Re: BROADCAST CARTEL -REPLY
YOUR QUOTED DEFINITION OF A CARTEL FROM WEBSTERS SEEMS TO FIT MANY BROADCASTERS PERFECTLY!
TO QUOTE YOU:
"Webster's defines "Cartel" as: A
combination of independent business organizations formed to
regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the
members."
HD RADIO ALLIANCE:
Media companies including Clear Channel, Infinity Broadcasting, Cumulus Media, Bonneville International, Emmis Communications, Entercom Communications and Greater Media have pledged to collectively spend at least $200 million to market HD Radio in 2006.
Peter Ferrara, senior vp for Clear Channel, will head up the consortium as president and CEO. Serving on the consortium's oversight management committee are Mark Mays, CEO for Clear Channel; Peter Smyth, president and CEO for Greater Media; and Joel Hollander, CEO for Infinity Broadcasting.
The consortium is the second major public initiative broadcasters have announced to try to alter the perception that satellite radio is about to overtake terrestrial radio. Last week, the National Association of Broadcasters launched a radio campaign blasting pay radio with the tagline, "Radio, you shouldn't have to pay for it."
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001614953
JAMMING OTHER STATIONS:
"So while digital AM receivers are cleaner than conventional narrow-band imported radio receivers, the added digital splatter-noise is eliminating AM as a viable alternative outside of the 5 to 10 mV/m contours."
"Most quoted consultants now agree that nighttime AM digital is a dead issue; and most have determined that first-adjacent FM signals must have far greater mileage separation in the new digital experimental age."
http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/2006.03.01-02_rwrf_march_1_part_2_new.shtml
Take a look at the Arbitron ratings for Trenton, NJ. The ratings for the NYC stations have all suddenly gone down in Trenton since the nearby Philadelphia stations started transmitting FM IBOC, thus leaving the adjacent NYC stations with noisy, staticky, hiss-filled signals. Even on an excellent car radio, in Trenton the NYC signals which are not adjacent to any IBOC signal are in clear stereo, while the NYC which are unfortunately next to IBOC hash can only be received in hissy mono. IBOC will not last long when stations realize that in exchange for gaining a few dozen local listeners to their "HD2" channels, they are losing thousands of fringe-area analog listeners. You can be(t) that at some point the "HD2" channels will be continued as Internet audio streams only, and the IBOC signals will be turned off.
Here is the link:
http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=655158&Board=hd
Unless they find a way to stop the tremendous interference AM HD causes it's neighbors on the band, it may not fly at all.
Try listening to KDKA anywhere a few miles east of Pittsburgh after 4 or so in the afternoon. That very annoying hiss is coming from WBZ in Boston. See how bad the intererence is???
Although not quite as destructive as AM, (FM) will still cause problems"
Here is the link:
http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=640363&Board=hd
"It is a matter of record that 2nd adjacent interference to analog was observed in both the AM and FM IBOC systems, under laboratory conditions with pristine signals.
We've been through this one before, but I guess I'll have to say it again.
It is not necessary to postulate Tx problems in order to have 2nd adjacent issues. It is a matter of record that 2nd adjacent interference to analog was observed in both the AM and FM IBOC systems, under laboratory conditions with pristine signals. Obviously IMD from the transmitter canmake matters worse, but problems may exist even when the IMD is insignificant."
Barry-- Barry McLarnon VE3JF Ottawa, ON
Source:
http://lists.radiolists.net/pipermail/tech-zone/2005-November/000176.html
The comments and replies on HD Radio-IBOC in general, and the NRSC-5 standard in particular, continued to roll in right up to the August 17 deadline. Nearly 1000 comment postings are listed in Docket 99-325. A number of Consulting Engineers and smaller broadcasting companies expressed concerns about interference with the AM system. P.E. Timothy Cutforth of Vir James Engineers spoke of severe 2nd adjacent interference posed by the 6 Denver AM’s that were operating with HD Radio. Some of this was within the 2 mV contour of the "desired" station. Tim also charged that the present STA operations do not properly comply with the NRSC-2 mask, which uses a 10 minute peak detection. Tim stated: "The very manufacturers setting up IBOC equipment are specifying that the spectrum analyzer should be set for average not peak detection as specified in NRSC-2. The new proposed NRSC-5 standard calls for several allowable spikes 20 dB above the (averaging detector) mask level. The present FCC rule upon which the IBOC STA operation is based specify peak detection and NO SPIKES above the mask level over a ten minute observation period. Again the broadcaster and the FCC has been mislead into believing that the IBOC STA operation complies fully with the present NRSC-2 emission mask when in fact it may miss the mark by 20 dB or more as actually installed and measured."
Broadcast Company of the Americas (BCA), which programs 50 kW 1090 XEPRS, was particularly concerned. Thanks to favorable propagation over the ocean, this Mexican AM has a 5 mV/m signal over much of Los Angeles, but received severe interference over large areas within that contour when Infinity's 50 kW KNX 1070 Los Angeles and Disney's 50 kW KDIS 1110 Pasadena turned on their HD exciters. BCA mirrored Cutforth’s concerns: "Whereas NRSC-2 used peak weighting and 10-minute spectrum storage for spectrograms, the proposed NRSC-5 uses average weighting and 30-second storage. The relatively lax NRSC-5 standard thus tends to gloss over what the ear actually hears as "hiss/noise" and what the spectrum analyzer displays. The NRSC-2 spectrum was never "maxed out" within a few seconds of storage time. It took many minutes to build up the NRSC-2 spectrum mask, unlike NRSC-5’s instant build up with constant digital signals. Additionally, NRSC-5 allows for two discrete "spikes" within 75 kHz of the carrier frequency to be 10 dB above the emission mask, with the result that a hybrid transmission that is barely meeting the proposed mask can claim compliance with the NRSC-5 standard. The ear hears these vast differences in digital and analog sidebands." (XEPRS was formerly "The Mighty 1090" XERB, with the inimitable Wolfman Jack.)
Having done hundreds of AM NRSC measurements over the years, I can verify that a station that meets the mask in a 10 minute peak test will normally have average sidebands many dB lower. The mask was never intended to be a limit for "good" operation, but a maximum for a "worst case" station operation. Some really lousy sounding AM stations with very audible sideband splatter can still pass the NRSC mask. While I’m still optimistic about the FM system, after reading many of these comments I’m concerned for the future of AM IBOC with the Ibiquity system. If adopted as-is, multiple lawsuits from aggrieved and irate parties seems likely.
HERE IS THE LINK:
http://www.sbe124.org/newsletters/pdx0905/
HD RADIO HAS ONLY BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE FCC FOR INTERUM OPERATION AND HAS NOT GOTTEN FINAL APPROVAL. SEE FCC DOCKET 99-325.
The FCC has given broadcasters interim authority to implement iBiquity's HD Radio™ system, which is a specific implementation of NRSC 5.
Source:
http://www.nab.org/newsroom/PressRel/Releases/nrsc041605.htm
THE FCC IS NOT CONVINCED THE EXISTING HD RADIO STANDARD DOES NOT INTERFERE. MOST COMMENTS TO DOCKET 99-325 WERE AGAINST ADOPTION OF THE STANDARD.
SOME BROADCASTERS STILL SERVE THE PUBLIC, AND THESE ARE THE BROADCASTERS MOST LIKELY TO BE JAMMED BY THE LARGE BROADCAST CONGOLMERATES FLAMETHROWER STATIONS HD RADIO SIGNALS.
http://worldsupercaster.blogspot.com
> While you may be on point in calling for an investigation of
> Payola activities, I personally do not care for your term
> "Broadcast Cartel". Webster's defines "Cartel" as: A
> combination of independent business organizations formed to
> regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the
> members. OPEC is a cartel, radio station owners are
> independent companies which are in no way affiliated. In
> fact, it would be quite illegal for us to actually form a
> "cartel". To generalize in this manner is to essentially
> accuse all broadcasters of dishonesty, and this simply does
> not reflect reality. You should also note that the large
> majority of all radio stations are in fact NOT owned by a
> "handful of radio conglomerates". A good many of us still
> work hard to serve the public with our radio stations, even
> those large radio conglomerates you speak of.
>
> And, keep in mind that those accused of payola are indeed
> innocent until proven guilty. I happen to know the
> executives of several of the groups involved in the
> investigation, and I'm perfectly willing to give them the
> benefit of the doubt until they have been convicted of
> something.
>
> Finally, I'm flat puzzled by your comments regarding HD
> Radio AM and FM stations "jamming" the "public airways".
> Stations broadcasting in HD do so because they have been
> permitted to do so by the FCC, under stringent regulations
> developed through years of research. If a station is
> operating within legal parameters, it simply WILL NOT "jam"
> another licensed station. The only stations being "muffled"
> in this manner are unlicensed pirates. And, if I were in
> charge of the world, these pirates, who show blatant
> disrespect for law and order, would be thrown in prison and
> their facilities destroyed.
>
