[opendtv] Re: FCC on revitalizing the AM band

  • From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:32:04 +0000

Craig Birkmaier wrote:

That seems to be an opinion. AM radio still has a very large audience,
although FM is clearly preferred. I saw a statistic that somewhere
between 35 to 50% never listen to AM, depending on the market being
measured. But this still means that a significant audience is
listening.

But no one is saying that whatever programming on the AM band now has to go
away, right? I mean, if nothing else, the likes of Rush will sound a whole heck
of a lot better than they do now (uuh, in terms of audio quality anyway). And
then others, not currently using the AM band, might just do so. For music, even.

I guess you're saying that there's no demand for any more radio spectrum? Maybe
that's true.

If you then require this audience to have or buy an HD radio,

But now, HD Radios can be dirt cheap. Especially if this is done en masse. HD
Radio is basically a chip anymore. I realize that there's no particularly high
demand for the AM and FM frequency bands, as there is for the UHF TV band, so
the FCC has no obvious mandate to push for a change. But moi, as a user of the
bands, think it's way past high time for an update to these bands.

I tried a search to see if anyone is broadcasting only in digital
with HD radio. What I found was something quite different. In
many markets stations are simulcasting their HD-1 and HD-2 content
on low power analog translators that can be received on all radios.

Which should be a travesty, in the longer term. Last I saw, the FCC *forbids*
individual stations from broadcasting only-digital. This is part of the
problem. It's a bit like the introduction of DTT. Initially, to continue
supporting analog, the digital is so compromised that a lot of people assume
digital doesn't work.

I think that HD Radio, somewhat similar to DRM in this regard, is a far better
way of transitioning to digital radio, and makes far better use of these
frequencies than DAB can do. Both HD Radio and DRM continue to use spectrum
that would otherwise be largely wasted.

Bert



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