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WODS goes HD
- Thread starter jlehmann
- Start date
Radio68 said:
It was originally slated to be called "SuperOldies", playing '50s and '60s oldies, including the pre-1964 oldies which were dropped from their regular format. I don't know if that's what they're still planning.
J
JoshuaC
Guest
We had one of our engineers programming our HD2 back when it was still in testing. He ran it as a free-form rock format. It ran for several months and then we shut it down and handed it over to programming who decided to wait on it until they could come up with a strategy (we weren't too bothered as it was mostly a test anyways and we hardly expected it to live forever). However, I still get occasional calls or emails from GaTech kids who want it to come back!
HD2 and HD3 can be viable if wisely programmed. It's not going to make you a ton of money, but you can probably cover your expenses and if you have HD on you are essentially paying for the bandwidth anyways, may as well use it. The only trouble is that wisely programming it would require an investment of time and research or at least some old-school experimentation by people in programming, and given the climate of the day (especially with the big radio groups) no body wants to do ANYTHING unless they are guaranteed success.
One of the big troubles with HD from a programming standpoint is that a lot of people still don't really know what it is and what to do with it: Should sub-channels be treated as complimentary programming to your main (niche formats and the such), or should they be treated as independent units? Should they be advertised on your main frequency, or is that cheating on yourself? Is simulcasting a sister station a viable option (great way to get some fill-in on a weak AM station), or is that a cop-out? Should it be treated like block programming, or should there be a 24-7 format? These are some of the questions that really need answers. The best way to avoid a stumble is to know what the terrain is first.
I don't think HD is a non-starter... I do think it has some more growing pains to go through before it proves successful (and it will probably never be as successful as analog was, but then again today's analog stations aren't that successful either). I do agree that the technology and deployment could definitely have been done better.
HD2 and HD3 can be viable if wisely programmed. It's not going to make you a ton of money, but you can probably cover your expenses and if you have HD on you are essentially paying for the bandwidth anyways, may as well use it. The only trouble is that wisely programming it would require an investment of time and research or at least some old-school experimentation by people in programming, and given the climate of the day (especially with the big radio groups) no body wants to do ANYTHING unless they are guaranteed success.
One of the big troubles with HD from a programming standpoint is that a lot of people still don't really know what it is and what to do with it: Should sub-channels be treated as complimentary programming to your main (niche formats and the such), or should they be treated as independent units? Should they be advertised on your main frequency, or is that cheating on yourself? Is simulcasting a sister station a viable option (great way to get some fill-in on a weak AM station), or is that a cop-out? Should it be treated like block programming, or should there be a 24-7 format? These are some of the questions that really need answers. The best way to avoid a stumble is to know what the terrain is first.
I don't think HD is a non-starter... I do think it has some more growing pains to go through before it proves successful (and it will probably never be as successful as analog was, but then again today's analog stations aren't that successful either). I do agree that the technology and deployment could definitely have been done better.
jlehmann said:
It's lagging way behind WBZ HD on 1030, maybe by as much as a full minute. I didn't time it.
Also, I'd expect an FM HD to have better high-frequency audio than an AM HD, but WBZ on WODS "HD-3" also seems to have much better bass response than WBZ HD. The bass on the produced liners, beds and spots really booms out of the woofers. It doesn't do that on WBZ HD on AM.
I don't know if the difference is in my Sangean HDT-1 receiver, or if that's the way they're being broadcast.
jlehmann said:
Boring. I'd rather have '50s/'60s oldies. I guess I'll keep catching them on WCAP in Lowell and WATD in Marshfield.
>>103.3's HD3 is now on, and simulcasting WBZ.
Steve Leveille did indeed do a tease at the end of the 1 am hour saying "We're now heard on
FM, too; I'll let you know when we get back". So he said that "as I understand it", WODS's
HD-3 signal was now doing WBZ, "for you people in buildings that have trouble picking up AM".
(One other way to put WBZ on FM, so to speak, if you're in some kind of building with AM
reception trouble--set up a radio tuned to 1030 kHz in a place where the signal does come in, like near the edge,
and rebroadcast it on a mini FM transmitter--then listen on a Walkman or other type of radio.
Yes, 'BZ has a powerful signal but it's a tough get in some buildings!
Steve Leveille did indeed do a tease at the end of the 1 am hour saying "We're now heard on
FM, too; I'll let you know when we get back". So he said that "as I understand it", WODS's
HD-3 signal was now doing WBZ, "for you people in buildings that have trouble picking up AM".
(One other way to put WBZ on FM, so to speak, if you're in some kind of building with AM
reception trouble--set up a radio tuned to 1030 kHz in a place where the signal does come in, like near the edge,
and rebroadcast it on a mini FM transmitter--then listen on a Walkman or other type of radio.
Yes, 'BZ has a powerful signal but it's a tough get in some buildings!
Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:jlehmann said:
BOR-ING!Well, at least there is K-EARTH 101 HD2 streaming on line from LA. You'd think 'ODS would get the hint, people WANT to hear the older material (pre-Beatles), not just another "MJX or 'PLM clone. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Though I don't care for it, I might understand why they may have done it. WODS has been competing with WMJX for years, and maybe they're hoping that if HD ever "catches on", that offering commercial-free soft AC on their HD-2 may get a little slice of WMJX's pie, and erode their main channel ratings lead a bit.
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