Greater Media Inc. has announced details of its HD2 multicast channels in the New Jersey market. HD radio is a digital signal that provides CD-quality sound and has the ability to display more text information than a traditional radio. It eliminates the static, hiss, pop and fades associated with analog signals, so AM-band broadcasts sound like FM, and FM-band broadcasts have digital CD-like quality.
Greater Media New Jersey will now be able to double its program offerings to WDHA-FM and WMGQ-FM listeners in the New Jersey market with an HD radio by providing a wide variety of free multicast channels.
WDHA 2 Live Rock Format – “WDHA Live” is the name of the station’s new HD2 station. With the rich rock history and the archive of live and studio performances that WDHA has at its disposal, this will be a great complement to its main format.
WMGQ 2 Triple A Format – “Over Easy” will be the name of WMGQ-FM’s HD2 station. This side channel will offer an acoustic channel, featuring singer-songwriters along with folk and unplugged versions of a variety of artists, ranging from Eric Clapton to Joni Mitchell.
HD2 formats for Greater Media’s other New Jersey-based properties will be announced shortly. The company currently has HD2 Multicast channels in the Boston, Detroit and Philadelphia markets.
“HD Radio is the future of the radio industry. As a company, Greater Media is very excited to be able to offer this cutting-edge technology to the people of New Jersey,” said Peter Smyth, president and CEO of Greater Media Inc.
Smyth serves on the Oversight Management Committee of the HD Digital Radio Alliance, a joint initiative of leading radio broadcasters focused on accelerating the successful roll-out of HD digital radio.
“We are thrilled to be able to unveil the formats for our HD2 Multicast channels,” said Dan Finn, vice president and market manager of Greater Media New Jersey. “This state-of-the-art technology will provide our listeners with even more great musical choices to hear in the New Jersey market, without any subscription fee.”
“The ‘Live Rock’ and ‘Over Easy’ formats we have chosen for WDHA and WMGQ’s multicast channels will provide listeners with new options in listening that were not truly available before in the market,” said Buzz Knight, vice president of program development for Greater Media Inc.
A buyers’ guide for HD radio and a complete list of national retailers selling HD radios are available to consumers at www.hdradio.com.
WDHA and WMGQ are owned and operated by Greater Media New Jersey, a subsidiary of Greater Media Inc., parent company of 19 AM and FM radio stations in the Boston, Detroit, New Jersey and Philadelphia markets. It also owns a modern printing plant and a group of weekly newspapers in central New Jersey as well as several telecommunications towers located throughout the United States.