[opendtv] Re: FCC on AM revitalization
- From: Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2017 09:44:38 -0500
On Feb 6, 2017, at 10:41 PM, Manfredi, Albert E <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Not sure where you get the 40 mile radius,
Geez, Craig. Look at the beginning of this thread. The range was increased
from 25 to 40 miles. Either way, it's absolutely NOTHING like the "gap
fillers" you dreamed up. It is instead one FM "translator," which can be
called "FM station" by any other name.
I could care less about what you or some reporter misrepresented. Please show
me in the NPRM where it says the radius has been expanded to 40 miles.
That's why I took you to task on all your long "explanations." The reason for
the NPRM, as imperfect as it is, is that the FCC is well aware of the fact
that AM is withering away, and is well aware of the reasons. Analog AM truly
sucks. And to loop back to square 1, they are not fixing AM at all. They are
saying, "become FM stations." In effect.
Yup. That's what I said in the previous response.
Even talk sounds amazingly better with frequency response beyond 3.5 kHz.
More to the point, NO WONDER only the rare talk station remains. Who else
would waste time on a system with such poor quality?
Ironically, according to the FCC, about the same percentage of people use AM as
the percentage that use broadcast TV...
Equally ironic, IMHO, is that both services have very little to offer...
Maybe so, especially if you want to accelerate the demise of radio. Drop
analog AM altogether. But if you write an NPRM to "revitalize" AM, then
REVITALIZE. Either say you are killing off AM, with the NPRM that's out there
now, or re-write the NPRM to explain how to use that AM band effectively.
They did. AM works OK during the daylight hours when most people listen to
radio. The FM translators make it possible for AM stations to retain an
audience at night when they must either go off air or reduce power.
So deploying digital radio in the AM band is going to bring the audience
back to broadcast radio.
Hey, you were the one waxing eloquent about how radio is doing fine. Which is
it, Craig? Instead, I described the problems broadcast radio has, compared
with Internet radio: CHOICE. Like any broadcast scheme, it is limited. But it
could be far less limited, if it offered more choice.
Radio is doing just fine, given the competitive landscape. Most of this is on
FM, as it is the only analog broadcast service with decent fidelity for music,
which still has a decent audience, after talk/news (when you add up all the
different music formats).
Choice is not the major problem for radio. The problem is commercials. It is
far too easy to avoid them via your own playlists or with a relatively
inexpensive streaming music service.
For mobile listeners, continuity is another issue. What happens when you drive
down the Interstate and move from one market to another? We have a station in
North Florida with three simulcast transmitters. I now brew in Ocala, which is
about 35 miles from Gainesville. I must switch from the Gainesville transmitter
to the transmitter in Ocala as I travel...
Satellite radio is very popular with people who drive long distances for a
living.
With an Internet streaming service the only problem with continuity is if you
lose cellular data service altogether.
A radio station can offer unlimited choices, but if they all contain
commercials who cares? And now, the station must pay for that content just like
the streaming music services; how do you pay for all these choices?
Digital AM, not hampered by hybrid mode, could be useful. The channels are
always 10 kHz wide, which reduces interference enormously. They can propagate
farther than FM especially at night, and they wouldn't sound pathetically
bad. So sure, it would be useful.
Agreed. But once again, is there a compelling business model to support such a
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