HD Radio: The “Killer App” Arrives
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009From Wikipedia:
A killer application (commonly shortened to killer app), in the jargon of computer programmers and video gamers, has been used to refer to any computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as computer hardware like a gaming console, operating system or other software. A killer app can substantially increase sales of the platform on which it runs.
For example, one killer app was Lotus 1-2-3…the spreadsheet program that fueled sales of the original IBM PC.
I have argued for a while now that HD Radio needs its own killer apps to be successful — “super-niche” programming that is so compelling for some listeners that it motivates them to go out and buy HD Radios.
Finally, radio is seeing the light. I was heartened to see this item today on the Inside Radio email:
A 24/7 all-Eagles football channel is being planned to launch next summer, in advance of the 2010 season. Eagles 365…would be a side channel to active rock WYSP, flagship of the Eagles Radio Network.
Which followed this item:
Three months after launching online and on HD2, Penguins Radio is gaining ad traction. Branded around last year’s Stanley Cup champions, the station has grown from six advertising partners at its October 1 debut to one dozen now.
If you’re not a sports fan or just a casual fan, this may be hard to fathom. Certainly, “Eagles 365″ or “Penguins Radio” would fall short of a 1.0 share, even on “big sticks” in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. But that’s one benefit of HD Radio — it can serve niches that might not be viable for FM or AM, but still represent a lot of bodies in bigger markets.
It seems that sports and other highly specialized talk formats would be best suited for this “super niche” approach. For example, even though Liberal Talk radio has never aired in most markets, there are enough “lefties” in even the reddest states to support an HD2 channel.
And there are certainly music formats that would be viable super niches. For example, imagine a station that plays Christmas music year-round. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” would sound great on a steamy August afternoon.
These super niche stations could sell a lot of HD radios. You might argue that radio isn’t in the business of selling radios, but new HD radio owners would soon discover its benefits beyond “Eagles 365.”
I have never thought that HD Radio would be any kind of “magic bullet” for the industry. But what HD can do is make radio as a whole more compelling…no small thing given the level of competition the industry faces today.
Super-niche stations like “Eagles 365″ can be the killer app to help make it happen.
