A non-profit, charitable Hispanic educational organization has applauded FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal for a public interest set-aside in the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), an organization dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans, said the importance of the Chairman's proposal "should not be overlooked" in a letter to Martin.
HITN formed HITN-TV, the first and only Latino managed and controlled public interest TV network - which is available in over 30 million U.S. households through DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable, and Charter Communications.
"For HITN-TV, the DBS set-aside has permitted out network to service the educational needs of Spanish language households as well as provide a glimpse into the rich, diverse interests and culture of Latino America for all viewers," wrote HITN.
"A public interest set-aside for satellite radio would afford the same opportunity for non-profit broadcasters like HITN-TV to provide non-commercial content to listeneres and to offer new, fresh or alternative perspectives to what is available through major consolidated media outlets."
HITN went on to urge the FCC to ensure that capacity for public interest channels are reserved for "truly non-profit entities" and there should be no cost for carriage for the non-profits.
"I applaud the Chairman for introducing the concept of public interest and minority programming set-asides to satellite radio," HITN concluded. "It is a good idea which should be built upon and implemented in a way that ensures that independent, minority, and public interest voices have a chance to be heard."
So, how is it that an established public interest network can see the value in Martin's proposal, while an inexperienced, unestablished organization like Georgetown Partners can't?
[Read Letter (PDF)]
Ryan, there is a serious misspelling in the first sentence!!
Appauled instead of Applauded..... you might want to change that. ;-)
Wonder what this costed Melvin and Sirius, for the HITN's endosement??? Another group that's pro-merger, who is on the payroll....I bet'cha.
"truly non-profit entities" aka no Georgetown!
Ryan your spin job continues to make things worse. A "Hispanic broadcaster's" opinion has every right to be different than a another's opinion from in your words "an inexperienced, unestablished organization like Georgetown Partners" Just like the NAB and FCC share a different opinion than Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin. Way to go, another shameful low in orbitcast's history.
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
and thats not a shameful unbiased promotion of HD by an anonymous Coward??? geeze
www.HDRADIOSUCKS.com
I've actually gotten numb to the AC HD guy in the comment section.
I'm just curious as to who this guy actually is? Who does he work for? I suppose it has to be either Ibiquity or the NAB.
It'll be sad to see him lose his job once this thing wraps up. After all, HD Radio will like HD-DVD and the NAB won't need nearly as many people. Maybe he can sell ads for FM - plenty of those running.
Da na na na NA
Da na na na NA
Nanananananana....
Gregg,
I doubt he's an employee of anyone. Probably just a latch key kid looking for some attention. Mommy doesn't get back from the street corner until late at night.
This setting aside channels for public use is such a crock. You want to know how many people will listen to those channels? To quote a great Belushi movie, "0.0!"
gary,
"shameful"? no not at all.
As with traditional AM, FM and TV broadcasting, HD Radio programming is free and supported either by commercial advertising or by membership as in public broadcasting. Therefore, the HD Radio system is considered a no-fee alternative to satellite radio.
As of June 2008, more than 1,700 AM and FM stations are broadcasting with HD Radio technology, with more than 700 FM stations offering more than one digital channel per FM frequency, thus doubling or tripling the number of programming channels available to listeners.
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
Anonymous Blowhard says: "As of June 2008, more than 1,700 AM and FM stations are broadcasting with HD Radio technology, with more than 700 FM stations offering more than one digital channel per FM frequency, thus doubling or tripling the number of programming channels available to listeners."
Too bad NO ONE is buying the freakin radios!!! So no one hears it!
LOL!! HD radio- it's toast!
I've actually gotten numb to the gregg guy in the comment section.
I'm just curious as to who this guy actually is? Who does he work for? I suppose it has to be the satradio industry, or he's another who made a poor investment choice and thinks a "merge" will get him back his risky investment. Either that or he's completely ignorant to think posting his crap and writing letters of his personal endorsement of satradio MONOPOLY, no matter how ignorant that is matters to anyone.
It'll be sad to see him lose his job once this thing wraps up. After all, Satellite Radio won't need nearly as many people. Maybe he can sell ads for FM - plenty of those running, since everyone known's win or lose Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's bitches are then on their own, no more payoffs from Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin.
You know on second thought I could care less about Gregg and his ignorance, giving even a second of thought to blind ignorance it too much.
HD loser,
Why don't you hang it up. Nobody knows or cares about HD sound of shit content and their couldn't be anything less exciting than this technology.
It's like rotary telephones converting to push button - give it up and get a life.
I feel really bad for you.
YAWN. Borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Here's my banana. Do you want to share it?
HD Radio Is Gaining Momentum
HD Radio sales are gaining traction with several suppliers predicting significant growth for the technology in car audio over the next few years.
Alpine estimates that 30 percent of radio listeners will own an HD Radio-ready product by the end of 2008. There are currently 260 million radio listeners per week.
JVC says sales of its HD Radio-equipped KD-HDR1 CD receiver, one of the lowest priced HD Radio car solutions on the market, took off during the summer after only moderate sales earlier in 2006. Bill Turner, JVC mobile entertainment VP, says, "I can't keep them in stock. Around August and September things started to mushroom." He attributed the increased demand to the promotional efforts of the HD Alliance and noted that certain retailers "began jumping on the bandwagon in anticipation of the holiday season."
Hi NAB Troll!
Hi NAB Troll!
JM,
Blind, ignorant satradio fanboy, Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's bitch, loser,
Why don't you hang it up. Nobody knows or cares about satradio sound of shit content, and desperate business model that hasn't made a dime and thinks it's is reliant on a government bailout to pad it's future. THERE couldn't be anything less exciting than this proven failure and waste of technology.
It's like rotary telephones converting to push button - give it up and get a life.
I feel really bad for you.
The benefits are even better
$50 Text "Upgrade" Rebate
http://www.hdradio.com/rebate/rebate.php
"As with traditional AM, FM and TV broadcasting, HD Radio programming is free and supported either by commercial advertising or by membership as in public broadcasting. Therefore, the HD Radio system is considered a no-fee alternative to satellite radio.'
"Reduced quality concerns"
"Another such conflict arises from the extra free programs available today. iBiquity is seeking FCC approval for conditional access, that is, enabling the extra programs to be available only by paid subscription (on future models of HD Radio). NDS, a maker of digital media encryption technology, has a deal with iBiquity to provide HD Radio with an encrypted content-delivery system called RadioGuard. NDS claims that RadioGuard will provide additional revenue-generating possibilities. iBiquity has stated that RadioGuard will become a standard feature of the HD Radio system. These competing capabilities mean that purchasers of early models of HD Radio have no guarantees of continued broadcasts of either high-quality audio or extra channels. Audio quality will suffer as broadcasters decide to subdivide their streams into extra HD-2 and HD-3 channels. And if the extra channels become subscription channels, they will become invisible to older radios without RadioGuard (and to those unwilling to pay for them)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio
Not free for long - then all of the current HD radios will have to be scrapped.
"The benefits are even better $50 Text "Upgrade" Rebate"
BUT:
"IS IBIQUITY RENEGING ON A REBATE OFFER?" August 29, 2007
"CGC #791 mentioned a limited-time price for the entry level Radiosophy HD100 digital radio receiver and there was a handsome rebate offered from iBiquity. It now appears that iBiquity's rebate contractor is balking on issuing some rebates, and we'd like to determine the extent of the problem. If you purchased the Radiosophy HD100 and were (a) given a rebate or (b) not given a rebate but believe that you properly filed all the material required for a rebate, we'd like to know. We'll let you know if significant trends develop."
http://www.bext.com/_CGC/2007/cgc807.htm
Chech this thread in AVS HD Forum - many have not received these touted rebates:
"HD Radio Rebate"
"Thank you for the post. I now have three HD radios, but I only received a rebate on one of them. That was my first one, the Radiosophy HD100. My other two are the JVC in my pickup and a Sangean HDR-1. The Sangean was about $50 on a closeout at Sharper Image."
http://tinyurl.com/67uej6
Someone mention "lost cause"? More re-posts of prior DEBUNKED FUD for the un-educated.
"lost cause" = Pocketradio
Pocketradio = TROLL
Pocketradio = DEBUNKED
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
http://www.hdradio.com/rebate/
Terms and Conditions
You must meet the following terms and conditions to qualify for a rebate:
HD Radio receiver, tuner or adapter must be purchased between June 30, 2008 and September 29, 2008.
This offer is only valid on new HD Radio receivers, tuners or adapters purchased from a retailer for $51 or more.
This offer is only valid on products listed on this document. It is not valid on HD Radio-Ready head units.
Your rebate request must be postmarked by October 17, 2008. iBiquity Digital is not responsible for lost, late or undelivered mail.
This offer is good only for purchases made, and persons seeking rebates, in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and
Puerto Rico.
Limit of one offer per household or address. Allow 5·6 weeks, or other reasonable time, for delivery.
Offer rights are not assignable or transferable.
Both original UPC and receipt must be from a product you purchased during the duration of this offer.
Requests for rewards from groups, clubs or organizations will not be honored.
Employees and their family members of iBiquity Digital Corporation and employees of corporate investors in iBiquity Digital
are not eligible for rebate.
All rebate disbursements will be paid by check in U.S. Funds: Checks must be cashed by the date specified on the check; after that
date the check becomes void.
This offer cannot be combined with any other offer.
Void where prohibited licensed, taxed or restricted by law.
Here's an idea...You want a Latin American presence on Satellite Radio? Pitch your idea to XM or Sirius for your own channels instead of whinning about getting something for free.... I don't care if your non-profit..... These companies are on the verge of going under stop trying to get blood from a stone. I have never seen so much concern for something that matters so little in the country!!! If our government spent this much time on Health Care it would be fixed by now.....
SICK OF IT ALL,
I guess unlawful abuse of the radio spectrum and ignoring FCC agreements is ok in your ignorant thoughts. The will of the MAJORITY not the minority as in Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's satradio "merge" scheme.
Satellite radio requires a subscription, but with HD Radio, there is nothing to pay. Programming is free.
HD Radio allows FM stations to add lots of programming because it gives them two digital audio channels along with their regular analog channel. AM stations have their current analog channel and a new digital audio channel. This means that an FM station could have a top 40 broadcast on one audio channel and an all-news or sports broadcast on the others. The broadcasts would occur simultaneously. The frequency of the FM station might be 98.1. The station's new HD channels would appear on the HD radio as 98.1-1 and 98.1-2.
HD Radio also allows broadcasters to transmit information about what's playing. Radios can display the song's title and artist's name. Or, HD could provide financial quotes and traffic information. This would appear on a scrolling screen on the radio.
Like AM/FM HD Radio is radio of the MAJORITY
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
Se.
I don't think health care would be fixed by now.
Georgetown Partners would want the health care industry to put aside 20% of it's revenue for miniority owned companies such as say ....... Georgetown Partners. And don't forget all the Congressmen and AGs that would speakout against it because if we actually came to conclusion, They couldn't get anymore bribe money from special interest groups. and ther would be no more talking points for the election.
And besides the country has much more important issues than health care, the economy or security of the USA. There is a merger that must be stopped between two small public companies. And if we don't stop this merger, children will die, the economy will collapse, the rich will steal from the poor, dogs will sleep with cats, gays will be locked up, minorities will be put into slavery, and all consumers in the USA will be forced to give their paychecks to the BIG SATRAD MONOPOLY. Congress must make this a priority ahead of all other issues, and the President musn't sleep until the death of the evil Satrad.
Thank God the NAB and Georgetown Partners have the cash and time to bring the light to our blind eyes and show our government where it should be spending our hard earned tax dollars. They are saints that whose generous and unbiased giving helps the world be a better place.
but coward, you just said HD its supported by commercials--The whole point of sat radio is commercial FREE music!
Fundamentally the attitude of HITN is the same attitude that Hispanics have in general and the positive reason for the future success of the Hispanic minority (to become the majority). Unfortunately, all minority groups are taking a positive approach like this into the future. The negative approach of the NAB and Georgetown partners could result in no forum or channel set aside at all. And they know that because the NAB represents a status quo which wishes to keep the profits in the current set of monopolized radio control companies like Clear Channel. If XM and Sirius can't merge, then Clear Channel should be required to breakup, and others too.
Correction to the above:
was: Unfortunately, all minority groups are taking a positive approach like this into the future.
is: Unfortunately, all minority groups are not taking a positive approach like this into the future.
"Satellite radio requires a subscription, but with HD Radio, there is nothing to pay. Programming is free."
And so are the commercials.
AC,
If you think that satrad is ignoring FCC agreements, you should look inside your own camp!
Clear Channel, NAB, and many other TR companies have been ignoring, breaking, asking for, and receiving changes to FCC agreements and laws for years. To a point where they are now the bullies of communications.
Don't go and try to convince the world that NAB is now trying to protect the consumer, they are selfserving cry babies that can't seem to find out how to repair their own undoing.
I have to admit that based on the all the opposotion that the NAB and its gang of paid legionaires is putting up regarding the upcoming XM-Sirius merger that the combined company will be a total success. Afterall, if these opposing entities weren't 110% convinced that it woul be the most formidable competition that they have ever experienced in over 100 years of broadcasting they wouldn't bother putting us such a fuss. It's not simply their survival that they are worried about, but rather that they would have to seriously compete with top notch content (not free) instead of the same old sack of shit load mouth broadcasting that they have been serving up. They were able to do that as theirs was the only game in town. The merger is actually good for the American public as it will create more competition among broadcasters and in the end make for a better product. As for Georgetown Brothers, I mean Georgetown Partners, they are simply there for some free money.
Anonymous Coward writes:
"Like AM/FM HD Radio is radio of the MAJORITY"
___________________________________________
Great, let's all agree to that.
I think therefore we can conclude:
a) SATRAD is a small part of radio entertainment -- therefore the merger cannot be a monopoly. and the FCC should allow the merger.
b) SATRAD is a Miniority - therefore all the stations on SATRAD are miniority stations and we can conclude that 100% of the stations are set aside for miniorities. so no need to involve Georgetown Partners
c) because HDR and TR is the Majority, all HD & TR stations must give up 20% of their spectrum to miniority owned companies, and Georgetown partners are just the ones to have it.
d) the FCC must do what it can to protect the consumers from the Monopoly that is HDR & TR, and must break up NAB and Clear channel.
Thank you AC for putting an end to your own arguement.
HD radio... what a joke. I can't even pick up a stable signal outside my house, but yet I can receive both XM and SIRI with the antennas mounted inside PERFECTLY with no signal dropouts. Besides, I'm still waiting for content that I want to hear on terrestrial radio. Haven't heard anything on TerRad worth listening to since 1996.
Time to upgrade? Yeah, if and when HDR starts charging for their side channels, I would have to spend more of my hard earned money to UPGRADE AGAIN because those encrypted pay channels will not work with the current radios out there. Free radio? I pay for AM/FM/HD when I listen to the commercials, that is if I listened to AM/FM/HD. Put on something that is comparable to XM 82 The System and maybe, just MAYBE I will give it a listen. Until then, I will pay my $12.95/month to XM for content I want to hear. Radio, there are some things worth paying for.
When I feel that I am not getting my $12.95 worth from XM, then I will go to my alternative, my 8GB iPod mini loaded with content that I want to hear with no commercials. You couldn't pay me enough money to go back to TerRad at this point.
Signed,
Jason "Not an Anonymous Coward" AUSTiN
A blind, ignorant SatRad fanboy and XMelot, because I don't agree with what "merge" monopoly Anonymous Coward has to say.
sorry that above comment about AC's majority comment was mine. I forgot to add my name. it wasn't AC arguing with himself. although he does it well with out my help.
I have HD Radio and I also subscribe to XM and let me tell you from my own experience, HD RADIO BLOWS compared to XM, it is the biggest con in history. The quality is no different, just a waste of money to buy and install one.
Ok, really dumb to hijack comments on Minority programming, with HD comments, but... Got to do it.... ;-)
I have a JVC CD/AM/FM/HD/Satellite Ready Receiver in my truck. Love the thing...... For Satellite radio. I have Sirius on it right now, but if I wanted, I could have XM. (There is MY interoperability, change out the little black box).
You know, I WANTED to like HD.... It was a GREAT idea, unfortunately it appears GREED got in the way somewhere, and it truly is not an affordable option to people.
I don't see a 15 dollar clock radio with HD in it. Nor do I see a 40-50 dollar boom box, or even a 20 dollar radio sitting on my window ledge in my office....
HD will NEVER make it without lowering the cost. Period.
it should NEVER EVER be made mandatory for satellite to carry this albatross. If that were the case? Then it should be mandatory for Sirius/XM to carry AM/FM and toss a cd in there too, because we don't want to piss off them too.
Lets face it, if HD can't do it on it's own, stop trying to ride the coat tails of a company that IS trying to be successful, in bringing us, the consumer, something GOOD.
And those Georgetown freaks? Give me a BREAK. How DARE they! Takes some pretty big balls to STEAL from other businesses like that.
And The esteemed Senator from Massachusetts? You don't even know what the hell satellite radio is. Your just lining your pockets with NAB money. You are the lowest sort of human being on the planet. You are in office to support US, your people. NOT big business. You should step down NOW sir, you are a disgrace.
Oh... So I've got a bit of an anger issue today.... Been a long day and it's only 1... :(
First, Ryan, Thanks for bringing this site to the internet, your coverage of SATRAD is second to none, and the most usefull. And thanks for allowing idiots like us to take over the comment board.
Second, I always find it amusing how every story ends up with a discussion about NAB vs Satrad.
Unfortunately for all, I had a few hours to waste today, and thought I would chime in, with some goofy comments of my own.
Cheers all!
Kudos to Steve,
I agree.
I think if Satrad has to carry HD. Why don't we make the Ipod and all other MP3 players carry HD. How about all portable DVD and video players have to carry HD TV?
Every CD & DVD in the world needs to alot 20% of its recording space to Miniority Owned content.
It's all a joke, like everything in the US government, Freedom is lost.
Sorry, I'm still waisting time.
Don't stay awake at night worrying about the HD radio shills for the NAB and what they will do when Davy Rehrender pink slips them. You'll still hear from them in your email when their new job has them sending you spam for Cheap Meds and Penis Enlargment.
wow ill pay $12.95 (or higher) to have channels i could honestly careless about!!
and proposed by people who DONT HAVE sat radio......
besides im sure pablo and friends are very happy with Musica 104 fm/am...its free its local...discover that!!!!!!
and the 3 hip-hop and r&b stations, & 3 r&b only stations oversaturating every city just isnt enough!
besides doesnt xm and sirius have about 20% minority programming already broadcasting at this moment!
my question is HOW MUCH MONEY IS JESSE JACKSON AND HIS BLACK TRASH FRIENDS MAKING BY HELPIN GEORGETOWN AND THEIR FRAUDULENT ORGANIZATION?
ANONYMOUS COWARD your spin job continues to make things worse.
you say HD radio is the future?????.....when iBiquity loses massive amounts of money from a product as dull and stale as HD radio, i dont think you can call that the future of Radio. As of June 2008, more than 1,700 AM and FM stations are broadcasting in HD and 4 people are talkin about it!
then Donald "ronald Mcdonald" Reur wants to offer subscription programming! (radio guard) which isnt so bad for the 12 people who were suckered into buying those stupid radio's now they would get replaced! (good job ronald mcdonald reur!!!)
plus all your favorite testicle radio stations broadcast 1/100 of the signal digitally!
so anyone who listens to NY AM (example: WFAN-AM NY) radio in buffalo or nearby will lose signal!
HD Radio • IT’S TIME TO Throw in the towel!!!!!
HD Digital Radio. It's SUX. It's AWFUL. It's LAME. TRASH IT!
www.hdradio-sucks-my-balls.com/AC-is-a-tool
Someone mention "lost cause"? More re-posts of prior DEBUNKED FUD for the un-educated.
"lost cause" = Pocketradio
Pocketradio = TROLL
Pocketradio = DEBUNKED
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
The Sky’s The Limit: Tom Ray Looks Eagerly Towards Radio’s Digital Future
By Editor-In-Chief Joe Howard
He’ll celebrate 30 years in the radio business this summer, a span during which Tom Ray has learned a thing or two about radio engineering. Ray puts those years of knowledge to good use every day as VP/corporate director of engineering for Buckley Broadcasting, where he’s spearheading the effort to convert the company’s station portfolio to digital.
In fact, Ray believes that the migration to digital will provide a vital shot in the arm for the radio business, especially AM stations like Buckley’s WOR-AM-New York, which went digital in 2002.
Ray is also a big believer in what digital can bring to FM, from multicast channels to improved sound quality, and is eager to charge into this new chapter in radio’s history. “Now that there are regulations pertaining to HD operation, I think more stations will be inspired to light up digital carriers. The regulatory uncertainty issue is gone.”
RADIOINK: WOR was an early adopter of HD Radio. What have you learned, and why did you jump in so early?
TOM RAY: iBiquity approached us. They were looking to perform some tests with a high-powered station in a dense urban environment, and we agreed to be an experimental station. Also, we have a funky antenna system — we’ve got a lot of filtering and trapping in our system because we have other stations nearby — and iBiquity was curious about what would happen if we put it through a non-perfect system. It performed like a top. You can pick us up on HD almost in Philly, 90 miles from the transmitter. I live in Orange County, NY, about 50 miles out .We’ve only got about 5,000 watts in that area, and I can hear us on HD up there. Which is damn good, considering you can barely hear the analog up there. It also allowed iBiquity to do nighttime testing with a couple of gigantic signals, and to see how the AM would react in the concrete canyons down here. It actually works very well.
RI: Why is HD working so well for WOR. What’s the trick?
TR: I have no clue. Maybe it’s because we pay real attention to it. I just don’t know why; we’ve got it tuned up very nicely; like I said, even with the new antenna system, it’s a little bit funky and this thing works like a top.
RI: Some listeners complain that their HD receivers are finicky, and only work in certain areas or rooms. Are you hearing this?
TR: That is another issue; some of the radios leave a little bit to be desired. You have to have the external antenna, and most radios don’t. That is something that has to be changed on the manufacturer’s side, or you have to educate the public that they need an antenna, and explain how to use it.
RI: Is WOR experimenting with sending data to HD receiver displays?
TR: We are. We’ll tell you what show is on — right now it’s telling me that Dr. Joy Brown is on the air — and the producers sometimes put up, “Joe Blow’s being interviewed, you can get his book at Borders.” But we don’t send that data with the commercials. If we play a spot for Flemington Fur, we display the name Flemington Fur on the radio.
RI: What about the notion of traffic and weather data, or a news scroll? How hard are these concepts to implement?
TR: It depends on the system, but we’re considering putting up some traffic information and possibly some news headlines in the morning drive. With the current system we’re using — which was designed by one of our student Society of Broadcast Engineers members — I can send a message any time I want. I can create a listing based on time, and it will change the messages automatically. Depending on the show, I let the producers get into the system; if a particular author is being interviewed, they can display information about the author on the screen.
RI: Do any systems allow for a moving scroll, like those on TV news programs?
TR: I’m not aware of anyone making something that does that, but I’m sure it’s easy to develop. All of that stuff is built into the iBiquity spec. I’m sure somebody is going to be developing a commercial application — especially for FM, where you have more bandwidth — in which you’ll be able to display a map showing where the congested areas are.
RI: How far are we from a receiver that can pull up a map?
TR: Maybe another year. I’ve already seen some experimental versions; iBiquity has shown one that uses a baseball game as an example. It’s a system with a small VGA screen designed for something like a taxicab. The screen displays in the passenger area while the cab driver is listening to a baseball game. When John Doe comes up to the plate, his picture appears on the screen, along with a baseball diamond showing the jersey numbers of the players on base, plus the score and game stats. When the ball is hit, the display shows players advancing. That is a very cool example of things that can be done, but no one is doing it yet.
RI: Until more receivers are in consumers' hands, specifically in their cars, some worry that HD Radio won't evolve to that point. Are there any technical limitations that may be slowing automakers from adopting HD?
TR: I don’t think it’s necessarily technical limitations; it’s more of a mindset. If a radio company designs radios for Ford or Chevy, it’s nothing for that company to build the HD radio and make sure it fits in the same place in the dashboard. They have the template. Whether the auto manufacturer wants to do that is another story. It’s a mindset: “We’ve done this for years, we don’t want to change.”
RI: A General Motors exec recently told Radio Ink that her company would be a “fast follower” into HD Radio. GM wants consumer demand to drive it, so it seems like radio and automakers have reached a stalemate.
TR: It’s becoming a chicken-and-egg thing. How do you create consumer demand if they can’t hear it? It’s very frustrating on our end.
RI: What needs to be done to drive consumer demand?
TR: There needs to be some type of push, most likely in cooperation with the retail outlets, to make people aware of what HD Radio is and what it can do for them.
The example I use is HDTV; we’re supposed to be shutting off analog TV in February of 2009, but I don’t think people realize what’s coming. There’s still not a lot of information out about it. It’s the same with radio.
RI: Are any of your FM stations running HD2 channels?
TR: Our FM in Hartford is running ’60s Oldies on the side channel. We have Oldies on the main channel, mostly ’70s and ’80s, but the side channel is strictly ’60s with some ’50s thrown in. It sounds good. We’ve got one of those big signals; it seems to go forever. Here in New York, all the HD2 channels sound good. WPLJ actually is running two, HD2 and HD3, and they sound good. They’re not perfect, but they sound good.
RI: The rules make it much easier for stations to launch a new HD facility. Will this inspire more stations to go digital?
TR: I think the unknown may have been holding back some station owners. Without a set of regulations, there was no certainty that this was the right move. Why put big bucks into something that the FCC may say, “Well, no, we’re not going to do that”? Now that there are regulations pertaining to HD operation, I think that more stations will be inspired to light up digital carriers. The regulatory uncertainty issue is gone.
RI: The commission finally authorized AM nighttime digital operations. Is this the catalyst that will bring more AMs to digital?
TR: I think this is one of many things that will bring more AM stations to the digital domain. The FCC, in its ruling, has stated that AM radio is not a second-class citizen. We have listeners at WOR who get upset when the HD goes off at night. It’s nice that we're able to offer our listener base the same services 24/7 that we have only been able to offer during the day.
RI: What actions didn’t the FCC take that you believe they should have?
TR: The FCC didn’t fully complete the process on the service requirements of multicast channels. They left it somewhat open-ended. It would have been nice if they had either completed the task, or at least given an indication as to what they are considering for the final rules.
RI: Were you surprised by any of the FCC’s actions?
TR: Not really. I’ve been hearing “inside” rumblings for a while now, and what I was told was what transpired. As it should have. As I stated — the time is now for AM & FM stations to join the digital generation.
RI: There’s talk that the current power limits for HD side channels are too low. Is there any truth to these rumors?
TR: There is some thought that the power level needs to be brought up on the FM. FCC regulations have a spectral mask for AM and FM — basically how much space you can occupy with your signal. The HD signal has been designed to fit under this mask so it won’t send up red flags with the FCC or neighboring stations. On FM, the FCC says you can only have a certain amount of energy out, which limits the HD signal to about 1 percent of your analog power. If you were to bring that up, you’d have a little bit better coverage, but in doing so, you will exceed the FCC limits. The HD signal will exceed the spectral mask, which is why they’re limiting it to 1 percent on FM right now. With a lot of stations, the HD mode drops in areas where listeners can still get a stereo signal. That needs to be addressed. We really need to do something — whether it’s modifying the spectral mask and bringing the power levels up on the FM, I’m not quite sure, but it looks like it has to come up a tad. To do that, you have to go to the FCC. An NAB or industry committee has to show what issues would occur from increasing this power level, and then present it to the commission with a modified mask and see what the FCC has to say.
RI: Why weren’t these issues addressed before HD Radio was launched?
TR: It’s a function of making the HD signal compatible with existing FM. The existing rule says that at a certain area away from the carrier, you can only have X amount of signal or X amount of components. In order to fit under this mask and make it legal, this is how we have to run it.
RI: What can be done to address this?
TR: If you convert completely digital and get rid of the analog component, these issues go away; especially if the commission decided to follow the HDTV example and set a date that all stations have to be digital. The power levels come up because everything then will fit under the mask. The issue is maintaining the compatibility with the analog signal. If the analog signal goes away, a lot of things get cleaned up in a hurry.
RI: What are the chances that the FCC will raise the mask but also keep analog going for a while? Especially if newer radios don’t exhibit serious interference problems.
TR: It’s possible, but again, there will have to be an industry consensus. A study will have to be done with all the radios that are out there right now, because most of the radios don’t have a problem. Then a recommendation must be made to the commission to say let’s raise those power levels on the FM. AM tends not to have a problem; AM coverage is actually pretty good with HD.
RI: How challenging is it for engineers eager to go digital to convince management that now is the time?
TR: The impetus at most stations will have to come from programming and management. It really needs to be part of the business plan, and that is always set by management and programming. Once the manager decides to go HD, the engineer has to evaluate the facility and the transmitter site. Every station is different, so every HD installation will be different; there is no cookie cutter.
RI: What can a station expect to spend to convert to digital?
TR: If you have an AM where the antenna system is in good shape, the bandwidth is decent, and the transmitter is fairly recent and in good shape, you can plug in an HD exciter, buy an audio processor, and probably get away for well under $50,000. However, if you’ve got the antenna system from hell with a lot of directionals — which is the case with a lot of stations — it’s not going to like HD. If you’ve got a 35-year-old transmitter, you’ve got to replace it. The transmitter site itself could be $100,000 or more.
With FM, a lot depends on the power level that you’re running up the pipe. A station with a lower-powered transmitter can get away with either using what’s called common amplification, which is one transmitter; or split-level combining, which is two transmitters, where one of the transmitters is actually running combined analog/digital signal and the other transmitter is strictly analog. At the higher power levels, you can get away with the split-level, or you may have to go with two separate transmitters and do a high-level combiner. The pricing on that can be all over the place; I can’t even give you an idea what the pricing is because each one is so different from the other.
Then you have to take a look at the STL; what are you using to get the signal to the transmitter? Obviously, a station that has the studio and the transmitter at the same location is in good shape. If you’ve got a very clean analog STL, you can probably get away with it by using digital conversion on either end. You may have to change out the STLs and, depending on the configuration, that could be $10-20 thousand.
At the studio, if you’ve got analog equipment that’s clean — no noises, buzzes, whistles — go ahead and use it. When we turned the HD on at WOR, we stayed with the analog equipment in the studio. Then we moved the station, so we built an all-digital plant. If you’re using a 40-year-old tube console, you’re going to have to replace the console. Even if you’re an AM station, you’ll want to have at least some stereo ability there.
RI: Are there enough HD conversion specialists out there?
TR: That is another issue. Manufacturers have installation and checkout specialists, but they require you to do the legwork. Installing an HD transmitter isn’t much different than putting the analog transmitter in until you turn on the digital signal. At that point, they come out, do the adjustments, then teach you how to do it. That’s one of the issues with a lot of engineers — there’s a misunderstanding on how some of this stuff actually works. I belong to the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and we are working toward some digital and HD education. With that being said, Harris offers a course in HD, and I believe that BE does as well, so you can learn all about the installation, how it works, what the adjustments do, how to keep it within the spectral mask, and what to do if there is a problem. So, there are methods. They are not really easy to come by these days, but they’re getting easier. The fact that at least two major manufacturers have a weeklong course is a big step.
RI: Is this lack of familiarity with the technology holding back HD adoption?
TR: I don’t think so. It’s more about the radio station, on a business level, making the case. When they’re budgeting, management needs to say let’s put that $100,000 into HD right now. For a smaller station, it will be a pretty significant chunk of change. And that’s the problem; it’s not necessarily the engineering standpoint, because regardless of the market, this engineer knows that engineer, and somebody knows somebody who has done HD before. There’s a way to get information. I get calls all the time, and I’ll impart what I’ve learned.
RI: Is it getting harder to recruit entry level engineers? Are highly experienced engineers harder to come by?
TR: Yes to both questions. From the recruiting standpoint — and I don’t know why — radio and RF (radio frequency) in general just doesn’t seem cool anymore. That being said, during the past five to ten years, the engineering job has become more IT oriented. In its most basic form, that transmitter is a computer. Maybe we need to start recruiting some IT people and teaching them RF, because the newer transmitters are basically very big computers that spit out an RF signal. If I were to approach it as I would an older transmitter that is all RF and all audio, I’d be lost. So maybe we start looking at more of these IT people, because even in the studio, our console and routing system is strictly IP. There’s not a piece of audio in it, it’s all data.
From the aspect of the seasoned professionals, it’s very difficult, because they’re in short supply. I was looking for an assistant last March. I couldn’t find anybody. Granted, I’m looking for a slightly higher standard than some people would be, but the majority of the people I talked to didn’t have the experience. And some of them just had attitudes. Maybe I’m going back to olden times, but this is a 24/7 business. It stinks if the phone rings at 2 in the morning, but that’s part of the job. Some of these people didn’t want to hear it. Some didn’t want to be bothered after 5 p.m., and I said, “Guess what? We don’t shut the transmitter off because we go home at 5.”
On the other hand, there are ways that my job has become easier. For example, I can now control the transmitter site from my Blackberry. I use a program called VNC — similar to PC Anywhere — so I can access the computer from outside the building. I can get into all the computers at the transmitter site from my Blackberry.
RI: Is RF an attractive option to an IT person?
TR: It might be, or it might not be; part of the problem is you have to do things after hours, and some people balk at that. We put a new transmitter site on the air this summer, and I didn’t see daylight for almost two months. We were in every night making adjustments, and that is part of the job. To me, it’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s a challenge. It was a lot of work, but the result was wonderful. But I’m still feeling affects of two months of no sleep!
RI: How has consolidation and clustering affected the job of the engineer?
TR: There tends to be more work, and it is more spread out. A friend of mine who works in another city has five stations to take care of, and the transmitters are from one end of the commune to the other. He’s by himself, all over the place, so there is a lot more work for the same amount of pay. And a certain amount of stress comes with that. If you’re one guy with five stations and two of them go off the air, how do you prioritize that? The newer equipment is a lot more reliable, but you have to do check-ups once in awhile. That takes time. You’re also doing a lot more non-traditional engineering work — taking care of the computers — so it’s a different way of thinking and a slightly different skill set.
RI: Have the experienced people dropped out as the job has changed?
TR: That’s part of the equation. If you told me 15 years ago I’d have eight computer monitors in my morning show studio, I’d have said you were nuts. If that were still my thinking, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. That is part of the equation; the engineer has to learn new skills to stay in the business. Others who suddenly had six stations to look after and no help said to hell with this and left, because there are a lot of technical jobs — cellular, computers, paging — that involve RF and transmitters. They can work a 9-to-5 job, not carry a pager or worry about weekends, and make the same money, if not more.
RI: So what is the pitch to bring someone into the radio business?
TR: The pitch is that this job is not predictable or boring. Every day when I walk into this door, I’ve got something different to look into. Some days I’m at the transmitter, others I’m elbow deep into a console, or sitting down with the news department, or working on our website. It’s always a challenge, and a fun environment to work in. I have yet to work in a radio station that hasn’t been fun. And at the end of the day, you can turn on the radio and say, because of me that’s on the air. You can’t do that if you’re working at IBM.
Tommy Ray (WOR) is the biggest shill for AM-HD out there - Mr. Balls has even written a book on it.
As a gay American, That guy is H O T!!! LOL
What's weird about WOR offering "digital" is that it's programming is 100% talk- they have a couple of drive time bozos in the morning, syndicated stuff like that lunatic Michael Savage, a few other right wing mediocrities, and the rest is paid programming from snake oil salesmen pushing vitamins that cure cancer. What is the point?
Who is AC? The only thing I can figure out is that he or she probably works for some small AM terrestrial station. It's probably a 1000 watt station with some sort of gospel or religious format.
This station probably signs off the air every night around 6 or 7 PM. AC has probably been working there for 25 years or more, and probably sees this new SatRad as a threat to the station, which is probably on its last legs financially. He's really very afraid of this SatRad technology. I don't what he hopes to achieve here on this forum. I don't particularly care for HD radio. I wouldn't want even if they gave it away for free. The automobile makers such as Toyota and GM don't want HD installed OEM in their cars.
AC.... It is bedtime go back to your moms basement. It is time to get off the internets
Think of the "free HD radio" this way..... Have you ever gotten anything "free" that was worth anything? I doubt it. HD radio blows. Also Mr. HD Radio moron, can I tune the HD radio to one channel and drive from New York to L.A. without losing singnal? I didn't think so... Get it idiot?
Oh, before I forget....... Ron & Fez, Noon to Three ;-)
Radio Revenues Fall 9 Percent In June
NEW YORK -- July 16, 2008: The RAB reports a 9 percent drop in radio revenue in June, with local down 10 percent and national off 13 percent. Local and national combined for a 10 percent drop.
June's 9 percent dropoff follows dips of 8 percent in May and a modest 1 percent decline in April.
On the positive side, nonspot continued to rise in June, up 10 percent over June 2007. That follows gains of 12 percent in May, 8 percent in April, and 18 percent in March.
The RAB's local and national revenue figures are based on about 100 markets as reported by Miller Kaplan.
AC and NAB are fighting to stop the sat rad merger because they know it's the beginning of the end for them. Once interoperable receives proliferate the market, xirius will open part of the spectrum to free comercial supported programming and nobody will listen to terestrial radio. Everybody with a late model car will have sat rad. Hi quality sound, reception and programming and fewer commercials on free spectrum and no commercials on pay spectrum.
Ronman,
Your dreams and delusions of grandeur are going to let you down when the satradio industry fails faster then you ever though possible due to Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin "merge" scheme. Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin is going to make sure of that, since all Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin wants to do is line his pockets before the entire industry implodes.
Because the TRUTH hurts....
HD Digital Radio • IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/
SICK OF IT ALL,
I guess unlawful abuse of the radio spectrum and ignoring FCC agreements is ok in your ignorant thoughts. The will of the MAJORITY not the minority as in Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's satradio "merge" scheme.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward | July 16, 2008 12:08 PM
If the government followed every law or agreement to the letter even less would get done then they already do now....
It's not ignorant thoughts....it's called questioning WHY???? Why this merger over all the other mergers that were so much bigger then this..... If people don't like the out come of the merger then they don't buy something they don't need..... I'm tired of my tax dollars being wasted on such a non issue... Either way...DECIDE ALREADY!!!!!