New Trend? Cincy Station Uses Net Station for HD Channel

The CINCINNATI POST reports that the city's public radio station WXVU will begin airing Net radio station (and former terrestrial Alternative) WOXY.COM on one of its HD side channels on MONDAY (9/3).

Regarding WOXY's new avenue of exposure, WOXY.COM GM BRYAN MILLER told the POST that "I see it as the perfect test run of a multicast channel to see what sort of legs it has. We have a built-in audience. There is a pent-up demand in the market for alternative rock."

If the move proves successful, it will enable terrestrial radio stations to program unique content off the NET for its HD format, which is struggling to catch on.

Those who say it's another technological scam or gizmo are right, if the majority of stations are just doing what they normally do. It's going to be content that drives people to tune in and buy the radios

In a sense, both parties are not in the best of shape. WOXY went off the Net until a West Coast website invested in it. HD radio, on the other hand, has been showing less growth (according to a BRIDGE RATINGS study, among others) than satellite radio and Net radio. Critics cite the prevalence of jukebox-type HD side channels as a reason for the seemingly stunted growth.

"Those who say it's another technological scam or gizmo are right, if the majority of stations are just doing what they normally do," said CINCINNATI PUBLIC RADIO CEO RICHARD EISWERTH. "It's going to be content that drives people to tune in and buy the radios. WOXY.COM offers something different for a significant subset of the Cincinnati audience."

"Most of the innovation going on in the HD radio space is really being driven by public broadcasters," MILLER said. "A lot of commercial broadcasters don't know what to do with it. I don't think they are actually looking for more outlets for more programming. I think they want to produce less programming."

The POST reports that "EISWERTH wants to develop a business partnership with WOXY.com that would include each station marketing memberships, contributions and underwriting between the two."

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