That was, well, a mess.
I can't read Bob Conrad's mind, but it would appear he jumped on the WRMR format as a commercially-viable (to older listeners) way he could make a few bucks from a compatible audience to WCLV's. He also got a halo effect for saving the format.
He's also on record as being disappointed in HD Radio, and its coverage issues. Apparently, someone sold him a bill of goods that 104.9 in HD could be a reasonable signal out of Avon, and perhaps solve some of the coverage issues on the analog side...when in today's reality, the HD signal doesn't really even reach the entire analog coverage area. (When and if they increase the IBOC power limits, who knows, but right now, no...)
In the end, even if Mr. Conrad would have established 1420 as WCLV's "home" back in 2001, it's still classical music on AM. And any hopes of enhanced fidelity on the HD side on the AM would be tempered by the fact that you can probably still fit all the HD Radio owners in Northeast Ohio into my living room in 2008.
I can't read Bob Conrad's mind, but it would appear he jumped on the WRMR format as a commercially-viable (to older listeners) way he could make a few bucks from a compatible audience to WCLV's. He also got a halo effect for saving the format.
He's also on record as being disappointed in HD Radio, and its coverage issues. Apparently, someone sold him a bill of goods that 104.9 in HD could be a reasonable signal out of Avon, and perhaps solve some of the coverage issues on the analog side...when in today's reality, the HD signal doesn't really even reach the entire analog coverage area. (When and if they increase the IBOC power limits, who knows, but right now, no...)
In the end, even if Mr. Conrad would have established 1420 as WCLV's "home" back in 2001, it's still classical music on AM. And any hopes of enhanced fidelity on the HD side on the AM would be tempered by the fact that you can probably still fit all the HD Radio owners in Northeast Ohio into my living room in 2008.