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NEW FCC AM Revitalization rules and proposals. Why the excitement?

E

EngineeringDog

Because so many are jumping for joy regarding the new AM revitalization, I'm starting to wonder whether I'm off base. Am I in the minority for believing that the new rules are really just a waste? To me, the AM band won't "improve" until both the bandwidth of receivers and noise sources are addressed. I fail to see how any of the proposals are going to bring listeners back to the band. In addition, I can't figure out why many are so excited over the new translator rules. As written, large groups and combos (that already have strong FM presence) can apply against a standalone. The standalone that needs the translator the most (if you agree that AM should have translators) is given no advantage whatsoever over the large group that will simply add another translator to its group of FM and existing translators . Am I missing something?
 
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The large groups with a 5 station per market cap usually have 3 or 4 FMs only one or two AMs that they could buy translator for. Many of those AMs with money already have translators obtained with a Mattoon waiver, so I assume they've already used the rules to get their 1 translator.
That may even make it easier for the local guys in medium metros to buy a very rural translator (all of those should be for sale because they will easily be replaced in the next AM>FM translator auction).

What I can't figure out is, once these AMs get an FM stereo presence they'll likely go back to music formats. Where will all the Christian, foreign, dollar-a-holler, b and c level sports and talk formats go?
 
"Where will all the christian, foreign, dollar-a-holler, B- and C-level sport and talk formats go?"
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Probably shortwave, where they've already been going for years. At least the bible thumpers and the dollar-a-hollers; don't know about the other formats.
 
EngineeringDog said:
Because so many are jumping for joy regarding the new AM revitalization, I'm starting to wonder whether I'm off base. Am I in the minority for believing that the new rules are really just a waste? To me, the AM band won't "improve" until both the bandwidth of receivers and noise sources are addressed. I fail to see how any of the proposals are going to bring listeners back to the band. In addition, I can't figure out why many are so excited over the new translator rules. As written, large groups and combos (that already have strong FM presence) can apply against a standalone. The standalone that needs the translator the most (if you agree that AM should have translators) is given no advantage whatsoever over the large group that will simply add another translator to its group of FM and existing translators . Am I missing something?
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No, you're not missing anything. The fact remains too that even if in theory a station were to acquire a translator, there is no way it would duplicate the coverage of even a Class B AM station. This amounts to nothing more than another form of political theater by going through some ineffective motions. About the only things I've seen that makes total sense, is doing away with the "ratchet rule".
 
TheBigA said:
There won't be that many translators available, so still lots of AMs stuck in the stone age.
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Well, in my local market of Pensacola we have 10 AMs. Five already have translators and two more appear to have apps/CPs. It shouldn't be a problem for the other three AMs to find a translator to buy within 250 miles and there is space on the dial to squeeze in a few more. Giving those last few FM translator spots to AMs will mean there's no room for iHeart or Cumulus to launch HD-2 translators in this market unless they buy some of the translators already in use by local AMs.

That could mean the entire Pensacola AM dial ends up with an FM translator simulcast leaving no space on the dial for translators being fed new formats from FM HD-2 signals. Our AM signals suck, the existing translators have better coverage of the population than the AM counterparts. If every Pensacola AM gets a translator, what's the point of the pitiful local AM signals staying on the air? So boaters 300 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico can listen to Rush?
 
seedless said:
If every Pensacola AM gets a translator, what's the point of the pitiful local AM signals staying on the air?
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You need the original station to qualify for the translator, so they have to stay on the air. Otherwise, it's no longer a translator, but an originating station.

Perhaps from the FCC's perspective, they don't care what happens as long as the AM stays on the air.
 
TheBigA said:
You need the original station to qualify for the translator, so they have to stay on the air. Otherwise, it's no longer a translator, but an originating station.

Perhaps from the FCC's perspective, they don't care what happens as long as the AM stays on the air.
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I can easily envision that AM radio stations start asking the FCC for more within a couple years:
Some stations will claim financial hardship due to the cost of replacing old equipment, moving sites or maybe just maintaing an AM transmitter no one listens to. You know 5,000-15,000 watts using multiple towers and different day and night patterns cost much more per month than 250 watts on an FM broadcast.
Many AMs that have useful rural coverage today will downgrade to just enough juice on a single omni antenna to keep maximum power on their metro translator. No one will put any effort into providing good sound quality on the AM signals, and some won't even bother with the sound quality in the FM translators.
Some stations will figure a way to justify running separate programming on their AM and the associated FM translator. Kinda like when stations got new allocations in the X-band and kept both stations running with different programming. Eventually the FCC will allow someone to do it. Sometimes the local high school may have an important football and basketball game playing at the same time, you know.
How many stations will bump up their translator power to 500-1000 watts then wait to claim ignorance if or when caught?

It'll be interesting to see the makeup of AM radio in 10 years.
 
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seedless said:
How many stations will bump up their translator power to 500-1000 watts then wait to claim ignorance if or when caught?
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Ignorance is no defense. You break the law, you pay a fine, even if you didn't know the law. Illegally increasing power will cause interference, and the other station will complain, and you'll get caught.

But yes, the future will be interesting, and IMO, the FCC just kicked the can down the road, and didn't actually address the real issues here.
 
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Kelly A said:
Me neither. There are very few upsides that your average AM broadcaster would benefit from.
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What? Besides having more listeners? Having an FM translator allows many small AM stations to once again be viable local broadcasters. This is especially true for daytimers. Having the ability to broadcast local sports in the evening can make the difference between losing money or making a small profit. Local sports is a big deal in small markets.
 
TheBigA said:
However, there is no guarantee, AFAIK, that all AMs will in fact receive FM translators.
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That's true, but for stations that get them, it will help. I have one AM that has translators, and it is doing well. I also have an AM that doesn't have a translator and it is just about like owning a boat: "A hole in the water you pour money into." Pretty close, at least....
 
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