READER COMMENTS: WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN HD RADIO HATER?

REGARDING COVERAGE OF HD LEMONS & INSTANT FM LEMONADE

I received a confidential message from a well-known and highly regarded consulting engineer:

Geez Ken, why such an HD Radio hater?

I sent this reply:

I am not an HD Hater.  I am a realist.  I approach this like I was a GM at a station looking for what works.  HD channels are a great way to feed FM xlators.  Since the FCC opened this path to FM for HD operators, why not use it.  If you were at WFIU would you wait and wait for HD Radio to get a life or do something (like creating a new INSTANT FM station that could help your business now?  Ken.

And I received this message back:

Ken thanks for the clarification. I wouldn’t wait, and I’d probably do something similar to what Steve Yasko did: An HD2 channel devoted to Baltimore bands and make the thing intensely local. Then I’d build a consortium to buy a bunch of portable HD Radio receivers and give ‘em away.

I would also look at iHeart Media’s use of HD Radio data and see what I could do to rent some of my data bandwidth to at least break even on the HD Radio equipment upkeep.

NEW INSTANT FM STATION COMING TO DULUTH

American Public Media (“APM”) is buying FM translator W215CG 90.9 FM from a religious broadcaster for $45,000. According to the paperwork filed with the FCC, 90.9 FM will repeat APM’s WCSD HD2 channel that airs The Current.  Here is W215CG’s coverage:

This will be competition for Duluth’s Triple A station KUMD. WSCD HD2 also feeds The Current to INSTANT FM STATIONS in Ely and Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

REGARDING ONGOING COVERAGE OF KUSP, SANTA CRUZ

 

In my column on 6/26/15 KUSP RECEIVES ANONYMOUS $100,000 DONATION [link] I wrote:

The last-minute entry of an interested person with a bag full of cash is odious and not worthy of an organization that seeks the public’s trust.

Aaron Read commented:

I think this is a definite possibility but I think one could just as easily view it from the other direction: there's a definite number of extremely wealthy people living in and around Santa Cruz/Monterey. Like, people for whom $100k is pocket change. It's entirely possible one of them just doesn't want KUSP to disappear overnight and is giving them enough time to get their act together.

Would it have been much, much better if KUSP could've used the $100k as a "challenge grant" concept to launch a massive capital campaign to help fix their problems? Of course it would, but the impression I've had is that time is a luxury they don't have…

And, a comment from a confidential source close to KUSP:

I do not know who the donor is and it's driving me crazy! But I am reliably told the gift was prompted by dismay over the behavior of the leaders of the KUSP Forward group [led by] a former employee who, to put it kindly, had anger issues…

NEW INSTANT FM STATIONS: OPPORTUNITIES IN MEMPHIS, KNOXVILLE & ALBUQUERQUE

I received quite a few inquiries from public radio station folks who are interested In turning their HD LEMONS into new FM stations. Several NPR stations have done this or have made plans to it such as WHQR, Wilmington, WUFT, Gainesville and WFIU, Bloomington, Indiana [click to see yesterday’s column].

Some of the folks who inquired have said that they don’t think FM translators can cover enough area to be a for-real FM station.  This is true in some locations. But changing FCC rules and sophisticated signal planning are allowing broadcasters in much of the US to make INSTANT FM possible.

Today we will look at three hypothetical opportunities for new public radio stations in Memphis, Knoxville and Albuquerque. This is 30,000 feet consulting and doesn’t account for unique factors on the ground. I am not an attorney or a RF engineer (though I still have my First Phone from back in the day.) Corrections on this information are welcome.

THE BASICS

This discussion concerns what the FCC calls Non-Fill-In translators – ones that operate outside of the coverage area of their primary stations. An FM translator can be owned by almost anyone who is a US citizen. They may not originate local programming except in a few places such as rural Alaska. They MUST repeat an AM or FM station. Since 2010, FM translators can repeat HD channels.

No FCC prior approval is needed when a translator changes the primary station. According to FCC rules:

If the licensee of an FM translator station wants to change the primary station being rebroadcast, it may do so without prior authority from the Commission.  If the translator is owned by an entity other than the owner of the new primary FM station, the owner must secure the permission of the primary station to rebroadcast its programming before commencing operation.

Complete FCC rules for FM translators are at [link].

In most locations an FM translator can broadcast a maximum effective-radiated-power (“ERP”) of 250 watts. Power varies by the height of the tower location.  Height is usually the most important factor

MEMPHIS

[I love Memphis.  My favorite PRPD conference was held there in 1999 at the Peabody Hotel.]

WKNO is the only major public radio outlet. It programs a dual format: NPR News and Classical in nearly equal blocks of time. This is often a balancing act. Observers say that WKNO is an under-performing NPR station.  Here is the top-line data from May 2015 Nielsen Audio PPM report:

WKNO started HD2 and HD3 broadcasts in 2007.  There is no evidence I’ve seen of significant listening to either channel. This is an HD RADIO LEMON.

Suppose WKNO acquired (and maybe upgraded) an FM translator with coverage like W244BY FM 96.7:

Presto! WKNO has two FM stations, one with NPR News 24/7, the other with classical music 24/7.  Both news and music listeners would be overjoyed.

KNOXVILLE

Knoxville is a terrific university city with almost a million people.  WUOT has a dual format of NPR News and Classical.  It operates an HD2 channel without music success.

The most recent ratings info I could find in my files is an Arbitron report from Fall 2009:

71     Knoxville

                  WUOT        43     5.2    666   9.9             49     880   7.0

WOUT was doing pretty well then and I assume they are doing well now.  But things would be a lot better if they had two 24/7 FM stations specializing in NPR News and Classical for metro listeners.

Suppose WKNO acquired (and maybe upgraded) an FM translator with coverage like W264CJ FM 100.7:

Presto! Happy campers.

ALBUQUERQUE

There are two NPR News outlets in Albuquerque, sort of.  Both KUNM and KANW have multiple formats.  Both have a lot of listeners according to the Nielsen Audio Fall 2014 report:

KANW carries Morning Edition and other news programs until Noon.  Then, they air what they call New Mexico Spanish Music until the next morning. [New Mexico Spanish Music sounds like old-school Ranchero mixed with singer-songwriters – think Tish Hinojosa.]

KANW’s Spanish music gets LOTS of listeners and provides a valuable public service.  But KANW is really two radio stations.

KUNM carries Morning Edition and ATC.  The rest of the schedule is an eclectic mix of music, Community Radio warhorses like Democracy Now and plenty of freeform music chosen by each individual host.  We reported   why KUNM has lots of freeform [link].

Suppose KANW or KUNM acquired (and maybe upgraded) an FM translator with coverage like K255AQ FM 98.9:

ACT NOW: THE GOD SQUAD IS TAKING FM SPECTRUM AT A FAST PACE

Feel free to contact me at publicradio@hotmail.com for more information.

WFIU TURNING HD LEMON INTO FM LEMONDADE

WFIU is joining a growing list of NPR stations who are turning a liability (their HD2 channel) into an INSTANT FM STATION that will provide significant new public service. Like many stations in college markets, WFIU currently has a dual format: NPR News and Classical. With the new FM signal, WFIU will have the option of two 24/7 stations with distinct programming.

WFIU recently purchased FM translator W270BH – 101.9 FM for $45,000.  WFIU is upgrading 101.9 to 250 watts at 212 meters.  The translator will repeat WFIU’s HD2 channel.

Here is the projected coverage area for the new 101.9:

WFIU Program Director John Bailey said about the plan:

We are indeed taking our HD2 to analog, probably around the first of the year, via a newly acquired translator that will cover much of our primary county. We have not, though, determined what programming shifts might attend the change. That decision will be finalized in the months to come.

Looking at the Bloomington, Indiana radio dial, WFIU has several good options.  The only other local public radio voice is WFHB, a very well run community station that plays a tasty mix of Triple A music.

CASE STUDY: ORLANDO SHOWS WHAT IS POSSIBLE

WPOZ-FM is one of the top Christian Contemporary Music (“CCM”) stations in the nation. By putting their three HD channels on FM translators, they have created three INSTANT FM STATIONS.  One of them is 106.3 FM – repeating WPOZ-HD3.  It airs Gospel music 24/7 using the brand name G-106.3.  Here is the FM coverage area:

In the May 2015 Nielsen Audio PPM report for Orlando, G-106.3 had more weekly cumulative listeners than either NPR News WMFE or Jazz WUCF. (G-106.3 had 91,700 weekly listeners; WMFE had 87,600 and WUCF had 71,200. Source: Nielsen Audio & Radio Research Consortium.)

OTHER CPB FUNDED STATIONS WITH HD-TO-FM INSTANT FM OUTLETS

WHQR, WILMINGTON, NC

HQR Classical is now on-the-air at 96.7 and both classical and NPR News listeners are happy to have 24/7 service.  We reported on WHQR on June 17^th [link].

WUFT, Gainesville, FL

WUFT will debut a new live classical music service on 92.1 FM this fall. This will allow 24/7 NPR News on 89.1 FM and 24/7 classical on 92.1. We reported on WUFT on June 15^th [link].

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA

WMVY FM 88.7 FM is now on-the-air with Triple A music 24/7 via Rhode Island Public Radio’s HD2 channel.  We reported on this INSTANT FM STATION on April 3, 2015. [link].

WASHINGTON, DC

WAMU’s HD2 Bluegrass & Country has over 30,000 weekly cumulative listeners via FM 105.5. We reported on FM 105.5 on January 14, 2015 [link].

ATTENTION CPB: LEAD THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSTANT FM STATIONS NOW

Many stations started HD Radio channels because of grants from CPB.  These stations are tied to long-term HD broadcasting as part of the deal.  CPB and the stations made these moves for all the right reasons. But HD Radio wasn’t and isn’t being accepted by consumers. 

Most of the HD channels made possible by CPB funding are costly LEMONS. CPB’s leadership is needed now to turn these LEMONS into FM LEMONDADE.  

        

DON’T WAIT BECAUSE FM SPECTRUM IS LIMITED AND THE GOD SQUAD IS ON THE MARCH.

CANADA UNPLUGS VOLTAIR

I’ve been cautious in my previous reporting about the impact of Voltair [link], the black box that claims to boost PPM ratings. My caution comes from the lack of publically reported evidence about the performance of the $15,000 device.

Here is why this is important: Stations insert an encoded digital watermark in their signal/stream that is measured by Nielsen Audio PPM monitoring devices.  Voltair makes the watermark more robust so it is more likely the PPM device will read it and report it. PPM reports are used by commercial stations to set ad rates.

Last week, Numeris, the Canadian ratings company (formerly BBM) banned the use of Voltair. As first reported in the trade publication RADIO INK [link], Numeris told Canadian radio broadcasters to physically disconnect their Voltair encoders by the end of the week. The stated reason:

Canada's level measurement playing field must be maintained…

Numeris told stations that Voltair unfairly manipulates station ratings.

(In the United States, Nielsen Audio says it is testing the unit to see what, if any, impact it has on ratings.)

THE CANADIAN DIFFERENCE: RATINGS BY A NONPROFIT COMPANY

Numeris plays the same role, and has the same industry impact as Nielsen Audio in the US. Their word sets the standards.  But the motivations of the companies couldn’t be more different. Nielsen is a for profit, publically traded research giant.  Numeris is a nonprofit organization that is supported by Canadian broadcasters.

I recommend an excellent post on the Paragon Media Strategies blog [link] by Larry Johnson, Senior Research Consultant at Paragon.  Here are some of Johnson’s thoughts:

LARRY JOHNSON • PARAGON MEDIA STRATEGIES

Steroids for radio just received a major setback north of the border, where radio ratings are run by a station-supported non-profit. Here in the U.S., where for-profit and publicly-traded Nielsen is fully in control of radio station’s ratings fate, we’re still hearing crickets. Like the steroids scandals in professional sports, the stakes could not be bigger as this issue undermines the credibility of the entire radio industry.

Like steroids that alter reality, the Voltair device is designed to boost a radio station’s measurable signal thus enhancing the Portable People Meter’s (PPM) ability to detect the signal and increase a station’s ratings…the Canadians are having none of it.

The history of radio ratings is littered with bogus methods to goose stations’ ratings. Until there are scientific tests to either debunk or substantiate the effectiveness of the Voltair black box processor, we can’t be certain of its effectiveness.

Here’s where the game’s creator and referee needs to step in. For the sake of its clients, Nielsen needs to take immediate action to assure that its many subscribers are competing on a level playing field.

Nielsen also needs to step in for the sake of radio in general. Until we know which stations are on steroids, which are not, and more importantly, the fundamental validity of PPM ratings without steroids, then the mystery will grow and only radio and Nielsen will suffer.

I agree.  Maybe US broadcasters should create a nonprofit org to play the same role that Numeris plays north of the border.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO NIELSEN

Will advertisers and media buyers continue to have confidence in Nielsen Audio’s PPM data?  Nielsen listens to the money.  If the big ad agencies balk, change will occur quickly.

I have been monitoring advertising trade publications for coverage of Voltair.  To date there has been no concern, or even news, about Voltair from Nielsen’s top ad clients.

ANNOUNCING: 2015 PRNDI TALK SHOW WINNERS

This past weekend at the Public Radio News Directors (”PRNDI”) conference in Salt Lake City news folks from around the nation gathered for the PRNDI Awards [link]. Below are the winners in the Call-In Talk Show category. It was my pleasure to be the lead judge for this category.

 In April we reported [link] on the judging process.  We withheld announcing the winners until now.  The competition, particularly in Category A – the largest newsrooms, was close because of the consistent high quality of the entries.  Congratulations to the winners!

2015 PRNDI TALK SHOW WINNERS

CATEGORY A – FIRST PLACE

WBUR, Boston

Radio Boston [link]

School Desegregation Four Decades Later

In 1974, Boston’s public schools were desegregated by a court order. When school buses began to roll, Boston was in turmoil. America watched and listened to voices of anger and a few voices of hope.  Nobody had more at stake than the residents of Boston. This entry allows them to talk about what happened in 1974 and lessons learned forty years later.

 

MEGHNA CHAKRABARTIi & ANTHONY BROOKS • HOSTS RADIO BOSTON

Radio Boston combines archive audio with new first-hand accounts of the first days of bussing. Witnesses and participants tell their stories with same raw emotion they felt in 1974. These accounts have been splendidly edited and put into context.  Guests include local historians and a former mayor of Boston. 

The most memorable voices are those of the callers. All of the elements of this program are superior but the caller’s voices and stories are exceptional. This edition of Radio Boston got enthusiastic “thumbs up” from the judges.

CATEGORY A – SECOND PLACE

CONNECTICUT PUBLIC RADIO

Where We Live [link]

Waking Into the Flames: Connecticut Firefighters

This program is both great radio and valuable public service.  John Dankosky and his team interviewed several local firefighters about their experiences. They talk about what motivated them to become firefighters and what keeps them on the job.

The result is an hour that puts a human face on these incredible public servants. Listener calls open discussions of memorable Connecticut fires.  The guests tell behind-the-scenes memories – some hilarious – that only a firefighter could know.

CATEGORY B – FIRST PLACE

WJCT, Jacksonville

First Coast Connect [link]

Michael Dunn Verdict

The shooting Jacksonville teen Jordan Davis by Michael Dunn after the two had an altercation over loud music was a major national new story. In Jacksonville it was also a unforgettable local story. This edition of First Coast Connect aired shortly after Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder. The progran promotes an event happening on the evening of broadcast featuring noted criminal defense attorney Mark O'Mara, who defended George Zimmerman, and sociologist Dr. Jerry Wilder.

MELISSA ROSS • HOST FIRST COAST CONNECT

The judges were unanimous in their praise for host Melissa Ross and how she handled this emotional case. Nerves were still raw in Jacksonville. One of the judges asked: What size market is Jacksonville? [It is #50 according to Nielsen]. Melissa Ross sounds bigger than the market – she could work anywhere, including NPR. Partly because of Ross’ work, she and WJCT are essential Jacksonville.

CATEGORY B – SECOND PLACE

WVXU, Cincinnati

Cincinnati Edition [link]

City Prepares for Fallout After Ferguson Grand Jury Decision

Calming. Informative. Respectful.  Those were just a few of the judge’s comments about this program.  Host Mark Heyne does a really, really good job of keeping things from boiling over.

The events in Ferguson brought a shadow over Cincinnati because a similar situation happened in 2001.  Cincinnati was Ferguson in 2001, one guest said. Guests included the Cincinnati Police Chief, local civil rights attorneys and community activists. One judge said: I get the feeling I am getting the truth – good and bad.

CATEGORY C – FIRST PLACE

WBGO, NEWARK

Newark Today [link]

The New Mayor of Newark

There have been a lot of changes at WBGO in the past couple of years.  Former Mayor Cory Booker was elected to the US Senate.  While he was mayor, Booker was an excellent guest and sometimes talk show host.  This entry features the new mayor of Newark (Ras Baraca) and a new program host: David Cruz.

Cruz is also a public television host who excels at radio interviewing. He is confident, good listener and keeps the program pace moving. The premise of this program is “Ask the Mayor.” Cruz uses listener suggestions to form his questions. This approach creates lots of takeaway for listeners, particularly residents of Newark.

CATEGORY C – SECOND PLACE

WUOT, Knoxville

Dialogue [link]

Moving Beyond Bitterness

Charlie Molden, a Knoxville resident, was gunned down in 1968 while he was fishing. The man charged with shooting Molden walked free because of a legal technicality.  In 2014 Knoxville News columnist San Venable went through trial transcripts, witness statements and conducted new interviews. Venable’s reports appeared on the front page of the paper., telling the true story of what happened 46 years earlier. Molden and Venable appear on the program hosted by Matt Shafer Powell.

Powell’s interviews are remarkable because Molden has moved beyond bitterness about the incident. Powell guides the conversation through universal themes such as racism, violence, friendship and the power of forgiveness.  By the end of the program Powell is clearly in awe of Molden, as are Venable and callers. One of the judges said: If you are having a bad day, listen to this program. You can’t help but smile.