Company History

By the early 1990s, the digital revolution was firmly underway, as embodied initially by the success of the compact disc. Understanding the need for radio to keep pace with this rapidly evolving landscape, CBS, Gannett, and Westinghouse formed USA Digital Radio Partners), in 1991 to explore opportunities for digital AM and FM radio. Following several years of testing and development, the In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) method of broadcasting was completed to enable digital signals to travel the airwaves alongside traditional analog signals. IBOC remains the underlying principle behind today's HD Radio technology. By 1998, with backing from 15 of the nation's leading broadcast groups, USADR was spun out as a separate company. Two years later, USADR secured $40 million in additional funding from strategic partners and venture capital firms. The company eventually merged with Lucent Digital Radio in 2000, forming iBiquity Digital Corporation.

The iBiquity Digital Corporation mission is to drive forward the consumer mass adoption of HD Radio Technology in the United States and other countries worldwide. We are achieving our mission through close working partnerships with a wide variety of comapnies who operate in the AM/FM broadcasting, IC Development, Software, Manufacturing, Consumer Electronics, Automotive OEM, Retail and Mobility industries.

iBiquity Milestones

2011

May: Audi A& featuring HD Radio Technology. The A7 now in showrooms, offers HD Radio Technology.
March: Ford Focus with HD Radio Technology arrives in dealerships. HD Radio receiver included in the My Ford Touch system.
January: First automotive aftermarket HD Radio built-in products from Alpine. Iconic brand joins other market leaders with strong commitment to built-in HD Radio Technology products for the auto aftermarket category.
January: Toyota Motor Sales announces the launch of HD Radio Technology in 2012 Model Year vehicles. Toyota will be the first OEM to offer the iTunes® Tagging feature on all radios that include HD Radio Technology.

2010

December: Volkswagen expands HD Radio Technology commitment. VW Announces that all 2012 model year vehicles with touch-screen Premium VIII radios will be equipped with HD Radio receivers as standard equipment.
November: All new Ford Focus featuring HD Radio Technology arrives to showrooms. Featuring HD Radio Technology and iTunes Tagging, the all new Ford Focus offers state of the art HD Radio broadcast reception.
October: Insignia NS-HD02, first device with Artist Experience hits store shelves. New from the Insignia brand, the NS-HD02 is first radio receiver to offer the Artist Experience feature.
September: Artist Experience announced. Images Come to Broadcast Radio Via HD Radio™ Technology. Artist Experience is the latest Advanced Service for consumers. Designed to add visual entertainment to the digital audio and data services
HD Radio Technology already delivers, the feature will appear at retail on the first consumer device beginning October, 2010.
July: ST Microelectronics HD Radio chipset certified. ST Microelectronics becomes the third OEM Automotive Industrial grade Integrated Circuitry (IC) Developer to receive certification, thereby increasing the range of solutions OEM Automotive and Auto Aftermarket brands can utilize.
June: Three Million Unit Sales Volume passed. iBiquity announces that more than 3 Million HD Radio enabled radio receivers have been sold to consumers since the technology was first commercialized.
March: First Ever HD4 Channel Launches. CBS Radio creates the “FAN Sports Network,” the first four channel HD Radio digital multicast station in the country. WJFK-FM, 106.7 The Fan is now offering sports followers in the Washington, D.C. area subscription free access to some of CBS Radio’s biggest sports radio stations, including live content from New York’s WFAN (HD2), Philadelphia’s WIP (HD3) and Dallas’ WFAN (HD4).
January: Digital Broadcast Power Level Increases Approved. The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau adopts an order that will allow FM radio stations to increase digital broadcast power levels from 1 percent of analog power to up to 10 percent of analog power levels. The change will boost digital signal coverage via FM Stations immediate ability to increase digital power by 6dB, a four-fold power increase. Stations can apply for digital power increases up to 10 dB.
January: First Device to feature Journaline launches. JVC Mobile Electronics KW-NT3HDT Navigation Receiver, is first to include the Journaline News & Information service, an always on, subscription free real-time information service.
January: First Real Time Traffic Device Launched. JVC Mobile Electronics introduces the KW-NT3HDT Navigation Receiver, the first to include HD Total Traffic.

2009

May: Microsoft announces HD Radio technology will be featured on its new Zune HD
May: Panama Officially Adopts HD Radio technology as its digital standard
April: Land Rover announces that it will offer factory-installed HD Radio technology, bringing to 13 the number of automotive brands offer HD Radio reception
March: Merceds-Benz announces expanded commitment to HD Radio technolgy
March: Over 1,000 multicast HD2/HD3 channels are on the air
January: Kia announces it will offer factory installed HD Radio technology
January: Clear Channel launches real-time traffic service via HD Radio technology
January: over 100 unique HD Radio SKUs are available at approximately 14,000 retail outlets

2008

November: Volvo makes HD Radio technology standard on 2009 model vehicles
October: New low-power, low-cost, light-weight HD Radio chipsets become available
October: 1.5 Million HD Radio chips shipped to date
October: 1 Million HD Radio modules manufactured to date
October: 100 HD Radio products certified by iBiquity digital
September: Sony debuts HD Radio iPod/iPhone dock with iTunes Tagging capability
September: ESPN Radio HD launches on-demand service for HD2/HD3 channels
August: Mercedes Benz announces HD Radio technology to be factory installed in vehicles
July: Manufacturer suggested retail prices for HD Radio prices dip below $100
June: Hyundai Genesis announces it will offer factory-installed
June: Clear Channels offers iTunes Tagging on 700 HD1/2 channels
June: ESPN Radio introduces content delivery system for HD Radio broadcasters
May: Mexico authorizes transition to HD Radio broadcasting for stations within 320 kilometers of American boarder
April: Scion announces that it will offer factory-installed HD Radio technology
January: Ford to offer factory-installed HD Radio technology in Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury
January: Jim Spencer named new Chief Financial Officer, iBiquity Digital Corporation.

2005

December: HD Digital Radio Alliance formed
December: The year ends with more than 600 HD Radio broadcasters on the air, over 40 stations offering multicast channels and 2,600 additional stations in the process of converting to HD Radio technology.
December: New HD Radio receivers debut from Alpine, Boston Acoustics, Eclipse and Sanyo, and Yamaha
October: BMW announces that it will be the first auto manufacturer to offer factory-installed HD Radio receivers beginning with 2006 6 and 7 Series models.
October: The first HD Radio rebate program is launched in October through eBay. January: 22 of the leading radio broadcast groups announce commitments to convert 2,000 AM & FM stations to digital.
July: The first HD Radio home product – the Yamaha RX-V4600 – hits store shelves in July.
July: 500th station on-air: WCRZ-FM, Flint MI (July 15) April: 300th station on-air: WQHT-FM, New York
June: 400th station on-air: KTDK-FM, Dallas.
May: Chicago’s WUSN-FM 99.5 becomes first commercial broadcaster to continuously program an HD Radio multicast channel.
January: 22 leading radio broadcast groups announce commitments to convert 2,000AM and FM stations to digital HD Radio technology

2004

December: 200 th station on-air: KJZI-FM, Minneapolis
December: iBiquity closes a $30 million Series C round of funding led by New Venture Partners, Grotech Capital Group, J.P. Morgan Partners, Gannett Co. and Pequot Capital.
May: Panasonic and JVC debut HD Radio products for vehicles.
May: 100th station on-air: WDTW-FM, Detroit
May: Clear Channel Radio, Entercom, and Cox Radio announce plans to install HD Radio technology on more than 1,200 combined stations.
January: First HD Radio product, a Kenwood KTC-HR100 tuner, is sold to Nathan Franzen at an Ultimate Electronics store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

2003

WDMK-FM Detroit station, KISS 102.7 FM, becomes first radio station in the U.S. to commercially broadcast with HD Radio technology on January 7.
iBiquity introduces its HDC codec (technology used to transmit a digital signal) with enhanced fidelity for both AM and FM.
In September, Kenwood ships first HD Radio commercial product in anticipation of January 2004 launch.

2002

Test results from NRSC-sponsored tests demonstrate the AM HD Radio system will deliver FM-like sound quality to the band. The findings set the stage for FCC approval of the HD Radio system later in the year.
Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle are identified as the initial target markets for the HD Radio rollout.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorizes commencement of HD Radio broadcasts.
Radio-One, Inc., the nation's seventh largest radio broadcaster, becomes the first group to make a corporate commitment to convert stations to HD Radio technology.

2001

iBiquity raises $45 million in additional capital.
Results from independently verified laboratory and field tests conducted in conjunction with the National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC) confirm that iBiquity’s digital FM radio system significantly outperforms analog FM radio in terms of audio quality and reception.
Kenwood Corporation becomes the first manufacturer to acquire a license to build HD Radio receivers.