HD Radio Alliance Readies Q3 Campaign

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 6/25/2009

Orlando — The HD Digital Radio Alliance heads into the third quarter with a new consumer ad campaign that continues to emphasize HD Radio’s sound quality and ability to tune into more local radio stations, but the campaign’s radio ads will also promote the availability of the first portable HD Radios later on in the quarter, the alliance said.

The new campaign launches Monday, June 29, and runs for 13 weeks on more than 600 radio stations in the top 100 markets. The alliance is a joint initiative of major radio broadcasters to accelerate the rollout of HD Digital Radio.

Later in the quarter, the alliance “will advertise specific new portable devices for sale when they hit retail stores,” a spokesperson said. They presumably would include the new Microsoft Zune portable media player announced earlier by Microsoft and at least one other portable device that HD Radio developer iBiquity said would be available this year.

The new campaign, described as “light, fun and very informative,” introduces radio airwave explorer Jean Luc Tuner, who “discovers the beauty of upgrading to HD Radio technology — more stations for free,” the alliance said. They also explain, “If you don’t have an HD Radio, you’re not hearing HD Radio.”