WJSU-FM broadcasting in HD

[rfburns]

Well... it's official. The state of Mississippi has its first station broadcasting in HD. WJSU-FM switched on their new Harris transmitter tonight around 7pm. They've still got some adjusting to do on the processing and FM/HD blend, but it is on the air.

RFB

 

[louisNatl]

Well... it's official. The state of Mississippi has its first station broadcasting in HD. WJSU-FM switched on their new Harris transmitter tonight around 7pm. They've still got some adjusting to do on the processing and FM/HD blend, but it is on the air.

RFB

A toast to the first HD radio station in MS. I can only hope that other stations follow. Mississippi Public Radio should upgrade their statewide network so that they can offer multiple streams of NPR and other programs. SuperTalk could also use this to their advantage. Clear Channel is a major investor in iBiquity but I doubt they will upgrade any MS stations since most of them are being sold.

 

[tomservo]

I'd be interested in hearing how the HD coverage compares to the analog side. Most of what I've read on other boards has suggested the HD coverage is much smaller -- and from what little I've seen/heard, WJSU doesn't have all that big of a coverage area to begin with.

Which brings me to a few questions. With a lot of the stations around here being owned by smaller companies, where will they find the money to upgrade? I hear it's expensive. Then there's the price for new radios. That I think is gonna be the biggest driving factor for this state. Once those prices start to fall people outside the Memphis and Jackson area might start hearing HD. Or better yet iBiquity needs to follow the lead of satellite radio and start getting deals to get the technology into factory car stereos.

Ok so I'm still new to MS and only getting familiar with the stations in N-Central MS where I live (Grenada) so things may be different down in Jackson, or Meridian or the coast. But I think I speak for the majority of radio listeners out in the country, all over the country, who are asking, "Why should I pay for all new radios to hear the same poorly run commercial laden stuff I hear for free now, when there's no guarentee I'll even be able to snag the HD signal at all?"

Believe me, I want radio to succeed and be viable for the next 50 years or more. I even think the whole mutiple-streams concept for FM stations is gonna be a lifesaver one day. HD on AM on the other hand...

I dunno. Guess I'm being a cynic. In this day and age of satellite radio (I've got XM), iPods (I've got an mp3 player and several minidisc units), internet streaming (Shoutcast!) and 200 channels of TV... Is HD too little too late for the radio world?

 

[louisNatl]

Hi Zach,

Regarding coverage, it is true that the HD radio signal is weaker (about half the coverage of a station's analog signal). I am not familiar with WJSU's signal contour but I would guess that their HD signal would be enough to cover Jackson and most of the suburbs. I can receive HD signals 50-60 miles away on my Boston Acoustics Recepter stereo. However, this requires tuning of the antenna and these stations would not come in consistently in a moving vehicle.

There is no clear answer as to how much an upgrade to HD cost for a station. I've heard that the initial investment is small, and that iBiquity requires license fees once the technology creates profit for the station. Others have mentioned that the costs are expensive but that could be a bias against the technology. NPR and the CPB are providing grants to public and community stations to encourage upgrades. This allows for more NPR programs with the additional subchannels. The technology costs have decreased significantly over two years. Initially, HD receivers costs $599. Now, you can purchase one for $99 after rebate from Radio Shack.

HD radio provides more dynamic sound. I can hear more detail and additional high and low notes when listening to classical music from my local NPR station. The sound is more 3 dimensional and dynamic than analog. Also, a local college radio station broadcasts many live jazz performances and I can hear more background noise of an audience and a concert hall setting. However, better sound quality is not what will convince the consumer to adopt this new technology.

Most classical and jazz music is recorded with the intent of being played on a CD or in a stereo system. This is where HD shines. Pop music is manufactured and tweaked for analog radio with additional sounds removed. I do not notice any difference on a pop station with an HD signal. Some hip hop, urban, and new country sound slightly more dynamic.

With all the other examples that you mentioned (satellite, radio, iPods, internet streams), local radio has one distinct advantage in that it is local. People want to be connected to their local communities. Subchannels allow the ability for a station to broadcast niche formats where there may not be a large enough audience to sustain a full powered station (such as oldies, alternative rock, smooth jazz). This will be the only savior for HD. This is similar to subchannels on local HDTV stations. Local formats (hence additional revenue streams) can be added at minimal cost. When I travel home to Mississippi, I turn my XM off so that I can check the local stations and catch up with my community. However, I noticed that most of the local stations in the Starkville/Columbus area are either urban, pop, or country with many stations of each. It also seems that most stations are either voice tracked or rebroadcasting a satellite feed. I usually end up listening to the smooth jazz station WKBB 100.9 out of West Point which is also a satellite format.

I seriously doubt any station in Grenada would upgrade to HD as it would not be a smart business decision. Also, since most of the local stations such as B 100.5, WONA, and Bob 99.1 FM rebroadcast satellite feeds, there would be no improvement with sound. The old law of physics, garbage in equals garbage out still applies here. The satellite feeds are not HD quality to begin with and therefore the end result would just be upconverted analog that would sound the same. Regarding subchannels, there may be some potential. With the flat terrain of the Delta, the signals may propagate to cover a large area. Although I don't see this happening anytime soon if the costs are high.

The best we can hope for is that Mississippi Public Radio upgrades their statewide network to HD. This would allow them to have two additional subchannels. One channel could be music programs dedicated to preserving Mississippi's culture and heritage such as blues, folk, country, soul, and other stuff that can not be heard on local radio. Another channel could be a 24 hour news, talk, and information format with statewide news breaks at the top and bottom of the hour. It seems that many local stations are now automated and this could be a valuable addition. I would be willing to support the upgrade in any way possible.

 

[tomservo]

MPB going HD sounds reasonable. A statewide "heritage channel" sounds like an excellent idea.

I think you gave me more reasons not to upgrade with your post, though.

How many people wanna fiddle with the antenna every time they try to get a station? There was a thread in the HD forums a while back about how most people don't even bother to extend the little telescopic antenna on their boom boxes so many weaker analog signals are out cold, not to mention HD.

(As an aside, this is one of the stumbling blocks of satellite - a lot of people are dismayed at having to carefully aim the little home antenna, or not getting coverage in certain types of buildings, etc.)

For public stations and the few formats out there that can take advantage of that dynamic range, HD is great... But as you said, most popular types of music aren't really well processed... And pretty much every station I can pick up here in Grenada is voicetracked or satellite all day - so no boost there. It's not just here. I'm think of any rural location in the US. It's the same.

I think the only real advantage to 50% of the target audience (who could possible get the HD signal) is local-ness - which analog FM is, already.

The sound quality, from what I've heard so far, is better than XM or Sirius, even when running 3 channels!

Terrestrial radio will always be around, I'm just not sure how big of an impact HD radio will have. I hope the price of the radios comes down enough so that anyone can afford one... And the technology needs to be worked out so that they can stick it in a $30 boombox or walkman. Until that happens, it'll be niche technology, along with Super Audio CDs and AM stereo.

 

[louisNatl]

Exactly! Right now they should focus on home stereos that can take advantage of the dynamic sound. Also, home stereos are not mobile and do not require reconfiguration of the antenna. Eventually, the industry will need to produce better technology to improve the reception and make the technology smaller so it will fit in portable device. Hopefully, that will happen. FM also had hurdles in the early stages.

 

[stevenNOLA]

I'm in Houston where nearly all "in-town" FM stations have HD running. I own 2 Radio Shack Accurian radios--one in my office and one in my kitchen. For the most part, the HD signals can be tricky to receive at times, specially in my office where I'm on the 2nd floor of an 8-story building with over 100 computers on my floor. The analog signals contain static, even if available but I am able to recieve my preferred stations in crystal-clear HD in my office. With regard to sound quality--most sound EXCELLENT. The biggest factors I've noticed is the quality of the stations link to the transmitter and how the processing is set. As far as the HD Radio boards on here go, they are dominated by nay-sayers, most of which do not own an HD radio. In addition to 2 Accurians, I also have a Kenwood HD radio setup in the car and I was going nuts when I had to do without while it was in the shop for repairs. For coverage: I'll use KRVS-88.7 Lafayette, LA for example. 1244' @ 100kw. If you look at their coverage area: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KRVS&service=FM&status=L&hours=U, the HD signal covers all of the Red circle and generally up to the magenta circle while in the car. You could use a coverage map for your desired station and the HD will definitely cover all of the red circle, even in buildings. To put it plainly, the HD signal (in the car) will cover all of the areas where the analog signal sounds good. When it begins to get muffled sounding, that's when the HD signal will no longer be available.

Hope this helps.

Steven

 

[aeulgr1]

Hi Zach,

Regarding coverage, it is true that the HD radio signal is weaker (about half the coverage of a station's analog signal). I am not familiar with WJSU's signal contour but I would guess that their HD signal would be enough to cover Jackson and most of the suburbs. I can receive HD signals 50-60 miles away on my Boston Acoustics Recepter stereo. However, this requires tuning of the antenna and these stations would not come in consistently in a moving vehicle.

There is no clear answer as to how much an upgrade to HD cost for a station. I've heard that the initial investment is small, and that iBiquity requires license fees once the technology creates profit for the station. Others have mentioned that the costs are expensive but that could be a bias against the technology. NPR and the CPB are providing grants to public and community stations to encourage upgrades. This allows for more NPR programs with the additional subchannels. The technology costs have decreased significantly over two years. Initially, HD receivers costs $599. Now, you can purchase one for $99 after rebate from Radio Shack.

HD radio provides more dynamic sound. I can hear more detail and additional high and low notes when listening to classical music from my local NPR station. The sound is more 3 dimensional and dynamic than analog. Also, a local college radio station broadcasts many live jazz performances and I can hear more background noise of an audience and a concert hall setting. However, better sound quality is not what will convince the consumer to adopt this new technology.

Most classical and jazz music is recorded with the intent of being played on a CD or in a stereo system. This is where HD shines. Pop music is manufactured and tweaked for analog radio with additional sounds removed. I do not notice any difference on a pop station with an HD signal. Some hip hop, urban, and new country sound slightly more dynamic.

With all the other examples that you mentioned (satellite, radio, iPods, internet streams), local radio has one distinct advantage in that it is local. People want to be connected to their local communities. Subchannels allow the ability for a station to broadcast niche formats where there may not be a large enough audience to sustain a full powered station (such as oldies, alternative rock, smooth jazz). This will be the only savior for HD. This is similar to subchannels on local HDTV stations. Local formats (hence additional revenue streams) can be added at minimal cost. When I travel home to Mississippi, I turn my XM off so that I can check the local stations and catch up with my community. However, I noticed that most of the local stations in the Starkville/Columbus area are either urban, pop, or country with many stations of each. It also seems that most stations are either voice tracked or rebroadcasting a satellite feed. I usually end up listening to the smooth jazz station WKBB 100.9 out of West Point which is also a satellite format.

I seriously doubt any station in Grenada would upgrade to HD as it would not be a smart business decision. Also, since most of the local stations such as B 100.5, WONA, and Bob 99.1 FM rebroadcast satellite feeds, there would be no improvement with sound. The old law of physics, garbage in equals garbage out still applies here. The satellite feeds are not HD quality to begin with and therefore the end result would just be upconverted analog that would sound the same. Regarding subchannels, there may be some potential. With the flat terrain of the Delta, the signals may propagate to cover a large area. Although I don't see this happening anytime soon if the costs are high.

The best we can hope for is that Mississippi Public Radio upgrades their statewide network to HD. This would allow them to have two additional subchannels. One channel could be music programs dedicated to preserving Mississippi's culture and heritage such as blues, folk, country, soul, and other stuff that can not be heard on local radio. Another channel could be a 24 hour news, talk, and information format with statewide news breaks at the top and bottom of the hour. It seems that many local stations are now automated and this could be a valuable addition. I would be willing to support the upgrade in any way possible.

Just so you'll know, next time you come home, WKBB is now part of Super Talk. No more jazz, just JT & Dave.

 

[NE Miss Radio]

I seriously doubt any station in Grenada would upgrade to HD as it would not be a smart business decision. Also, since most of the local stations such as B 100.5, WONA, and Bob 99.1 FM rebroadcast satellite feeds, there would be no improvement with sound. The old law of physics, garbage in equals garbage out still applies here. The satellite feeds are not HD quality to begin with and therefore the end result would just be upconverted analog that would sound the same. Regarding subchannels, there may be some potential. With the flat terrain of the Delta, the signals may propagate to cover a large area. Although I don't see this happening anytime soon if the costs are high.

B-100 is in Grenada and the last I knew was hard drive audio. 100.5 is WBLE out of Batesville.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

What about Mississippi AM's going HD?

I can think of a few that could never afford it...... unless the AM's are in "major cities", I can't see it being worthwhile for them.

 

[tomservo]

There are major cities in Mississippi? ;D *ducks*

But seriously. I woulda figured the satellite feeds would be of a higher (technical) quality... The radio station is usually where things get mangled beyond recognition, so I figured.

I should stop figuring so much!