badjef said:
FM overtook AM because there were more good signals in all major markets, there were more formats, and there was a lower commercial load. Fidelity was a little added benefit; even today, most FM listening is not in stereo.
It was a novelty. There was NO commercial load at first. It was just there. Automated and tax write-offs. WQXR flirted with separated channels on AM and FM, of course.
While I did not date my "overtook" scenario, I was obviously talking about the decade between the simulcast drop dead year, 1967, and when FM achieved parity, about 1977.
Stations were not novelties. You had several of the first oldies stations live in big markets, such as WMOD in DC, in 1968. You had bad or daytime AM basically moving to FM, like WPGC in 1970. You had the beginnings of the powerful Beautiful Music programmers like SRP and Bonneville shortly thereafter. Independent, standalone FM CHR like WMYQ, WDRQ and KSLQ were on in 72. Progressive rockers like KMET and WNEW and the like began before 1970. Lee Abram's model for Superstars was the station in Raleigh he programmed, WQDR, around 1971 if I remember right.
All these and many more were profitable, but kept spot loads light (Shulke demanded 8 minutes and not a second more), promoted, and innovated.
Even prior to 1967, there were plenty of successful FMs, such as KFOG in SF and what i now WBEB in Philly.
There wasn't even a power limitation! - Grand Rapids, Mi. comes to mind.
There was a power limitation, but it was much higher. We had some 500 kw FMs, including one on Mt Diablo in SF... to put order in the band, the FCC changed to the class system and allocations in the 50s, grandfathering the existing stations. Again, that was a decade before the FCC put the paddles on FM and yelled "clear."
FM stereo was not introduced until 1961. The band move occured right after W.W. II.
Then why didn't AM go stereo at the same time - in 1961?
Probably because nobody cared. The whole concept of stereo was brand new... that was still the era when LPs came in mono and stereo versions, with the stereo one being more costly. Very, very few FMs adopted it in the first few years.
Remember, the count of FM stations in 1950 was about 50% higher than in 1959 at the end of the decade. FM was dying, and not many people cared about what it did. And AM stations were doing fine, and saw no need for some gimmick called stereo.
Because the FCC threw the broadcasters "a bone" with the adoption of stereo because of the re-location to 88-108. Remember, the range decreases with stereo transmision and noise increases, too.
The move to the new band happened 15 years before stereo was authorized. There were less than 75 licenced or experimental stations on FM in 1945; a remedy in 1961 did no even affect most of the original owners..
They "tried" to do the same thing in 1993 with the x-band.
Nope. The X Band was intended to clear many inefficient daytimers and complicated directionals off the under-1610 part of the dial by allowing them to move to the X Band.
TV is being offered at the CES a 152in 3-D TV from Panasonic, I'm certain they are making sure stereo is included and hooked up and functional.
The TV does not even have speakers, apparently, as it needs to be connected to a home theatre system. The idea is to imitate a movie theatre because so many people detest going to theatres today. The comparison does not match.
Most radio is listened to on kitchen and clock radios and little sets in the office. Even if they pretend to be stereo, unless you are a mouse and can fit between the separated-by-3-inches speakers, the listening is not in stereo. In most car situations, road noise and vibration eliminate most of the stereo effect.
Those of us that have been at major stations have noted how many calls we get if the stereo generator is ot, or if we have to feed the transmitter site in mono in an emergency. The number of complaints is generally zero.
