First FM stereo stations in Boston

[mgpt6]

4CX, did the 2 SCAs ever run at the same time as HD Radio, or was HD added after the SCAs were turned off?

 

[DanStrassberg]

I believe one of the first FM stereo stations in the Boston was WUPI 105.3 Lynn, MA. It signed on in the early 1960's in stereo. It was owned by a local announcer, Tracy Cole.

You sure about the ownership of WUPY (which later became WUPI)? I recall that the owner was named Harvey Sheldon (pretty obviously an air name created from his first and middle names). Sheldon also built a full Class B FM in Miami (on 95.7, I think). When he signed on the Miami station, he moved the WUPY calls down there and changed the calls of the Lynn station to WUPI. He got into difficulties with the FCC over some infraction or infractions. He also was in way over his head financially and ultimately lost both licenses. A major backer of the Lynn station was Anthony Athanas (Pier Four).

Sheldon appeared on WUPY/WUPI. I remember the programming being so totally amateurish that it would have made the program directors of most 10-watt Class D college FMs blush if they had allowed anything that bad to be broadcast over their little stations.

 

[4CX1000A]

4CX, did the 2 SCAs ever run at the same time as HD Radio, or was HD added after the SCAs were turned off?

There was an overlap between the SCA's and the HD, but it was only a few days, and there was probably no one listening to either SCA during this period. The HD went on January 30 or 31 (I forget which), but there was a problem that made us shut it off for a few days -- If I remember right, the hard disk in the Harris DEXSTAR died.

 

[reelyreal]

I believe one of the first FM stereo stations in the Boston was WUPI 105.3 Lynn, MA. It signed on in the early 1960's in stereo. It was owned by a local announcer, Tracy Cole.

You sure about the ownership of WUPY (which later became WUPI)? I recall that the owner was named Harvey Sheldon (pretty obviously an air name created from his first and middle names). Sheldon also built a full Class B FM in Miami (on 95.7, I think). When he signed on the Miami station, he moved the WUPY calls down there and changed the calls of the Lynn station to WUPI. He got into difficulties with the FCC over some infraction or infractions. He also was in way over his head financially and ultimately lost both licenses. A major backer of the Lynn station was Anthony Athanas (Pier Four).

Sheldon appeared on WUPY/WUPI. I remember the programming being so totally amateurish that it would have made the program directors of most 10-watt Class D college FMs blush if they had allowed anything that bad to be broadcast over their little stations.

You're right on that.

Here's an interesting article from Billboard Magazine in September 1961, with Sheldon charging that unless the radio manufacturers bought air time, he would shut down stereo broadcasts. The article says he was doing 24-hour stereo broadcasts for a month, which would mean he started stereo broadcasts in August 1961.

http://books.google.com/books?id=3i...AEwAg#v=onepage&q=harvey sheldon wupy&f=false

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Here's an interesting article from Billboard Magazine in September 1961, with Sheldon charging that unless the radio manufacturers bought air time, he would shut down stereo broadcasts. The article says he was doing 24-hour stereo broadcasts for a month, which would mean he started stereo broadcasts in August 1961.

http://books.google.com/books?id=3i...AEwAg#v=onepage&q=harvey sheldon wupy&f=false

Look earlier in the article: “(WQXR) is discontinuing its long-time AM-FM stereo programming”?!? In 1961?

 

[fybush]

Look earlier in the article: “(WQXR) is discontinuing its long-time AM-FM stereo programming”?!? In 1961?

Yup. Left channel on FM, right channel on AM. Several stations were doing this in the 1950s before the approval of multiplex FM stereo.

 

[mgpt6]

Sort of like in 1969-1973 when WGBH carried 2 channels of BSO Saturday concerts and WCRB carried 2 other channels for 4 -Ch. Quad broadcast of BSO.
I remember a Globe article that in 69 GBH carried Left front and rear and CRB carried right front and rear. But I belive that it was changed to CRB carrying front channels and GBH carrying rear channels. One of the examples of exciting expirements in broadcasting.

Ibquity missed the boat not doing surround sound for HD Radio.

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Look earlier in the article: “(WQXR) is discontinuing its long-time AM-FM stereo programming”?!? In 1961?

Yup. Left channel on FM, right channel on AM. Several stations were doing this in the 1950s before the approval of multiplex FM stereo.

Ah, okay——“bi-band” stereo! ;D
I thought it meant intrachannel stereo like FM. :

 

[aaronread]

Ibquity missed the boat not doing surround sound for HD Radio.

Uhhh...NRSC-5 supports 5.1 surround sound. It's just that nobody ever really did anything with it. WZLX tried for years (maybe they still are) but they had a lot of problems getting the overall system to work. I don't know if that was more a problem on the studio end or the transmitter end...although I *do* know there was a problem with the content end. Or lack of it...VERY little music was recorded in true 5.1 surround so they tried to take old recordings and make 5.1 out of it. Sort of like how you can take a movie shot in 2D and retro-encode it into 3D. It sort-of works but it's not as ideal because the source material wasn't designed to really take advantage of the technology.

There's also problems trying to get 5.1 surround to work for in-car listening; it's damn hard to compensate for peoples' heads moving around and for the fact that getting the sound perfect for the driver means it's way off for all the passengers. I don't know if anyone ever really figured out a solution for that. I suppose it's possible; you can do some nifty things with acoustics if you can control the entire environment. Admittedly that limits it to luxury vehicles for the most part, and those drivers are more likely to care about Microsoft Sync or iPods than about HD Radio, but I digress.

Bottom line: you CAN do surround sound with HD Radio, it's just that nobody (almost nobody?) is doing it. Bummer.

There's quite a few nifty things you can do with HD Radio that nobody is doing, come to think of it. Unfortunately, with most of those things, an iPhone can do it, too. Usually better. Oh well.