When is a story not quite a story?
A trade publication outside of radio this week reported that JD Power and Associates had conducted a 2008 study on how satisfied new car owners are with their satellite radio and HD Radios, saying in a survey of 19,000 consumers who purchased or leased a new vehicle in the past five years, nearly 31 percent said they have satellite radio in their car, while 5 percent have HD Radio.
Of that 5%, 55 percent of those were factory-installed, compared to 22% in 2007. That figure is expected to increase, given the recent announcements by automakers about 2010 and 2011 plans.
Yes, but: These figures are nearly a year old, according to a JD Power spokesman I subsequently contacted. Also, the survey was taken before the economy tanked, so I’m not sure how relevant the numbers are now.
While the story in question did not actually state that the figures are new, a reader would logically assume so. The JD Power guy said he’s not sure why the story was running this week; he told me his company did not release anything to do with car audio this week.
You’ll notice I’m not naming the publication; this was either an oversight, or something was new about this that I’m not seeing.
