INFINITY LAUNCHES FIRST COMMERCIAL HD MULTICAST CHANNEL Katy Bachman – Mediaweek Infinity Broadcasting racked up another first Thursday, May 12, with the launch of the nation’s first multicast HD radio channel by a commercial broadcaster on WUSN-FM (US99), the group’s top-rated country station in Chicago. The second channel, called Chicago’s Future Country targets younger listeners than WUSN’s primary 25 to 54 demographic.
More than 300 radio stations, including Infinity stations in 13 of the nation’s top markets, are now broadcasting in HD radio, which not only significantly improves the sound fidelity of the station, but also allows stations to broadcast up to eight separate channels. At last month’s National Association of Broadcasters annual convention in Los Angeles, Beasley Broadcast Group demonstrated HD radio’s multicast capabilities by broadcasting three additional programming channels plus three streams of wireless data on ‘80s KSTJ Las Vegas.
“There is no limit to the number of uses involving HD radio,” said Joel Hollander, chairman and CEO for Infinity. “This announcement is just the first of many related to Infinity’s digital broadcast strategy.”
Although the number of consumer radios in the marketplace remains low at about 10,000 units, that’s expected to change this summer when as many as 15 manufacturers will begin offering a wider variety of receiver types at cheaper prices.
For now, WUSN’s second channel is airing commercial-free. In the future, Infinity and other broadcasters hope to monetize the new multicast capabilities, whether through selling limited commercial inventory or subscription. Broadcasters have even entertained discussions about a consortium around multicasting to take on satellite radio.
The multicast channel is the latest initiative from Infinity to bring radio into the digital age. Last month, the Viacom-owned radio group announced the nation’s first radio format based on content from podcasts. Infinity has also committed to be the first U.S. broadcaster to deploy Visual Radio, a new service from HP and Nokia that will allow listeners to tune-in to local FM radio stations via mobile phones while simultaneously receiving interactive information and graphics synchronized with the radio broadcast. |