But here are five of the biggest obstacles HD Radio is facing. To compare, in 2012 about 34 percent of Americans reported listening to internet radio—including services like Pandora as well as online streams of AM and FM stations. Only 2 percent reported listening to HD Radio. Another issue is the slow adoption of HD Radio broadcast technology by stations. If you live in an area with good HD Radio coverage, then this isn’t an issue. For those who live in areas served by few HD Radio stations, the technology might as well not exist. The radio industry and iBiquity, the makers of HD Radio, are reportedly working with big automakers to keep radio tuners in car stereos, but if the biggest names in the automotive industry decided to go another way, that could be it for HD Radio. If the power allotted to these sidebands is high enough, it can bleed into the frequencies immediately above or below, causing interference. When this happens, it can block users from listening to neighboring stations. This has always been a problem with HD Radio, with powerful broadcasters causing reception problems for weaker or more distant stations. In the same way that the digital sidebands can bleed into neighboring frequencies, they can also interfere with their own analog signal. This is a big problem because one of the chief selling points of IBOC is that it allows digital and analog signals to share the same frequency. During the initial HD Radio push, interest never rose above 8 percent, according to a 2010 survey. That’s pretty dismal when you consider the fact that the radio industry itself experienced moderate growth toward the end of that period. With HD Radio’s FCC approval in 2002, it seemed like all of iBiquity’s cards were in place to capitalize on a new market. But the rise of streaming media, internet radio, podcasts, and other media sources have proved serious competitors. HD radio is an interesting technology that may be worth checking out if you’re a radio loyalist. If you’re not, then there are plenty of competing in-car entertainment options that are more worth your time.
