The HD Radio Digital Alliance marked its third anniversary today, summing up its success in making consumers aware of HD Radio technology. "When we began putting the pieces in place for the Alliance in the fall of 2005, there was little attention being paid to HD Radio and the industry lacked a plan to make it a reality. There were only a few HD stations on the air, no automakers offered an HD Radio and no national retailers carried receivers," said Peter Ferrara, President/CEO of the HD Digital Radio Alliance. "Today, it is gratifying to know how far we’ve come in three short years. While there is still much to do, this has been an unprecedented effort with unparalleled success within the radio industry. It’s a testament to what broadcasters can achieve when the industry comes together with a clear purpose and mission."

Also, the Alliance has announced that effective January 1, 2009, Ferrara will move to a new position as Strategic Advisor. Diane Warren, EVP of the Alliance and head of its marketing campaign, will rise to become its new President.

The Alliance has also announced that it has met its major goals for programming, and all restrictions on programming and revenue for HD-2 side channels have been lifted. It has also announced that all member broadcasters have pledged to preserve local diversity and consumer choice in their HD-2 content, as well as the clutter-free nature of the programming.

"We set out three years ago, in part, to do something revolutionary with radio programming – create and nurture the first new set of radio broadcasts since FM," said Ferrara. "And we’ve succeeded: we’ve fielded the technology; we’ve rolled out the broadcasts nationwide; we’ve created consumer choice and diversity; and we’ve restricted commercial content. It’s now time to place more control and priority in the hands of our industry’s outstanding local market managers, general managers and program directors. We’ve planted the seeds and now it’s time for our industry to roll up its sleeves and make this garden grow."

"There's no question that our business commitment to HD2 programming in Detroit has reaped clear benefits for our FM stations in terms of driving audience," said Peter Smyth, President/CEO of Greater Media. "Whether we've used the 'extension' programming strategy or the 'complementary' strategy, we've seen real and tangible business benefits to investing in quality HD2 programming." "The real driver for HD Radio's success is diverse and compelling content," said Mark Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications. "Aggressive and direct marketing is now key to accelerating interest, listening and ultimately, demand."