The real reason for keeping “HD” FM on life support: Translators?

[nd2023]

So, yes, some HD multicast channels are very interesting, but generally within the noncommercial band. I haven't ever seen an HD multicast station promoted outside of the station's own environment. A billboard for an HD2? Not likely.

There's a billboard up on I-91 in New Haven for WMRQ Hartford's Christian Contemporary HD-3!

That billboard would be better suited for WMRQ itself. A religious station is already available on 104.9, no one would go out and buy an HD radio to hear a religious station, no one even listens to analog religious stations.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

That billboard would be better suited for WMRQ itself. A religious station is already available on 104.9, no one would go out and buy an HD radio to hear a religious station, no one even listens to analog religious stations.

To say the NO ONE listens to analog religious stations may be a little bit of an overstatement.

I may have some criticisms to offer to people operating religious stations but they do have audience.

 

[nd2023]

Religious stations barely make the Arbitron ratings. 0.2% of the market has HD radios, and assuming a religious station gets a 0.1 share, a religious station on an HD2 would have a maximum of an 0.02 share.

 

[Play Freebird]

Religious stations barely make the Arbitron ratings. 0.2% of the market has HD radios, and assuming a religious station gets a 0.1 share, a religious station on an HD2 would have a maximum of an 0.02 share.

Not necessarily. Check out noncommercial WPOZ "Z 88.3" in Orlando (their top line numbers can be viewed at rrconline.org) which consistently ranks in the top 10 overall. Without getting too specific, their Fall 09 persons 12+ share was better than a 4, and they're even stronger with women 25-49. And they do it with a 13 kW signal in a market with several ~100 kW FM competitors.

Of course, I'm talking about the ratings of the main channel; I don't know how well WPOZ's HD-2 and -3 are doing.

 

[K6JHU]

In LA (Market number 2) there are four religious stations (out of approximately 80) that all rate between 0.3 and 07. The formats are Christian talk, Christian AC, Teaching, and Spanish Christian. And one of them is mostly a rim shot.

 

[ddsparxx]

Didn't WDAC in Lancaster, PA have high ratings in its market? I have read in the past it did.

 

[JohnnyElectron]

Back to the original topic, a local daytimer is "trading" their AM tower, transmitter, etc for a flea-powered Christian FM translator. BUT, get this, the programming on the FM translator will NOT be the programming leaving the daytimer, but instead, a feed from an HD2 of an abandoned format. What a waste. They should have gotten the FM translator and simulcasted their AM daytimer format - that was the intent of the orignal translator expansion. I'll be curious to see if I can hear the 'sub 100-watt' translator, or the 30KW HD-2 signal further from my location. Unless they up the power, I don't expect much from either until the HD2 goes -10db.

 

[davideduardo]

Didn't WDAC in Lancaster, PA have high ratings in its market? I have read in the past it did.

WDAC is around 2nd in the market, but it is mostly Contemporary Christian with a percentage of teaching programs. Like stations in Atlanta, Dallas, etc., an FM CC station can be very strong in ratings.

 

[ddsparxx]

Thanks for the info.