KPTR exists for no purpose than to clear Premiere syndicated programs, so I'm sure the engineers aren't giving a keen ear to the automated programming to make sure its kink-free.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
KNWN audio question
- Thread starter Treehouse SWL
- Start date
The sentiment stands. Whoever is responsible for these things are not on top of it because they have no reason to care.
No. Engineering must work with programming to create a winning radio station. Perhaps not as much as 30-40 years ago, but still critically important. Any good programmer will tell you the sound must be correct to make the station appealing.
Are you blaming the Optimod not being adjusted right for causing the automation issue? The complaint was not about the sound quality of what was played or weather it was intelligible. It was how elements seemed to be not timed right in the automation. It's not engineering's job to hold the hand of the person programming the automation. All though I have seen that done.
The station programming can also make a station un appealing no matter how well it sounds. It's a 2-way street. I was just pointing out that this is more of a programming/operation issue that actual engineering.
The station programming can also make a station un appealing no matter how well it sounds. It's a 2-way street. I was just pointing out that this is more of a programming/operation issue that actual engineering.
I assume that whole "market clearing" station has few actual people pushing buttons and staffing control boards, etc. Having listened to the brief local newscasts on 1090, I wasn't convinced the newsreader sits anywhere near Seattle.
No a station like 1090 running all syndicated programming does not need a dedicated control board. Only a dedicated computer running the automation software. Yes there are people pushing buttons in the form of buttons on a keyboard programming a log.
Nexgen and Zetta automation can, send commands to switch feeds/satellites, turn board channels on/off and send other macro commands. Voice tracked elements can be inserted in the log when it is generated/made. 1090 is more a suite case station than one with an actual studio.
I would not be surprised if BIN, 850, KJR-AM, 950 and KPTR, 1090 are run this way versus an actual studio. And no one dedicated listening/monitoring. Although you would hope that those that assemble and put the log on the computer would monitor it to make sure the first log runs as planned and there after. And reviewing the error log, making corrections to the log being generated. In this scenario the error log takes the place of the actual person. Changes being done by monitoring error logs can sometimes take longer before an affect to the air sound is noticed. The world of automation.
Nexgen and Zetta automation can, send commands to switch feeds/satellites, turn board channels on/off and send other macro commands. Voice tracked elements can be inserted in the log when it is generated/made. 1090 is more a suite case station than one with an actual studio.
I would not be surprised if BIN, 850, KJR-AM, 950 and KPTR, 1090 are run this way versus an actual studio. And no one dedicated listening/monitoring. Although you would hope that those that assemble and put the log on the computer would monitor it to make sure the first log runs as planned and there after. And reviewing the error log, making corrections to the log being generated. In this scenario the error log takes the place of the actual person. Changes being done by monitoring error logs can sometimes take longer before an affect to the air sound is noticed. The world of automation.
1090 is a dumping ground. So it's going to sound like it.
When they were KPTK and KYCW "Extreme Talk 1090", it wasn't unusual to occasionally hear an open AP feed behind Randi Rhodes or Opie & Anthony.
And compared to what goes on undetected at similar stations in other markets, 1090 isn't even the worst of it.
When they were KPTK and KYCW "Extreme Talk 1090", it wasn't unusual to occasionally hear an open AP feed behind Randi Rhodes or Opie & Anthony.
And compared to what goes on undetected at similar stations in other markets, 1090 isn't even the worst of it.
And that's changing too. More and more the push is to move from dedicated servers and PC's to the cloud. A simple 'thin client' can reside at a transmitter plant and have all the programming streamed to it. The thin client is just a way to stream the cloud based automation.
No local engineer intervention required in this example either.
The entire AM band amounts to an on-air version of an assisted living facility.
Curious, if you had the kingdom keys, what you would reallocate AM band for?
I am not clear on the tech limitations (as in that part of the spectrum); but are there areas where we have spectrum demand that could be filled by using AM -- even if new technology is required to make the reallocation viable?
I wouldn't. Those who have remained on the AM band already know their fate. The choice is to hang onto the bitter end until the business model is unsustainable for their unique situation/market. As we've discussed many times here; there isn't enough room on the FM band to accommodate all the remaining AM broadcasters, so that's not an option. Expanding the FM band isn't realistic, because people don't intentionally buy new radios. Given the average number of years it took HD radio to get noticed (22 years), and the average vehicle owner keeps their vehicle seven years or more, that means any station built in any expanded band would likely have no, or very few listeners for seven to ten years. That's a totally unsustainable business model in itself.
I’m not sure it would work that way from an engineering perspective (due to the internal tuner and antenna length).
But even if they could, who would pay for it? No consumer is going to actively want to pay for such an update.
And what about consumers who take their vehicles to independent shops? Again; seven to ten years of no listeners.
I wasn't think so much about "broadcaster" repurposing as much as demand for spectrum. Is that part of the spectrum "unusuable" for much of the communications we have these days -- or would it be helpful for something like traffic sensors, police/fire app's, updating flashing VCR clocks, or something along those lines? Not sure where wireless internet operates, but was wondering if, for example, AM band +/- might be a way to deliver digital content to cars. Assume something like that has to be closer to the cellular spectrum unless there is a hefty investment in new hardware of some kind....
When compared with other bands, the AM spectrum/real estate is super small as compared with upper VHF and all of UHF. As an example; a TV station occupies six megahertz of spectrum per station. An AM station only gets ten kilohertz per station.
The AM band is inherently noisy from natural and man-made sources. Between the noise and the small amount of spectrum in the AM band, it's pretty useless for any modern digital communication purposes. Maybe someday, if amateur radio is still around, Ham's may find a use for the broadcast AM band. That's about it.
I'm pretty sure the LPAM geeks will want a crack at AM before the hams get to it (even though the hams have been salivating at the idea of taking over AM for years as an extension of the 160m band.) I think the one up for the LPAMs is the fact AM is a band available on most radios for general broadcast programming of Whatever while the hams will use side bands for personal conversations. And the LPAM proponents won't be an easy group to talk out of, not as fixated as some of them are on the idea. So let them have it and let time and the market do it's thing. The hams will ultimately have it in the end. But to secure that beyond any doubt, let the LPAMs have their way until they get tired/bankrupt.
- Status