Station ID Question

[tomservo]

The sabotage of HD doesn't surprise me. Clear Channel has dropped ESPN from one of their stations here, and Foggy Mountain and Smooth Jazz have both disappeared in the last few weeks, too. That leaves the under-modulated AM talker as the only active HD subchannel in my market on a commercial station.

As I said in another thread just a few minutes ago, as I'm about the only regular HD listener in the market, this is a big F-U directly to me IMHO. I will respond in kind by not listening to any CC station at all, period, until it's either fixed or the HD is turned off completely. I don't need them when I've got my own music, other radio online and Pandora (which I'm slowly coming around to liking.) They either need to do it right or just turn it all off. None of this half-assery.

 

[Chuck]

They either need to do it right or just turn it all off. None of this half-assery.

Among the reasons why they don't "do it right" is simply that if you are listening to their HD-2, then you are not listening their primary station, which is the one that pays the bills. Since the number of listeners to HD-2 stations is generally in the "immeasurable" range they can't sell it.

Some species eat their young...

 

[iyiyi]

HD 1 is an acceptable ID. HD 2 and HD 3 are just part of the data stream of the HD 1 modulation.

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[hipporadio]

CC Stations near me have given up IDing the HD-1 even though they are still running them on HD Radio. Y94FM now IDs as "This is WYYY Syracuse, an iHeartRadio station" and 570/106.9 WSYR now IDs as "WSYR-FM Solvay, WSYR-AM Syracuse, Central NY's news & talk station".

I noticed recently on a visit to Indianapolis, that the migrated-to-FM News-Talk WIBC Indianapolis [an Emmis station] has changed their TOH ID to the following: "WIBC – WIBC-HD-1, Indianapolis". I recall an initial FCC dictate that such must occur, but most stations with "HD saddlebags" discounted that. Recently, they seem to be falling in line to comply. Is this a promotional angle, or is it the result of an FCC crack-down?

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

It is odd that stations run zillions of spots promoting HD radio in general, but almost never mention their own HD2/HD3 subchannels.

Not odd at all. Radio is a business. Why would an owner risk drawing audience away from the analog/HD1 signal, where the money is made, to an HD2 or 3, which makes no money and likely never will?

 

[JohnnyElectron]

Locally, we always ID with "WCWA and WCWA-HD Toledo and WIOT-HD2 Toledo" on the AM TOH.

The FM's here do not ID as HD1; however, nearly all the Detroit/Windsor FM's use the "...and Wnnn-HD1, Detroit" for TOH ID.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I've heard two stations I frequently listen to ID as "This is KDIS and KDIS-HD1, Pasadena, Los Angeles" and "This is KMIK and KMIK-HD1, Tempe, Phoenix." Right now am near Woodstock, VA for this week, but haven't listened much for IDs yet.

Speaking of IDs (or in this case lack thereof), any chance that a station could (legally or otherwise) pull off the following prank? (I'm thinking likely April Fools, but another time of year may be more effective.) This would be done on a large city's analog signal - one that's popular as a "wake to radio" station for alarm clock radios. The prank: broadcast an unmodulated carrier from early in the morning (4am, or the earliest someone is likely to set their alarm) to maybe 10am. (This would include NO IDs, either.) The intended effect would be to make it seem like the alarm never went off. Also turn off the HD to eliminate that noise (in radios that suffer from it). (I think just shutting off the transmitter off wouldn't work, as the noise of an empty channel (or if it's early enough, other co-channel stations) may still wake some people up.) One difficulty would be power/pattern change, though. Every station I've ever heard switch briefly dropped their carrier, causing a brief burst of noise. (Anyone know if it's possible to switch without that?) For this prank, we need absolute silence for the entire duration.

 

[iyiyi]

I've heard two stations I frequently listen to ID as "This is KDIS and KDIS-HD1, Pasadena, Los Angeles" and "This is KMIK and KMIK-HD1, Tempe, Phoenix." Right now am near Woodstock, VA for this week, but haven't listened much for IDs yet.

Speaking of IDs (or in this case lack thereof), any chance that a station could (legally or otherwise) pull off the following prank? (I'm thinking likely April Fools, but another time of year may be more effective.) This would be done on a large city's analog signal - one that's popular as a "wake to radio" station for alarm clock radios. The prank: broadcast an unmodulated carrier from early in the morning (4am, or the earliest someone is likely to set their alarm) to maybe 10am. (This would include NO IDs, either.) The intended effect would be to make it seem like the alarm never went off. Also turn off the HD to eliminate that noise (in radios that suffer from it). (I think just shutting off the transmitter off wouldn't work, as the noise of an empty channel (or if it's early enough, other co-channel stations) may still wake some people up.) One difficulty would be power/pattern change, though. Every station I've ever heard switch briefly dropped their carrier, causing a brief burst of noise. (Anyone know if it's possible to switch without that?) For this prank, we need absolute silence for the entire duration.

Totally unprofessional and unwise!

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[Savage]

Ummm.....and this would be a funny prank? ??? Even if you were to decide that not running any spots or programming whatsoever in morning drive on April Fool's (foregoing the revenue) was hilarious, your audience would be furious with you for causing them to oversleep. On April 2d they'll be tuned to your competitor's reliable signal so they don't get docked for being late to work.

And audio IDs are required on the analog signal. So you'd not only lose the cash from spots you didn't air, you would expose your station to a possible fine (or, in the FCC's quaint parlance, a "forfeiture.")

Yep: unwise is right. And kinda pointless.....

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Hmm.... well in that case..... what about simulcasting (if one exists) an all-news station a few time zones to the east (or west) on the other side of the equator (or at least 30-45 degrees different latitude) on April 1? Or airing / simulcasting some music format from a different continent, especially if it's a frequency divisible by 90 kHz (to catch TP or TA DXers)?

 

[Ai4i]

For your first idea, the audio would need only be silent after the alarm clock comes on, probably right during morning drive.
For your second Idea, their are plenty of English language NT stations around the world, unfortunately most listeners would be thrown by aluminIum or car park.