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IS THE AM RADIO BAND DOOMED? WHAT DO YOU THINK? I DON'T THINK SO!
- Thread starter blackgold
- Start date
Radio World, August 11th 2010 edition: http://www.rwonline.com/article/hd-radio-shouldn39t-be-this-hard/3684
Yes, he was just about Pope of the Church of ibiquity.
Yes, he was just about Pope of the Church of ibiquity.
ONLY THE SUITS DOOM AM RADIO
First, THANK YOU, Bob, for validating one of my "crazy" ideas I've advocated for more than 20 years now! People WILL tolerate somewhat lower fidelity if it's the only source of the programing they want. Otherwise, no one would have listened to internet radio in the '90s, and folks with slow connections (like me) wouldn't listen now.
Cleaning up the band: if the FCC prohibited stations from devoting the bulk of their airtime to infomercials, some of the marginal operations would pack it in, eliminating a chunk of interference. Broadcasting garbage just to keep the dump from going dark has got to stop. Ethnic time-brokering, OK. Citizens buying time to play the music they like, fine. Colon cleanser, hit the road.
Cleaning up the band, cont'd: Make the electric companies fix buzzy powerlines and transformers. Ban ExxonMobile Speed Pass until it stops screwing up reception (up to half a mile away!).
Also: Make better receivers!! Ban those cheap little FM-only portables. Then be listening for Stereo 980, WFNX Lowell (no offense, 'CAP). 8)
JIBGUY said:
First, THANK YOU, Bob, for validating one of my "crazy" ideas I've advocated for more than 20 years now! People WILL tolerate somewhat lower fidelity if it's the only source of the programing they want. Otherwise, no one would have listened to internet radio in the '90s, and folks with slow connections (like me) wouldn't listen now.
Cleaning up the band: if the FCC prohibited stations from devoting the bulk of their airtime to infomercials, some of the marginal operations would pack it in, eliminating a chunk of interference. Broadcasting garbage just to keep the dump from going dark has got to stop. Ethnic time-brokering, OK. Citizens buying time to play the music they like, fine. Colon cleanser, hit the road.
Cleaning up the band, cont'd: Make the electric companies fix buzzy powerlines and transformers. Ban ExxonMobile Speed Pass until it stops screwing up reception (up to half a mile away!).
Also: Make better receivers!! Ban those cheap little FM-only portables. Then be listening for Stereo 980, WFNX Lowell (no offense, 'CAP). 8)
Re: ONLY THE SUITS DOOM AM RADIO
The FCC has no say over how much or how little paid content a commercial station can carry. That would be an unconstitutional restraint on commerce.
Schuyler said:
The FCC has no say over how much or how little paid content a commercial station can carry. That would be an unconstitutional restraint on commerce.
Re: ONLY THE SUITS DOOM AM RADIO
I don't think that particular reason has ever been used, and I'm not sure it would stick. Broadcasting is different from most industries, in that there is a physical limit to how many businesses can operate in this field. It's been held the government may require a license to broadcast, may refuse licenses to otherwise-qualified applicants if there is no spectrum available for them, and may use various criteria to determine which applicants may be accommodated.
That said, indeed for quite some time the FCC has not chosen to exert any control over commercial load. They're out of the program content business pretty much completely.
They did indirectly regulate commercial load in the past. Stations were expected to specify how much time they planned to spend airing particular types of programming; in a competitive situation, the applicant which promised to air less commercial time might be favored over other applicants -- and would be checked at renewal time to make sure they lived up to their promise.
But yes, that went by the wayside years ago and there is zero prospect it will be resurrected.
CTListener said:
I don't think that particular reason has ever been used, and I'm not sure it would stick. Broadcasting is different from most industries, in that there is a physical limit to how many businesses can operate in this field. It's been held the government may require a license to broadcast, may refuse licenses to otherwise-qualified applicants if there is no spectrum available for them, and may use various criteria to determine which applicants may be accommodated.
That said, indeed for quite some time the FCC has not chosen to exert any control over commercial load. They're out of the program content business pretty much completely.
They did indirectly regulate commercial load in the past. Stations were expected to specify how much time they planned to spend airing particular types of programming; in a competitive situation, the applicant which promised to air less commercial time might be favored over other applicants -- and would be checked at renewal time to make sure they lived up to their promise.
But yes, that went by the wayside years ago and there is zero prospect it will be resurrected.
If one's vision of "The AM band" is some kind of maintained bandwidth scarcity which can be used for
profit high enough to satisfy modern unbridled capitalism, then AM is doomed, and has been a walking corpse
since deregulation.
There are many other visions in which such artificial scarcity is neither necessary or even desirable.
profit high enough to satisfy modern unbridled capitalism, then AM is doomed, and has been a walking corpse
since deregulation.
There are many other visions in which such artificial scarcity is neither necessary or even desirable.
N1WVQ said:
Still is. iBiquity needed a good boot in the ass. Mr. Ray is one of the very few guys capable of administering one hard enough to get iBiquity's attention. He did.
His rant is a legitimate bitch about iBiquity's lack of front line support for HD's proponents. Basically told them that if they don't get their act together and their thumb out of their ass; they are going to relegate HD to oblivion.
He broke down the options, costs and goon work involved in replacing a $1,000 factory installed non-HD with a $500 amalgamation of adaptors and aftermarket radios for Joe Consumer to enjoy HD radio.
John Q. Public takes a much easier route. He goes to a local convenience store or gas station and plunks down $19.95 (plus tax) for an FM modulator. He then is able to plug in the Insignia; just as he does the iPod, CD, satellite and any other audio component his in-dash tunes can't support. Set the modulator to a clear FM frequency and enjoy crystal clear HD stereo music. That is how millions of people enjoy music devices the factory installed equipment cannot play. Not even a screwdriver is needed, just the occasional couple of AA batteries. Inexpensive underdash FM converters that played on AM radio enabled FM to take off in automobiles long before automakers started providing FM across their model lines. Inexpensive, easy install converters will do the exact same thing for HD.
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iyiyi said:
I'll tell you what... if you can show me one person with no connections to the radio industry that 1) bought what is essentially a $50 walkman with FM HD capability and 2) bought an FM modulator to use it in the car, then I'll buy what you're saying.
I don't think that person exists.
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