MUMBAI: HD Digital Radio Alliance, a joint initiative of leading radio broadcasters to accelerate the rollout of HD Radio, announced that 1,000 multicast stations are now being broadcast on-air and 100 SKUs are available at retail.

"In this economic environment, being able to receive all these extra stations around the country for free is immensely appealing," says HD Digital Radio Alliance president Diane Warren. "We intend to continue to educate and inform radio consumers and listeners about HD Radio, the new free stations, and the devices with the new radio advertising campaign in 100 markets on over 700 stations."

Starting this week, the Alliance will launch its new on-air ad campaign, aimed at educating consumers that a new receiver is needed to enjoy the HD experience. Positioned as 'If you don't have an HD, you're not hearing HD. It's time to upgrade', the messaging reinforces the need for a radio upgrade in order to hear the digital quality sound and new stations.

The campaign will direct consumers to the homepage of HDRadio to view the station and buyer's guide. The home page of HDRadio.com will have scrolling 'MY DEALS' so that consumers can view bargains on receivers at various retailers.

With the rise in the number of digital stations, the number of receivers has also gone up. However, the price has gone down with units now available for as little as $79.