[opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization
- From: Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2017 08:07:14 -0500
On Feb 3, 2017, at 10:45 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
If a station can do both - without disruption to their broadcasters,
what's the problem?
The "revitalization of AM" is turning out to be nothing more than allowing AM
stations to become AM and FM stations, in the same market, and simulcast 100%
of the time. If for no other reason than to reclaim lots of real estate, they
could just tear down the AM towers. AM towers require lots of real estate,
especially when they are designed to provide an uneven contour.
Stations can currently move from AM to FM if spectrum is available in their
market. This proposal does NOT give an AM station the ability to operate a full
power FM station in the same market - it allows them to use lower power FM gap
fillers.
Moving to a new digital standard could kill radio...
It shouldn't. The digital signal already exists out there. It's up to the
foot-dragging CE vendors to build it into their products.
No. It is up to consumers to buy new radio receivers. The majority of radios
and a huge percentage of usage is in vehicles. The average age of a vehicle in
the U.S. is now a bit over 11 years. The question to ask is whether consumers
would upgrade the receiver in a vehicle just to receive digital radio
broadcasts?
The answer to date has been no. But to be fair, without the threat to end the
analog service there is little incentive to upgrade to digital - there is no
dramatics improvement in quality or content. More important, there is REAL
competition for the speakers in a vehicle. Millions of people use an MP3 type
player or smartphone in their vehicles, as I do. Millions more use satellite
radio.
There is a financial incentive for CE vendors to include adapters or Bluetooth
to connect to MP3 players and smartphones, and to either include, or make it
easy to support satellite radio. There are no such incentives to include a
digital broadcast receiver.
Digital radio, aka HD Radio, has been transmitting (at dramatically reduced
power, because it's mandated to use hybrid mode) for about 15 years, Craig.
The standard was approved by the FCC in 2002, for heaven's sake, and the only
reason it's not more ubiquitous is foot dragging. Possibly also some
collusion involved.
Wrong. The slow uptake is due to the fact that it provides little if any
benefit to the consumer. Unlike the HDTV transition, HD radio does not offer a
significant improvement in the broadcast radio service.
HD Radio could make way better use of the AM band, with really good-sounding
audio, especially if analog AM would go off the air. That would be real
revitalization. AM could be used for music stations no problem. Or
alternatively, especially if FM analog went off the air, HD Radio could
easily carry all the AM stations, all the FM stations, and many more
stations, just in the FM band alone.
As usual, failing a mandate, transitions never end.
The real issue is demand, which is why I suggested mandating a new broadcast
radio service could kill radio. FM works quite well, and AM does as well for
certain applications - think the 50 KW clear channel stations that have huge
reach at night.
No doubt the AM band could be used for digital radio. But first you need to
demonstrate the need for another slightly improved service.
In the "age of the Internet," there is still a global TELEGRAM service.
Regards
Craig
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Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization - Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- McDonald, J Douglas
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- McDonald, J Douglas
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Manfredi, Albert E
- » [opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization- Craig Birkmaier