HD Radio
For those of you who haven’t heard of it yet, HD radio offers the possibility of a lot of really good stuff to the listener. No, it bears absolutely no relation to HD television. But it is digital, and it comes in much more clearly than AM and many FM stations. For more technical stuff, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio. At least here in Chicago, stations are really taking advantage of it. Especially 95.5, which used to be easy-listening jazz and then got bought out by a Hispanic megastation. Now their HD station has reincarnated the previous easy-listening jazz station. Good for them! Most stations are just using HD to broadcast their usual stuff, but we’re hoping to see some more originality soon. Unlike Sirius and XFM, it’s non-subscription, but you do have to have a dedicated radio. There are several brands, but most of them are available only on-line. The only place I know of to buy them in person is Radio Shack. Obviously things may be different outside Chicago. It would be nice to hear about what’s available in HD radio elsewhere.
Jane Grey
