READER QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

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.