Local Current now available on HD radio

​Less than a month after the Current launched its 24-hour stream Local Current, the station has announced that they will be broadcasting the new station on HD radio, making it more widely accessible than the initial web-only stream.

For those not HD-savvy (us included), this means that anyone that owns a radio equipped with an HD receiver can tune their dial to 89.3 HD2, making it possible for Local Current to be heard in the car, on the go, or at home without having to rely on a computer or steady internet connection. For more details, check out this HD radio info page, which also lists all of the available HD stations broadcast by MPR.

The station says that the decision to push Local Current onto HD was the result of an overwhelmingly positive response to the stream so far. Thankfully, the minor scuffles and hubbub that arose when Local Current launched have died down in the past month. Critics of the new stream were fearful that Local Current would give 89.3 the Current an excuse to sequester local music into a stream that was separate from their regular programming, but the stream hasn't had any noticably adverse affects on the radio station. If anything, it's given the DJs and program director Jim McGuinn an opportunity to delve deeper into the local community and familiarize themselves with the diverse and plentiful talent in our own backyard, and therefore help others to do the same.