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Buffalo-Toronto Public Media has launched AAA “The Bridge” in Buffalo
- Thread starter DavidZ
- Start date
This is what we expected when Tom Calderone was named CEO of WNYPB. They're experimenting with this format in the same way that other public stations are experimenting in other markets. It is typically a slow grower. But if it generates enthusiasm and subscriptions, they may seek out a better outlet for it. We've seen it happen in other markets.
What’s old is new again!
In the late 2000s, under the final years of UB ownership, WBFO launched a Triple A format branded as “On the Border.” With some grant funding, WBFO hired two staffers, one to produce weekly concerts and the other to produce a weekly music magazine. These programs, along with other one-hour specialty music shows, aired during the evening hours on WBFO’s main frequency. WBFO used its then new HD2 channel to broadcast Exponential Radio from Philadelphia’s WXPN. In 2009, the grant funding expired. That coincided with the arrival of a new GM, who eliminated all music programming on WBFO except for overnight jazz and weekend blues in favor of NPR News and Talk. The AAA continued on WBFO HD 2 until the sale to WNYPBA, which dropped it in favor of JazzWorks. Now it’s back, rebranded as “WBFO, The Bridge.“ This time, the music is not coming from a syndicated source but a locally generated playlist, which includes liners and IDs from WBFO-WNED staffers.
This is a good move. Since 2012, WNED HD2’s frequency was largely wasted by simulcasting WBFO, which is heard perfectly fine in our region. Now Jazzworks is on WNED HD2. The Bridge is on WBFO HD2. Acknowledging that HD is largely limited to in-car listening in some models, the future success of The Bridge will be its availability on mobile apps and smart speakers.
In the late 2000s, under the final years of UB ownership, WBFO launched a Triple A format branded as “On the Border.” With some grant funding, WBFO hired two staffers, one to produce weekly concerts and the other to produce a weekly music magazine. These programs, along with other one-hour specialty music shows, aired during the evening hours on WBFO’s main frequency. WBFO used its then new HD2 channel to broadcast Exponential Radio from Philadelphia’s WXPN. In 2009, the grant funding expired. That coincided with the arrival of a new GM, who eliminated all music programming on WBFO except for overnight jazz and weekend blues in favor of NPR News and Talk. The AAA continued on WBFO HD 2 until the sale to WNYPBA, which dropped it in favor of JazzWorks. Now it’s back, rebranded as “WBFO, The Bridge.“ This time, the music is not coming from a syndicated source but a locally generated playlist, which includes liners and IDs from WBFO-WNED staffers.
This is a good move. Since 2012, WNED HD2’s frequency was largely wasted by simulcasting WBFO, which is heard perfectly fine in our region. Now Jazzworks is on WNED HD2. The Bridge is on WBFO HD2. Acknowledging that HD is largely limited to in-car listening in some models, the future success of The Bridge will be its availability on mobile apps and smart speakers.
Any truth to the rumor that [B]tbolt909[/B] has been quiet lately because he was hired as Program Director? 
What a fantastic playlist so far. A lot of the music already seems familiar thanks to having been heard in this region on some of the more adventurous Canadian stations over the years, CFNY, Indie 88 and CBC Radio 2 in Toronto, even HTZ-FM in its prime.
Too bad it's just an HD2 channel. A niche format on an ultra-niche OTA platform means it's probably doomed in the long run, but it would be great to see it succeed against all odds.
Too bad it's just an HD2 channel. A niche format on an ultra-niche OTA platform means it's probably doomed in the long run, but it would be great to see it succeed against all odds.
Needs to be at least on a non comm translator in order to gain any traction
How well does the HD-2 signal cover? Might the format be good enough to encourage some HD radio sales? I know radios are hard to find right now but maybe the station could help? It has to start somewhere, just like FM did. Why is radio so inept when it comes to promoting its own new technology?
It's not our own technology. It's a trademarked technology owned by someone else. Our job is to create radio formats that people may like, and the non-commercial stations have really done a lot of work in that area. None of the radio companies actually make radios any more. That all ended in the 1980s. It's a very risky world when you have to trust others to make and sell the devices where your programming is heard. Much easier when you own the entire chain.
The thing to remember about FM was it was also trademarked until 1965. Once the patent ran out and wasn't renewed, every electronics manufacturer was free to include the technology, and even improve it (which some did). That's not the case with HD Radio. It's still patented, and any electronics company that wants to include it is required to pay a fee for every radio.
Okay but that was limited to RCA, GE, and Zenith the only radio companies that I can think of that both owned stations and made receivers. It was not unusual for these companies to pay for rights to use certain circuit designs in both radios and Televisions. Many times they were listed inside on the circuit diagram.
It would seem reasonable a station could use a number of HD receivers as giveaways to promote listening as well as telling people where they could purchase a receiver.
In this age there is also on line listening via Alexa and Siri of course. Cluttering up FM with low power translators isn't needed.
HD Radio is almost 20 years old now. Is there, or has there ever been, a successful station broadcast solely on an FM HD subchannel (even if it also included streaming)?
The problem with that is the easiest way to hear HD radio is in car radios. There are probably more car radios with HD than home radios. So you're asking radio stations to give away cars. It took iBiquity more than ten years to get deals with car companies to include HD as standard equipment. Originally it was optional. That was stupid, but it was related to the royalty payment that iBiquity required in advance. We can only hope that the patent will run out at some point, and that's when there's a chance for HD to thrive, as FM did after 1965.
The station offers these ways for people to listen to The Bridge:
How to listen to BTPM The Bridge
Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s community-supported alternative music service, The Bridge can be heard in a variety of ways.
www.wbfo.org
The length of a given patent is not considered public information?
Yes, there are quite a few. Principally, they are ones in major markets that do programming in languages like Farsi, Chinese, Russian, etc., where there are enough listeners to support a secondary service but not enough to warrant the main FM signal or, ugh, an AM.
So there are ads on those ethnic HD2s? How much do they cost compared to the ads on the least successful main signals?
The issue is that iBiquty developed HD radio with private equity and broadcaster seed capital and its only way to make money is via licensing fees for the chips it allows to be produced and from the radio stations that use their transmission system patents.
The only revenue stream they have is from the technology licensing. They are going to hold on to those patents as long as they can be kept valid.
And remember that dozens of big and small radio manufacturers had radio stations in "the old days" starting with WLW, WHAM and many others.
There were work-arounds for the Armstrong set of patents. FM itself was not patented, just the technology that did the best job of generating FM signals and circuit designs for receivers.
RCA, where Sarnoff still held a grudge against Armstrong, did not want to develop FM. Instead, they were working on color TV. As was the case in the 40's, Sarnoff was concerned that any other new technology would detract from TV and affect profits. Sarnoff was not an olympic grade swimmer, but was otherwise a dangerous shark.
The biggest impediment for FM development occurred in the early 60's, around the time that the Armstrong patents were not renewed: the development of AFC circuitry for FM receivers. Prior to that, FM radios tended to drift considerably, requiring rather regular fine tuning.
Yes, they are fully commercial operations and make considerable money. There is no financial data available, as they lease the HD channels from the licensee and all they have to do is make sure the check does not bounce. But some have been on HD channles for a decade.
A number of these used to use SCA channels on FMs in larger markets, but switched when the stations added HD capability.
Remember there are over 150,000 Armenians in LA, and about 100,000 Persians. Those HD channels are the only radio stations in Farsi and Armenian, and think how much you might bill in a market of that size with just one radio station.
The reason to put the format on an HD2 signal is to reduce the royalties they have to pay for streaming. Most people are likely to listen to it using their smart phones or smart speakers. Car dashboards are making it easier and easier to listen to online streams either through your phone or through an app. Consider HD2 "The Bridge" to keeping costs down for WNYPB (the actual name of the organization).
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