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One View: Time for a Reality Check on IBOC

K

KB1OKL

More FCC shenanigans? This is an interesting article from Radio World, I don't think this owner be swallowing the Kool-aid anytime soon:

"As an owner/engineer who has been around this crazy business since the ‘60s, I think I can offer some insight into all this IBOC talk.

At first glance it seemed Ibiquity did everything right. They pulled together several teams to design the digital scheme and got major broadcasters to get behind it.

Ibiquity then designed a perpetual income machine with user fees. But suddenly it became loud and clear, like an old 10-bell bulletin on a teletype machine: For AM it’s not working.

Yes, I can hear the supporters say, “Sure it works. We just have to work out the bugs and give it time to catch on.” And they are so quick to point out how long it took FM to really catch on.

To use that as a benchmark is not only dumb, it’s stupid."

/snip/


"A Chicago radio engineer who was one of my mentors said it best: “IBOC FM is junk science. AM IBOC is science fiction.” Any AM small-station owner who buys into this is asking for complaints, headaches and severe disappointment.

I now think I know why the FCC never adopted the NRSC 10 kHz receiver standard as a mandate to manufacturers. The folks at Ibiquity knew that the wider NRSC radio would make the eventual rollout of AM HD even harder."

Rad the whole article @:

http://www.rwonline.com/article/8882
 
Zzzzzzzz.

Nothing against Larry Langford, who's a good guy and a fine radio operator, and who made some excellent points, but the industry read this article back when it was published...you know, December 2007, 13 months ago. I think most of us here can agree with Larry - and you - that the AM system ain't working and deserves to be put out of its misery. For the most part, it seems to be doing that quite effectively on its own.

Here, how about some fresh meat?

http://www.fybush.com/nerw-yir2008.html#rant

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2009/090105/nerw.html (wherein I take a stab at the cancer that's really eating away at the industry, not the hangnail on its pinky.)
 
Thanks for the plug Scott, I'll be sure to let Greg know too ;D
I also must admit I didn't look at the date of that article.
 
KB1OKL said:
Thanks for the plug Scott, I'll be sure to let Greg know too ;D
Click to expand...

And was I right about the exact line where you guys will stop quoting? ;)

(I realize here, too, that I've been remiss in not mentioning Supercaster anywhere in the "2009" thread...my apologies, in the form of a lengthy series of links, will be forthcoming shortly.)

I also must admit I didn't look at the date of that article.
Click to expand...

Izzat so?

(And are you enjoying the IBOC-free WBZ at the moment, since a problem with their STL has had them operating off the 10 kW backup transmitter in Allston for a few days? I can hear KDKA and WYSL very nicely here in Rochester tonight. Shame two out of those three signals will be carrying the same thing in just a few hours...)
 
Scott Fybush said:
KB1OKL said:
Thanks for the plug Scott, I'll be sure to let Greg know too ;D
Click to expand...

And was I right about the exact line where you guys will stop quoting? ;)

(I realize here, too, that I've been remiss in not mentioning Supercaster anywhere in the "2009" thread...my apologies, in the form of a lengthy series of links, will be forthcoming shortly.)

I also must admit I didn't look at the date of that article.
Click to expand...

Izzat so?

(And are you enjoying the IBOC-free WBZ at the moment, since a problem with their STL has had them operating off the 10 kW backup transmitter in Allston for a few days? I can hear KDKA and WYSL very nicely here in Rochester tonight. Shame two out of those three signals will be carrying the same thing in just a few hours...)
Click to expand...

I don't know about that line ;), but if it's working for you that's great.
I did send Marc M a congratulatory e-mail yesterday about how much better his signal was with the 10KW auxiliary transmitter rather than their main transmitter but also told him his audio still sounded like krap. I haven't heard back I'm surprised. I hear about a 40 (?) hz het on 1040 which I remember from pre-IBOC days. Is very nice to have that noise off of 1040. Unfortunately WINS's IBOC is pretty loud up here.
 
Scott Fybush said:
Here, how about some fresh meat?

http://www.fybush.com/nerw-yir2008.html#rant

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2009/090105/nerw.html (wherein I take a stab at the cancer that's really eating away at the industry, not the hangnail on its pinky.)
Click to expand...

Scott, you and I both remember the arguments that were made by NAB and large group owners in the early 90s in favor of radio consolidation. We were promised that expanded ownership limits would lead to beneficial "economies of scale", allowing for better programming and preservation of valuable niche formats, such as classical and jazz. Of course, some front office jobs might be eliminated (for example, five receptionists would be replaced by one) but those savings would be directed towards programming and enhanced news coverage. And those quirky mom and pop operators would be replaced by "respectable" publicly-traded companies. All in all, we were supposed to reap great public interest benefits from consolidation.

And I remember the NAB Action Alerts that poured out of the station's fax machine during that time. PLEASE FORWARD TO THE GENERAL MANAGER! "Key Telecom legislation is pending in Congress -- it is crucial that you contact your rep and senators immediately and tell them to vote in favor of these bills."

So the Telecom Act passed and the buying/trading spree began. And one of the first casualties in Philadelphia was (you guessed it) WFLN, the classical station. I recall 95.7 changed hands three or four times in a single year, and each time the price increased several million dollars (Local joke: I saw a bumper sticker today that says "Honk if you've owned WFLN") Today, that frequency carries a low budget automated "Jack" format; so much for preservation of niche formats. As with WBZ and WTIC, there are countless other examples of legendary stations harmed by the economic perils of "consolidation. We were promised it was going to be so good, but it turned out to be bad. (Perhaps it was good for the brokers and lobbyists -- and the station owners who sold out at high prices and bought McMansions in Naples, FL -- but I think a few of those guys really miss the business.)

In the minds of many, the NAB and large group owners have ruined their credibility. But these are the same organizations who are primarily behind HD Radio. No wonder we're not buying the hype.
 
I'm glad that Hybrid Digital radio is around. In the Columbus Ohio Market WOSU FM HD2 plays classical music 24/7. The simulcasting of 1460 The Fan on WBNS FM HD2 and WTVN AM on WLZT FM HD2 gives me little reason to go to the AM band. There are some issues with Hybrid Digital AM, but that can be corrected if the HD Radio have an external AM Antenna terminals. The external AM Antenna from CCrane works just fine. Don't just depend on the pack in external AM antenna or the internal coil.

Plus I can get WLW HD AM and KMOX HD AM on my HD100.
 
The HD radio manufacturers should have put a much longer shielded AM antenna cable on their antenna so you don't receive the "rf hash" the HD tuner itself makes and/or gave you a decent AM antenna.
People WILL monkey around with their XM Satrad antenna - BUT, it's because they want the programming!
 
I have Satrad in my car (came with it free for three months and I liked it so I now subscribe) and I can count on the fingers of my hands the amount of times it has dropped out in 5500 miles.
 
Scott Fybush said:
Zzzzzzzz.

Nothing against Larry Langford, who's a good guy and a fine radio operator, and who made some excellent points, but the industry read this article back when it was published...you know, December 2007, 13 months ago. I think most of us here can agree with Larry - and you - that the AM system ain't working and deserves to be put out of its misery. For the most part, it seems to be doing that quite effectively on its own.

Here, how about some fresh meat?

http://www.fybush.com/nerw-yir2008.html#rant

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2009/090105/nerw.html (wherein I take a stab at the cancer that's really eating away at the industry, not the hangnail on its pinky.)
Click to expand...


Finally, It's nice to read the good news about local radio again! Pete Falconi and WNBP (1450) go way back for me. Again, it's the content stupid..
 
Anyone in radio with a job, and a decent chance of retaining same, should thank their lucky stars (or their God, if so inclined!) Geez, it's gotta' get better!
 
Yeah, it will. After Clear Channel does their slash and burn this week and next a lot of people will no longer have to worry about their jobs, just finding the next one.
 
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