still no HD on 106.9

[hangman]

I am wondering why 106.9 is not in HD, and there are no sub channels. I was hoping for a Standards or Classic Country format to surface on a sub if they ever do go HD. Their Cherry Hill property is in HD with Classical on their sub.

 

[spozate900]

Considering it's EMF it will be a long time before they get HD.

 

[FredLeonard]

Maybe they are praying for HD equipment.

 

[musichead1029]

EMF and HFD

Considering it's EMF it will be a long time before they get HD.

I've been listening to WWFM via EMF's WYPA-HD2 for awhile now, so they do do HD occasionally. Perhaps WWFM paid for the 89.5 installation. (They're on WKCR HD2 in NYC as well.) And perhaps the HD facilities haven't been garnering the payers the attention they had hoped, hence the unwillingness to expend resources to install HD from scratch on 106.9 which has never had it before.

 

[hangman]

I noticed WBEB's HD-1 and 2 are off the air also. Looking at the 106.9 tower yesterday, I noticed no maintenance or nothing has been done in years, I was checking it a few times a month when Merlin bought it to see if they were going to upgrade anything, but same old 4 bay; it seems Family Radio, Merlin and now these new tenants dont give a hoot about the facility they just keep pumping out the signal until it will finally break down...

 

[ka2xuk]

I am wondering why 106.9 is not in HD, and there are no sub channels. I was hoping for a Standards or Classic Country format to surface on a sub if they ever do go HD. Their Cherry Hill property is in HD with Classical on their sub.

Some possible reasons:

1. EMF is a noncommercial religious broadcaster that would normally have no need to broadcast in "HD Radio". IBiquity charges stations an arm and a leg for licenses to broadcast in "HD Radio". Mercer County Community College may have paid EMF to have the HD Radio equipment installed and licensed for 89.5 in Cherry Hill. They could then use that HD-2 channel to feed an analog translator in or near Philly.

2. As a contemporary Christian broadcaster, I could not see EMF being interested in putting any kind of secular programming on its stations, even on "HD Radio" subchannels. Standards and classic country are great formats...but why would a strictly religious broadcaster like EMF be interested in running them, especially if they would have to pay huge royalties to iBiquity for the "HD Radio" licenses.

3. Very few listeners to any kind of station, religious or secular, have the "HD Radio" receivers and most consumer electronics stores don't even stock them. Go to one of these stores, ask for "digital radio", and the associate will most likely march you into the satellite radio aisle and try to sell you a subscription to Sirius/XM.

4. As mentioned above, one common use of "HD Radio" multicasting channels is for feeding analog translators. Since EMF's two Christian formats are distributed via satellite and there are no restrictions limiting noncommercial translators to the primary contours of the parent station, EMF could just feed a translator directly from the satellite. Why pay iBiquity those expensive royalties when they don't have to?

 

[hangman]

From what I have witnessed; it seems analog translators are mainly used to re-broadcast weak AM signals. All over the country, Philadelphia as the exception, translators are popping up all over and are used mainly to rebroacast the co-owned AM signal. In fact most long time AM stations, do not use their AM frequency they just concentrate on the FM band. Reminds me long ago when AM's would simulcast their FM co owned channels together, but their FM's were powerhouses not like the translators.

 

[ka2xuk]

From what I have witnessed; it seems analog translators are mainly used to re-broadcast weak AM signals.

The use of FM translators by AM stations is a fairly recent development due to a recent change in FCC rules. But "HD Radio" multicast channels are also often used to feed translators. Harrisburg and Scranton are two cities in Pennsylvania where this is done. One justification for this is the low number of "HD Radio" receivers in use by the general public.

Analog translators were originally used (and still are) to fill in dead spots in the coverage areas of full-power FM stations. Noncommercial broadcasters also use them to create networks, using the translators to provide an outlet in areas where a full-power station won't fit. Religious broadcasters such as EMF and Family Stations have been doing this for years.

 

[hangman]

Why does the Philly metro (I am not talking about the few rim shots, I mean city proper) have the least number of translators of any area of the country and that includes large markets. All we have is the flea powered 107.3 and the flamethrower 97.1, other markets I have noticed have at least 5 or 6 and these support the weak AM signals, WHAT would of been the perfect candidate to have a good translator to rebroadcast their Standards format, which failed due to signal coverage.