WBAA adds another HD channel

[radiojohno]

Quoting from a Purdue news release:

WBAA, the public radio service of Purdue, has added a 24-hour music channel to its FM service.

Listeners with an HD radio receiver can now tune to the HD-1 channel for the full schedule of WBAA's regular FM programming, or to HD-2 for music from XPoNential Radio, produced by WXPN in Philadelphia, the station that also produces "The World Café," heard on WBAA-AM at 7-9 p.m. weeknights. With a mix of emerging and heritage contemporary musicians, XPoNential Radio serves up an eclectic blend of blues, rock, world, folk and alternative country.

In addition to the music, an HD radio receiver also will display song titles and performers. HD radio receivers are available in the area at stores such as Best Buy and Radio Shack, or via the NPR Shop, http://shop.npr.org/catalog/HD_Radio-37-1.html?mode=families.

WBAA-AM (920) converted to HD radio technology in September 2008, and listeners can listen to the full range of AM programs in FM quality stereo with an HD receiver. WBAA-FM (101.3) was converted to HD radio technology last summer at the same time the power was increased to 14,000 watts.


(I have no connection to WBAA except as a frequent listener.)

 

[Apollo7979]

John, since I'm lazy and don't feel like going to WBAA's website, do you know if they're streaming 101.3 HD2?

Like a lot of fans of The World Cafe and WXPN, I would love to hear XPoNential Radio in the car, but I'm not fortunate enough to have an HD radio.

 

[Tom Wells]

Oh, so that's who is hissing on the upperside of WGTO 910 Cassoplois Michigan.
It's better since WLS turned off their hiss-master, but there still some iboc noise on 910.
I knew it had to be within a hundred miles or so...

 

[radiojohno]

John, since I'm lazy and don't feel like going to WBAA's website, do you know if they're streaming 101.3 HD2?

They do not appear to be, no.

I'm going to e-mail a contact at WBAA to ask if they have plans to modernize their audio streams. For years, they've offered streaming in Real Audio and Windows Media formats. It could be reasonably argued that the Real format is obsolete. Further, WBAA presently offers no stream which is compatible with iTunes or the iPhone/iPad player apps like "NPR News" and "Public Radio" (both of which I downloaded in the hope of listening to WBAA). There are probably many, many times more iPhone / iPad owners within range of WBAA's over-the-air signal than HD Radio receiver owners.

Not that I mean to start another discussion of the viability of HD Radio -- in fact, I applaud WBAA for taking that gamble. But my guess is they could reach far more potential new listeners even within the Lafayette / West Lafayette area (not to mention nationally) by modernizing their audio streams.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Oh, so that's who is hissing on the upperside of WGTO 910 Cassoplois Michigan.
It's better since WLS turned off their hiss-master, but there still some iboc noise on 910.
I knew it had to be within a hundred miles or so...

Tom, you think it's bad there, you should have heard what 900 and 910 sounded like near Lafayette. Between WLS and WBAA, it was a war zone. Hopefully some critical ears will note what happens to the HD-1 sound quality when they take away some bits to add the HD-2.With just HD-1, HD radio is at least equal to analog. With HD-2 present, HD-1 doesn't sound as good as analog. The HD-2's often sound like a fairly good Internet stream...rarely better than that. Which makes me wonder if the stations that are using translators (fed by an HD-2 station) are actually feeding them from the mediocre sounding HD-2 signal or via a direct feed? My money's on the direct feed. An analog that sounded as so-so as most HD-2's wouldn't make it for long.

 

[radiojohno]

John, since I'm lazy and don't feel like going to WBAA's website, do you know if they're streaming 101.3 HD2?

Update: Yes, WBAA is now streaming 101.3 HD2 in Windows Media and Real formats at http://www.purdue.edu/wbaa/listen_online/index.shtml. Also, they are working now to offer streaming in QuickTime format, which I'd certainly assume will make their programming available to iTunes / iPhone / iPad listeners.