Most 2008 Fords to come equipped with HD radio

[Ace Purple]

I'm surprised it took this long for a move like this to happen. It does surprise me that the usually reliable All Access incorrectly refers to HD as "high definition" radio.

(From AllAccess.com)

HD Digital Radio To Be Offered In Most 2008 Fords

FORD MOTOR CO. has become the first automaker to offer HD Digital Radio across multiple product lines. The dealer-installed high-definition radio option is now available nationwide on nearly all 2008 model year FORD, LINCOLN and MERCURY vehicles.

[Arp2]

"Option!" Not "equipped!"

And "dealer-installed," at that!


Well, I guess that's how a lot of the domestic vehicles are......??


Reminder: QVC, tonight at 10....."Discover HD Radio"


(Hope they have a good antenna hooked up somewhere....

.....as if they're going to rely on OTA.... )

[cgarison]

Here is the press release:

FORD TO MAKE HD DIGITAL RADIO AVAILABLE ACROSS NEARLY ALL PRODUCT LINES

* Dealer-installed option available nationwide on nearly every 2008 model year Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle
* HD Digital Radioâ„¢ can be installed on most currently-owned vehicles built in model years 2005, 2006 and 2007
* Ford's high-definition radio strategy builds on company's effort to be among the industry's leaders in delivering new automotive entertainment technologies

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept., 26, 2007 - Ford Motor Co. today became the first automaker to offer HD Digital Radio across multiple product lines. The dealer-installed high-definition radio option is now available nationwide on nearly all 2008 model year Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Additionally, HD Digital Radio can be installed on many earlier models from 2005, 2006 and 2007. As with SYNC, the extensive availability of HD Digital Radio furthers the company's ongoing efforts to deliver new entertainment technologies to automotive consumers.

"We believe HD Digital Radio will be an important part of Ford's commitment to delivering innovations with mass appeal," said Kim Irwin, Vehicle Personalization and Accessories manager for Ford's Customer Service Division. "We're helping our customers stay connected by supporting the features and functions they want in their vehicles. The dramatically improved audio, text and data features of HD Digital Radio - along with its hundreds of new radio stations - create a compelling combination at the right price."

HD Digital Radio dramatically increases the sound quality of radio broadcasts and enables more than one radio broadcast on a single channel. As a result, consumers hear a wide range of new HD2 multicast stations as well as their favorite radio stations in crystal clear digital sound with no monthly subscription fee. More than 1500 radio stations in the U.S. currently broadcast in HD digital sound, with more than 600 stations also airing HD2 multicasts.

HD Radio joins other new technologies - including SYNC - being offered in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles to make driving more enjoyable and convenient than ever before. Beginning immediately, HD Digital Radio will be available as a dealer-installed option on new, pre-owned and currently-owned vehicles. Price points will vary by dealership but, as always, HD Radio broadcasts carry no monthly subscription fee.

"Drivers have always had a love affair with their car radios," added Irwin. "HD Radio offers our dealers a triple threat: It differentiates their offerings from other brands; it lets them upgrade customer entertainment systems in a unique way; and it lets buyers of recent pre-owned vehicles as well as current vehicle owners share completely in the benefits. This is the kind of program that our dealers love to see."

To support the launch, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers will benefit from an aggressive, multi-million-dollar, 13-week, on-air radio marketing campaign in partnership with the HD Digital Radio Alliance. The commercials will air in 100 markets over some 700 radio stations beginning on September 26, 2007.

"In all of our discussions with auto makers, Ford has consistently demonstrated both the will and the resolve to be industry leaders in this arena," said Peter Ferrara, president and CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance. "Now that HD Radio is broadcasting across hundreds of local stations nationwide, partners who move early will gain the biggest advantage."

The HD Digital Radio Alliance is a joint initiative of leading radio broadcasters to accelerate the successful rollout of HD Digital Radio. Current members include major radio groups and independent station owners: Beasley Broadcast Group, Bonneville International, CBS Radio, Citadel Broadcasting / ABC Radio, Clear Channel Radio, Emmis Communications, Entercom, Greater Media and WBEB Philadelphia. For more information on HD Digital Radio, visit www.hdradio.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information about Ford products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.

[Arp2]

Reminder: QVC, tonight at 10....."Discover HD Radio"

What another freaking embarassment.......

"Is that a Heathkit?"

Honest to goodness, that was my thought.

And I seriously felt for the host.

You know when you go to a remote, you're not all that familiar with the store's offerings, and you're handed far too little info to fill the breaks....you know how that turns out? That was QVC from 10:01 (possibly an intentional late start) to 10:28 (probably an intentional early finish).

Three radios were offered.

The first was a $100+ "clock radio" that looked like it belonged in a child's room -- kinda small and with lots of shiny plastic. It looked almost like a dang toy.

The second was a $5-600 Polk -- okay, that one wasn't bad. But what were the big positives of it?? It's a DVD player, a CD player, an MP3 player, a single-box surround sound solution, and....an XM radio! Son of a............!

The third was a $210 clock/table radio -- that's the one that made me wonder if it was a Heathkit. It had a very clean exterior, but it was so clean that it made it look like a....well, kit. The display was a blurry mess...QVC tried and tried to make it visible (dimmed the lights, had the guest expert tilt it up and toward a camera, and took shots from different angles), but it could not be done. The display was an awful, awful, blurry mess.

No real radio signal was used for the demonstration.

The "dash-2" and "dash-3" stuff came off as very hard to understand. While they talked about "all the new content," for all viewers know, the "other signals" just loop weather on one and traffic on the other. Both being done by "Ron Radio" continuously, by the way.

The only time music was heard was when they demonstrated...the AM. For whatever reason, all the other demonstrations featured the human voice.

And the audio? Could you tell anything over tv?

Yes. You could tell it's artifact-y out the butt.


Just......sooooo......disappointed...............


By the way, there was no evidence that a single radio was sold. I'm sure one was, but there was no caller put on the air, no testimonials of any kind, and no "# sold" counts on the screen.

[Big Media]

Ask the average consumer what is HD Radio and I swear to god they will say either XM or Sirius.

[Bob Campbell]

I think we all know that HD radio is merely a myth perpetrated upon an unsuspecting public by the same clandestine government agency responsible for "AM stereo".

[Ace Purple]

"Option!" Not "equipped!"

Point taken. I misread the release; that is not anywhere near as positive a move as I had thought for HD Radio.

[AmpedNow]

Ask the average consumer what is HD Radio and I swear to god they will say either XM or Sirius.

I actually hope that HD makes it (at least on FM). Even in smaller markets, think of all the secondary formats that could be ran on HD-2s and 3s... Anything from active rock to southern gospel.

However, the HD marketing campaign has been nothing short of a disaster. This tech is now 5 years old and the mass public still either doesn't know what it is, or thinks it's something else. It's pretty amazing when you think about how much those HD ads have been playing in the major markets. Goes to show how much people "actively" listen to the radio.

Which brings me to WV radio...

Is anyone even trying to promote this technology? Or is it a already a lost cause in small markets? I never hear anybody talking about it anywhere. This leads me to believe that the HD awareness rate in WV is nonexistent.

But just about everybody is aware of XM and Sirius. I see those little antennas everywhere.

[AmpedNow]

double post

[Force Commander]

I think we all know that HD radio is merely a myth perpetrated upon an unsuspecting public by the same clandestine government agency responsible for "AM stereo".

You must mean the same clandestine government agency responsible for destroying a perfectly good product in the super bonehead way they regulated it to death. Stereo AM does sound pretty good, a lot better and easier to receive than this HD radio pig in a poke crap. With the nighttime interference problems, I suspect this will eventually die of it's own death. Leonard Kahn has a on band digital system that doesn't cause off channel interference, too bad the big boys of this won't give it a look. Oh well.

http://www.wrathofkahn.org/

[Hoosier Daddy]

http://www.wrathofkahn.org/

Great info. The Kahn folks need to stop letting someone's 11 year old nephew serve as webmaster for this great mission. That website looks like it's straight out of GeoCities 1995.