Introduction

What is PSD? 


Program Service Data, or PSD, is the industry term for the two 64-character fields of text that appear in a window on every HD Radio.  At a minimum, a PSD stream can describe what’s currently playing on the air—a basic consumer expectation in the digital media world. 

But PSD can also be used to support a variety of other station priorities (such as forward promotion, fundraising, branding, traffic/weather, or emergency broadcast messages) during both program broadcast and interstitial programming.   PSD strategies can potentially support the work—and possibly affect the workload—of several departments at your station.  Visit our flash animations to see a simulation of various PSD applications.

 

PSD should not be confused with SIS (Station Information Service) fields, which also appear on your listeners’ HD Radios.  SIS text is static, and is typically used to display call letters and frequency.  PSD can be updated as frequently as you desire and your resources permit.  

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