Ibiquity Incentive Plan Praised

Transmitter manufacturer Broadcast Electronics thinks the latest incentive plan from Ibiquity Digital will be successful.
“One of our concerns going into 2003 was whether or not the momentum of December would carry into the first quarter of this year, or whether we would be faced with a lull in HD Radio activity,” said BE’s Tim Bealor.
“We feel that the aggressive position of the receiver manufacturers at the CES show, along with the number of stations that have purchased equipment to date and the reinstatement of a license incentive, should help keep things rolling.”
Separately, Clear Channel engineering executive Jeff Littlejohn called it a “smart initiative” for Ibiquity. At present, eight Clear Channel stations have signed HD-R agreements. “We only have a plan for those eight stations at this point … so our dealing is essentially done, for now.”
Ibiquity announced this week that the first 125 for-profit, commercial stations to sign up after Feb. 1 will have their one-time fee for the audio license limited to $5,000. Meanwhile, any non-commercial, non-profit stations that sign up by June 30 will have that fee waived.
BE also laid out its product plans for the April NAB show, saying it will introduce “the industry’s broadest line” of HD Radio transmission products in Las Vegas.