Audacy (WGRs owner) eliminates most HD music channels

[PromoTheRobot]

https://www.fybush.com/nerw-20230227/

 

Do you listen to, or are even aware of, the HD Radio function in your car, or some home radios? It allows local stations to have multiple digital subchannels. So one radio station becomes two, three or even four.

 

Audacy, the massive media company that owns WGR, happens to be on the verge of bankruptcy. So in a cost-cutting move, they have eliminated all HD digital channels that play music. Why? Because it costs money to pay for music rights on those subchannels.

 

Scott Fybush publishes the weekly Northeast Radio Watch. While it's a subscription service the first story of the week is free, and this week it fits into details of which HD music channels went away, including several in Buffalo and Rochester.

Edited February 27, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[US Egg]

Like dinosaurs, radio, local and national broadcast TV and print media, are going extinct.

[PromoTheRobot]

3 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

Like dinosaurs, radio, local and national broadcast TV and print media, are going extinct.

 

Which is terrible. It severely limits your sources for information.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

NERW has always been a valuable resource on the web for news from broadcast media.

[Nextmanup]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Which is terrible. It severely limits your sources for information.

And what will be left will be owned by about 6 entities.  Actually, I think we are there NOW.

 

It's creepy as hell.

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

21 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

And what will be left will be owned by about 6 entities.  Actually, I think we are there NOW.

 

It's creepy as hell.

 

 

And I lived through it. When I started in broadcasting the ownership cap was 7 AM, 7 FM and 7 TV, with limits on how much you could have in one market. (No cross ownership with newspapers, for example.) Then it went to 14, then 21, then, can't own more than half the stations in a market, then we stopped paying attention.

[Jrb1979]

It's why I listen to Satellite radio. Other then Sabres games or the odd time on my way to work I rarely listen to regular radio anymore. 

[Just Jack]

I was aware of the HD channels being available, but I primarily listen to SiruisXM. Been a subscriber since Christmas 2002. 

 

[WotAGuy]

I had Sirius with a new car purchase, but didn’t like it much.  I created a Spotify playlist with 525 hours of my favorite music and put it on shuffle. If I want to hear something new, I stream WFUV. It’s an old school radio station with enjoyable DJs. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

On 2/27/2023 at 9:11 AM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Which is terrible. It severely limits your sources for information.

And it creates more inequality in society. 

[T&C]

I miss the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre... 

[Buffalo Super Fan]

On 2/27/2023 at 1:15 PM, Jrb1979 said:

It's why I listen to Satellite radio. Other then Sabres games or the odd time on my way to work I rarely listen to regular radio anymore. 

Agreed I didn’t even listen to Howard Simon’s goodbye show because I haven’t listened to local radio in years because it’s old news. I saw every game now live so I don’t have to have a reporter eyes as my set of eyes through newspapers, television reporters or radio. I don’t see any of these ever being relevant again because of the technology. That is why I think the owners of these properties are basically buying a company that used to be big like horse and buggies before cars. Or drive in movies or Blockbuster Video before Netflix and Disney plus in my opinion. Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo