
Pickett came along at a time when top-40 radio was fairly open, but the biggest black artists were the pop-flavored "girl groups" and Motown, whose slogan was "The Sound of Young America."
That isn't a phrase most people would have used to describe "In the Midnight Hour" or "Funky Broadway." But Pickett forced his way onto the air anyhow, at the same time his colleague and sometime-rival James Brown was finally making his own top-40 breakthrough.
Pickett also developed - not always intentionally - the "Wicked" image.
Lee Mrowicki remembers deejaying for a Pickett show at the Stone Pony around 1990. He came to the deejay booth and Mrowicki noticed he had bulges on his ankles.
"So I said, 'Wilson, are you packin'?
"And he said, in the cool voice of a soul legend, 'I have many ex-wives and you ne-ver know.' "
Many radio shows paid tribute to Pickett this weekend - and next Friday at midnight radiosoleil.com will feature covers of his hits recorded in Congolese.
STRIKE TALK: Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg of WBAI (99.5 FM) explore the rejection of the transit workers contract tonight at 7 on WBAI (99.5 FM).
There is also contract discussion every night with Imhotep Gary Byrd, midnight-5 a.m. on WLIB (1190 AM).
AROUND THE DIAL: Tony Paige - not the WFAN host - has been named program director of WDHA (105.5 FM) in Morristown, N.J. He has been program director and morning host at WRCN, and worked at WDHA years ago. ... Steve Malzberg returns for an encore this afternoon on WOR (710 AM), 4-6 p.m.