REGARDING MY COVERAGE OF HD RADIO
Q: Are you still pursuing your FCC Complaint
that iBuiqity’s HD Radio system is a failure and does not service because so
few people are using it?
A: I am but there is nothing new to report. I’ve noticed
that my readership drops if I post too often about HD Radio. I don’t think many people care about HD Radio
– they given up on it. To most folks in the media biz, an HD Radio tuner should
be put in the same storage box as AM Stereo and FM Quad receivers. All are technologies that looked good in the
lab but failed to catch on with the public.
Most of messages about HD Radio have reached me via my
business email: publicradio@hotmail.com. Some are confidential from
“insiders” who have grievances or feel they have been burned. In my 40+ years in the biz I have never seen
such hard feelings expressed about a broadcasting technology and the way it was implimented:
COMMENT ONE: Are you aware that
there may be a restraint-of-trade issue in the "HD" radio mess? [confidential
company name], one of the two entities that merged to form Iniquity licensed
the earlier technology of a small silicon valley firm which was then called
Digital Radio Express, Inc. [“DRE”]
DRE went on to develop a
much better compatible digital system for the FM band under the trade name
"FMeXtra." The DRE system replaced the traditional analog SCA
carriers with digital SCA signals. FMeXtra did not interfere with adjacent-channel
stations. And it's coverage was much better than Iniquity's "HD"
And the system was not
only much cheaper to buy than "HD" -- it was also much, much cheaper
to operate, since it could use the same "Class C" finals used in
analog-only FM transmitters.
But that system was never
aggressively promoted as an alternative to "HD" FM, apparently
because of some sort of anti-disparagement clause, or perhaps even an arguably
illegal anti-competitive clause, in the licensing agreement between DRE and
Iniquity.
I don’t know enough about this situation to comment. But, delivering IBOC digital radio via
already existing subcarriers converted to digital seems logical. Advocates of DRE’s system says it sounds good
but I haven’t seen any independent analysis.
COMMENT TWO: One of the reasons no
one will echo your thoughts about HD Radio is the fact that iBiquity has spent
a ton of advertising money with industry publications. Have you seen all of shiny ads in Radio
World? iBiquity must be RW’s largest
advertiser.
From what I’ve seen, Radio World’s coverage of iBiquity and
HD has not been compromised by the ad buys.
I think the reason you don’t see much new about HD Radio (other than
iBiquity press releases) is that very, very few people care about HD Radio. They’ve moved on and Radio World wants to cover things readers care about.
REGARDING: “CHRISTIAN RADIO:
ONLY THE CHOIR IS LISTENING”
Q: I was surprised to see that
only four of the top ten Christian Contemporary Music [“CCM”] stations are in the South. I thought most
Evangelicals live below the Mason-Dixon line.
A: CCM stations perform differently than old-school
Christian stations. A large proportion of Christian “teaching” (sermons, talk
shows, etc.) and gospel music stations are in the South. CCM stations seem to perform best in markets with
lots of yuppie women – that is who CCM stations target.
Thank you for reading and sending comments. I love doing this blog and I am always
looking for ways to improve it.
I'm not really a fan of HD Radio but it has its uses. We're making good use of HD on our WRNI-FM by leasing an HD2 to mvyradio.com. They use it to feed their translator in nearby Newport RI, which needed a new primary when they sold their old 92.7 signal (now WBUA). They do have a new primary FM out on the Vineyard again, but it's on the same freq as WJMF in Smithfield/Providence and there's no way the Newport location can receive the new WMVY on 88.7.
ReplyDeleteIt works out fairly well for all involved. RIPR makes a few bucks a year off the deal, and we're helping out a fellow non-comm station that we happen to like a lot.
But there's no question this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't the CE of RIPR because the actual owner of the translator is former employer, current mentor and good friend of mine. Fortunate coincidence for all involved, but kinda limits the utility of this situation to be analogous to anyone else.
Still, leasing an HD2 to feed an analog translator is certain a good way to make use of HD Radio. I'm well aware of how "weak" that sounds given the original purpose of HD Radio, of course. :)