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. In the earlier 2000s, the company's engineers tested its In-Band, On-Channel (IBOC) technology with AM and FM stations across the country.

iBiquity Milestones

2005

January: 22 of the leading radio broadcast groups announce commitments to convert 2,000 AM & FM stations to digital.
April: 300th station on-air: WQHT-FM, New York
May: Chicago’s WUSN-FM 99.5 becomes first commercial broadcaster to continuously program an HD Radio multicast channel.
June: 400th station on-air: KTDK-FM, Dallas.
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)
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.
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.
New HD Radio receivers debut from Alpine, Boston Acoustics, Eclipse and Sanyo, and Yamaha.

2004

January: First HD Radio product, a Kenwood KTC-HR100 tuner, is sold to Nathan Franzen at an Ultimate Electronics store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
May: 100th station on-air: WDTW-FM, Detroit
Panasonic and JVC debut HD Radio products for vehicles.
Clear Channel Radio, Entercom, and Cox Radio announce plans to install HD Radio technology on more than 1,200 combined stations.
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.

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.