Unfortunately, RDS is barely in play at all in the U.S. in any case. Lots of stations use it only to identify themselves on the relatively few car radios that have it. The AF (alternative frequency) feature — essential in other countries — is not implemented at all in the U.S. Nor do car radios support it, far as I know. That’s because RDS came along at a time when most stations in the U.S. had only one signal on one frequency. Now that many stations are found on multiple frequencies, spread around a region, the U.S. is much more like, say, Europe. It would make sense for U.S. stations to start using RDS, and for sellers of U.S. radios to use it as well. But I don’t see that happening. Everybody’s waiting for HD radio to take care of business. But it’s a proprietary and compromised system with little support by radio makers, little awareness by listeners, and no mandate by regulators. So don’t expect much to happen there, either.

I noticed, with a station I worked with in Scotland last year, that when its RDS identification wasn’t being broadcast we couldn’t find a car radio which could see the station at all.

Even though it’s optional in the UK, that’s five hundred pounds you evidently don’t want to scrimp on.

Just curious whether anything similar’s in play there.