HD Radio - Programming

Programming

Currently the HD Digital Radio Alliance, a consortium of major owners such as ABC, CBS, and ClearChannel, is acting as a liaison for stations to choose unduplicated formats for the extra channels (HD2, HD3, etc.). This is designed to provide additional choices for listeners instead of several stations all independently deciding to create the same format. HD1 stations broadcast the same format as the regular FM (and some AM) stations, and most of these stations offer an HD2 subchannel to complement their current programming.

Clear Channel is selling programming of several different music genres to other competing stations, in addition to airing them on its own stations. Some stations are simulcasting their local AM or lower-power FM broadcasts on sister stations' HD2 or HD3 channels, such as KMBZ-FM in Kansas City simulcasting 610 KCSP's programming on 98.1-HD2. It is common practice to broadcast an older, discontinued format on HD2 channels; for example, with the recent disappearance of the smooth jazz format from the analog radio dial in many markets, stations such as WDZH in Detroit, Michigan (formerly WVMV), WQCD in New York City, WPGB in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and WNWV in Cleveland, Ohio program smooth jazz on their HD2 or HD3 bands. Other recent additions include introduction of air staff on HD2 stations, like KDWB's Party Zone channel in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Some HD2 or HD3 stations are even simulcasting sister AM stations. In St. Louis, Missouri for example, clear-channel KMOX AM (1120 kHz analog and HD) is simulcast on KEZK FM 102.5 HD3. KBCO in Boulder, Colorado uses its HD2 channel to broadcast exclusive live recordings from their private recording studio. CBS Radio recently announced plans to introduce its more popular superstations into distant markets (KROQ-FM into New York City, WFAN into Florida, and KFRG and KSCF into Los Angeles) via HD2 and HD3 channels.

On March 8, 2009, CBS Radio inaugurated the first station with an HD4 subchannel, WJFK-FM in Washington, DC, a sports radio station which also carries sister sports operations WJZ-FM from Baltimore, Philadelphia's WIP and WFAN from New York (though at some point, the WJZ-FM simulcast was replaced with a simulcast of Dallas, Texas sister sports station KRLD-FM).

Public broadcasters are also embracing HD Radio. Minnesota Public Radio offers a few services: KNOW, the MPR News station in the Twin Cities, offers music service Radio Heartland on 91.1 HD2 and additional news programming called BBC News and More on 91.1 HD3; KSJN, the Classical MPR station in the Twin Cities, provides Classical 24 service on 99.5 HD2; and The Current, on 89.3 in the Twin Cities, offers Wonderground Radio, music for kids and their parents, on 89.3 HD2.

Southern California Public Radio, heard on 89.3 FM in Los Angeles, offers Ahora, the Spanish-language service of Radio Netherlands on 89.3 HD2 and MPR's music service The Current on 89.3 HD3 in Los Angeles.

WNYC in New York City broadcasts a locally programmed, all-classical music service called Q2, on 93.9 HD2. The service launched in March 2006. On October 8, 2009, the format was moved to WQXR-HD2 on 105.9 when WQXR was acquired by WNYC as part of a frequency swap with Univision Radio for their former frequency. The programming on the WNYC HD2 channel now is a rebroadcast of WQXR in order to give full coverage of WQXR programming in some form, as the 105.9 signal is weaker and does not cover the whole area.

WMIL-FM in Milwaukee has offered an audio simulcast of Fox affiliate WITI on their HD3 subchannel since August 2009 as part of a news and weather content agreement between Clear Channel and WITI. This restored WITI's audio to the Milwaukee radio dial after a two month break after the digital transition; as a Channel 6 analog television station WITI exploited the 87.7 FM audio quirk as an advantage in order to allow viewers to hear the station's newscasts and Fox programming on their car radios.

College radio has also been impacted by HD radio, stations such as WBJB which is a public station on a college campus offer a student run station as one of the multicast channels.

Some commercial broadcasters also use their HD2's to broadcast the programming of noncommercial broadcasters. Bonneville International uses its HD2 and HD3 channels to broadcast Mormon Channel which is entirely noncommercial and operates solely as a public service from Bonneville's owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That network of eight HD2 and HD3 stations was launched on May 18, 2009 and was fully functional within two weeks. Also, in Detroit, WMXD, an urban adult contemporary station, airs the contemporary Christian K-Love format on its HD2 band (the HD2 also feeds several analog translators around the metropolitan area—see below), due to an agreement between Clear Channel and K-Love owner Educational Media Foundation allowing EMF to program WMXD's HD2.