MSNBC pitches woo for HD Radio in a recent article, "Making Waves: HD Radio tunes up broadcasters' options for listeners", which makes HD Radio sound like a panacea for broadcasters and listeners alike. I'm not buying it, and I'm the kind of consumer that would easily be an early adopter of the technology if it were warranted.

Sure, HD Radio, if widely adopted and massaged, will be an amazing advance in the world of broadcasting, and in many ways it already is in Europe. Adding channel room to crowded markets, supplemented with RDS to warn us of traffic tie-ups and slippery conditions, HD Radio will be the answer to a dying FM radio market.

Or should I say, could have been. The above scenario could turn out, but it's likely not to. With satellite radio dominating the hive mind, many people instantly think satellite when you mention digital radio. Marketing has already conditioned the public to a wide range of choices, and the need to pay a monthly subsciption cost to get them. Digital=Pay when it comes to radio in the minds of most consumers, and that perception is going to be hard to overcome.

Auto makers are already integrating SIRIUS and XM, while HD is hard to come by in new model options. Before you run right out and buy an HD set at the behest of MSNBC, take a minute to surveil your local programming options, I'll bet they are far from robust.

Clearchannel is making a $100 Million dollar bet on HD in the top 75 US markets. It remains to be seen whether once they build it, anyone will come listen.