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WEMP FM News 101.9 Turns Off Stereo Signal

P

pjc1961

Sometime Fri.-Sat 10/21-22 101.9 FM NYC turned off their stereo pilot. Now their sounders + reverb are a bit toned down (more like muffled/smushed), but not by much to spare their precious few listeners the sonic assault when they blast on-air. Funny to hear some of the entertainment reports with music clips now sound relatively lifeless in mono compared to stereo.

Can anyone receive this station better in outlying areas where reception was dicey to start with?
 
I just checked my HD radio. Apparently WEMP is not broadcasting in HD at this time.
If the HD is permanently switched off, smooth jazz will be totally gone from 101.9 for the first time since 1988. Smooth jazz moved from the main frequency to the HD2 in 2008, when WRXP started.
But HD signals on many stations go down for months, and then come back. So it is hard to know for sure if it is gone for good, unless the station provides some information.
 
If the pilot stays off, that will be very telling.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
I did hear WEMP broadcast in HD today, even though it was off last evening. The smooth jazz subchannel was also being aired.
Apparently they switch the HD signal on and off, like several other local stations.
 
Barry said:
I did hear WEMP broadcast in HD today, even though it was off last evening. The smooth jazz subchannel was also being aired.
Apparently they switch the HD signal on and off, like several other local stations.
Click to expand...
What about the pilot? Is it back on in HD AND analogue?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
Pilot is off. Mono analog channel.

Don't need the pilot for HD, totally separate transmission method.
 
I meant to mention in the original post of this thread that a similar arrangement is done with WNYC-FM-93.9, where their news/talk shows are primarily broadcast in mono, while they continue to broadcast in HD on the main channel, in stereo on the HD2 classical music channel (simulcasting WQXR-FM-105.9) and in mono on the HD3 news/talk channel (simulcasting WNYC-AM-820).
 
Keep in mind back in the 1970's it was common for stations to turn off their stereo during talk programming. If they decide to do that permanently it may be their tactic to lessen their multipath issues.

I don't know if it's just time progressing or what, but I remember being able to pick up 101.9 in Connecticut much better in the past (some 20+ years ago) than today.
 
Stereo or mono, their processing is downright awful over the past few weeks. Sounds like a boombox where the "bass" and "treble" controls are both turned all the way up, leaving a midrange hole in the middle.

NJ 101.5 sounds good and loud on voice, and since Mr. Sabo consulted that operation for many years, just copy their setup. Anything would be better than the current sound. If they're going after women, they should have a woman listen to it.
 
WNTIRadio said:
Pilot is off. Mono analog channel.

Don't need the pilot for HD, totally separate transmission method.
Click to expand...
Is there a control signal sent for stereo with the HD transmission?

For analogue, the 19kc pilot was to notify the receiver that multiplexing was available and to look for the L-R. Along with kicking an indicator to let the listener know stereo was available.

Today, everything is assumed to be a stereo broadcast on many radios so the indicator is left out. Is that same thinking in line at the transmitter so the listener indication of a stereo broadcast is unnecessary due to the indication of the "HD" in it's place?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
The HD receiver will decode whatever is sent to it. If it's a mono stream, that will be decoded as such. If it's stereo, then it will be decoded as stereo.

The reason for mono on analog FM is to help out the noise floor, especially on not so great receivers. There's no noise penalty for going stereo on HD. A digital stream is a digital stream.
 
I don't want to start another WEMP thread, but I heard from a very unreliable source that Sabo was let go... 2-3 weeks ago.
I haven't seen anything here, on Dr. Teeth's board, or in the trades... can anybody confirm?
 
http://www.commercialradio.com.au/files/news/Radio Conference speakers PR.pdf

Walter Sabo was on his way to this Australian radio conference (link above) a few weeks ago while coincidentally Randy Michaels was gathering the troops together in Chicago to discuss the future focus and direction of the Chicago station WWWN (and I'd assume WEMP NYC as well). The whole "more news, a little sports and business thrown in, tighten up the banter/chatter, etc." bit.

This has led to much speculation about Sabo; was this just a scheduling conflict that couldn't be avoided or have Sabo's "formatics" fallen out of favor with the Merlin Magicians? Time will tell...unless someone has inside info to share...do tell, do tell!
 
After months of the "chocolate" gimmick, perhaps 101.9 should start trumpeting their new "sans stereo" broadcast as "sugar-free." ::)

@PhilHaircut: If it wasn't in the trades, then it's safe to say it's not news. Trust me, the ouster of such a high-profile person put in charge to run a high-profile (in terms of scrutiny) format would be hard to conceal in 2-3 hours, let alone 2-3 weeks.
 
Perhaps they should have retained the stereo signal. There are many clips from songs, and sound beds.
It seems that the reverb is gone. It probably was more appropriate for a 1960's top 40 station than a news broadcast.
 
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