New Radio Station Offers High Definition Sound

A new radio station went on the air in Bartlesville last week, offering classical music in a completely modern way. It's one of the new and one of the few HD radio stations. That's a new kind of

Friday, June 8th 2007, 10:06 am

By: News On 6

A new radio station went on the air in Bartlesville last week, offering classical music in a completely modern way. It's one of the new and one of the few HD radio stations. That's a new kind of digital broadcasting. The News on 6â€™s Emory Bryan reports some stations use the technology to simulcast, but the Bartlesville station is using it to offer something new.

From one building in Bartlesville, four traditional radio stations are broadcasting, and now there is a new group of digital radio stations there too. It's a technology called HD radio that gives traditional broadcasters and their listeners a new choice.

"From a business standpoint, we basically gain another station, so there's another station licensed to Bartlesville now," said station owner Kevin Potter.

Potter spent $220,000 to launch the latest HD radio channel, which is the first one here that offers alternative programming, classical music.

"It's here and it's the future,â€ Potter said. â€œSome people are fighting it, and some people are embracing it, but I feel like it's the future of radio, so we've embraced it."

And Potter has embraced it to the point that he's giving away some of the digital receivers so advertisers can hear their own commercials. It's so new that few people have HD receivers, but they're becoming more available at more affordable prices.

"I know people are listening, because I've talked to people who said â€˜hey, I found it in the carâ€™," said operations manager Charlie Taraboletti.

The technology allows the station to display text on the radio receivers and is a dramatic improvement over the current standard of radio broadcasts.

"HD radio for anybody is crystal clarity,â€ Taraboletti said. â€œIt makes AM sound like FM stereo would on your regular radio, and for FM, it's the CD quality or better, studio quality sound."

Radio stations are beginning to add these digital channels, which is most cases is the same programming that's already on the air, just in better quality.

Watch the video: High Definition Sound For A New Radio Station

To listen to the HD broadcast, click here and for more information about HD radio, click here.