If the weather hasn’t given you a chill, Paul Thurst’s Engineering Blog piece titled “The NAB’s AM Study” surely will.
http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog/
If the weather hasn’t given you a chill, Paul Thurst’s Engineering Blog piece titled “The NAB’s AM Study” surely will.
http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog/
More Secrets Revealed
A companion piece has been blogged by John Anderson, PhD, at “Do It Yourself Media” giving additional detail:
http://www.diymedia.net/archive/1112.htm#110112
Behind The Times Of Reality
It appears that fella might be a little behind current events.
Unless iBiquity drops all patent claims and licensing fees to use its product, an FCC mandate for AM stations to install HD Radio would be skating dangerously close to corporate fascism (AKA Mussolini Fascism or Corporatism) as one corporate entity would then control broadcast radio by licensing its modulation scheme. And no, the patent is not going to expire.
This has been happening across the industry board for the last 30 years. And even 30 years ago, the move to consolidate broadcast radio was well underway.
Glad someone is finally taking notice. Unfortunately it is too little too late.
I doubt the receiver manufacturers are going to fork out 25 grand a year just to put the iBelchity decoders in all radios.
Unless those manufacturers, broadcasters and the public stand up and say HELL NO…expect more fascism on a wide scale.
RFB
Other Article
The key to avoiding this outcome is transparency. The NAB should release its report and Pai should make sure future deliberations take into proper account of the perspectives of all constituencies, regardless of their political and economic weight in the discussion. Making good policy on the future of AM radio calls for no less.
Same is true with all the other consolidating going on. Transparency and accountability and responsibility will correct all this nonsense.
But in a nutshell, it is NAB and their goons beginning the grand plan just like the big banksters and gangsters have had since the 19-teens and take over everything, own everything, and subject us all to the “one sound/size/color/taste/feel/worship” fits all agenda.
Count me out of it.
For the rest, well they make their bed and shall lay in it. A passive society is a gullible and controllable society.
Fear the boogie man! He is here to help!
I bet the NAB’s little “go find data and hide it” study shows that the problem with AM radio is the crappy programing put on it by these one sound/size fits all taste conglomerates and don’t want the truth out. So they will create false reports and lies to underwrite their plan from the beginning, and you got iBelchity there as the anchor point to justify their plans to force feed the public.
Problem, reaction, solution. It’s all the same, in politics and broadcasting.
RFB
Comments Continue
As pertains to the “quality programming” part of the argument, I think the NAB and the sales-management mentality that governs ownership have what is known as an Achille’s Heel”, a weak part of their metaphoric anatomy making them blind and incapable of dealing with the quality problem.
People cut from the ruling clothe tend to resent and hate talent, because if they had it, they wouldn’t be dishonest tyrants.
Radio only works correctly with personalities and novelty in programming, and the suits won’t have it.
Part 15 has it made.
Here’s a thought.
The FCC
Here’s a thought.
The FCC could move digital AM radio to the wide open spaces of the spectrum where those analog TV channels used to be, and leave the existing band for Part 15 broadcasters and other experimentation.
It All Seems
True, Artisan, they could move digital AM up there, but the facts would not change….
The facts include a general audience disdain for poor programming, and nobody is rushing out to buy special radios.
Analog radio works fine, but no one listens to it because it has too many traffic reports, screaming women (Ann Coulter, Laura Ingram), bellowing men (Rush and his ilk), and sports trivia. Not to mention the second coming with Jesus floating above the tree line.
None the less, having the whole AM band as our playground would be too sweet.
Improving the AM Broadcast Band
Here’s my approach. Move all commercial AM stations over to the yet to be allocated, unused VHF-LO TV bands 2-4, and expand the FM band to cover 5-6.
Move TIS and other traffic information stations to their own unique VHF frequency, like that of NOAA weather radio.
Mandate ALL radios include the NOAA weather radio frequencies, as well as the traffic information service frequencies.
Open up the huge massive wide window of 1.2 Mhz MW broadcast band to license free broadcasting using the TIS system w/o the audio brick wall filtering and stupid NRSC crap..er curve and NO iBELCHITY.
Let the big wigs continue to destroy their industry while us license free broadcasters put to use a practically abandoned band and let’s see which one comes out on top first.
Place your bets now!
RFB
iBashity
This morning I am launching my new invention, called iBashity Radio.
An infinite loop recording of a chain saw is being broadcast on every open frequency of the AM band using a massive “HAARP”-like antenna/ground radial array with peak-tuned AMT5000 transmitters.
Abbreviated: iShity Radio
Every hour the chain saws become quiet long enough for an npr style voice to say, “Winds from the south,” then the chain saws start back up.
Dogs run away in large numbers but the weather is not known to be effected.
Yes, Carl, I understand that
Yes, Carl, I understand that commercial AM radio will not change, but I, as a Part 15 broadcaster, don’t want to be tainted with their presence, or even associated with them. Let these guys go off and do their thing, so to speak, where they can be safely ignored.
And let the people who truly care about radio to work with the existing band. As RFB is suggesting, make it somewhat like New Zealand, where they are given their own frequencies, and can operate unlicensed but within strict technical guidelines (New Zealand is allowed 1 watt output).
Let Them
Let them turn the AM band into an all digital hash bash and trashed band. Doesn’t affect Part 15, nor will we be required to do the same nonsense or spend the 25 grand on some stupid monopoly license.
When it goes through, more locally owned stations in the MW band will go silent, opening up more frequencies for us.
Don’t be a sheep and follow the herder into the slaughter house.
However anyone willing to follow a leader who collects information and then hides that information deserves what they get from following instead of leading.
RFB
Just let them try it!
When TV went digital, I said, “I’ll
never TV DX again-” but I am doing it.
When FM radio went IBOC, I said, “I’ll
never DX FM again,” and I have DXed FM
IBOC.
When AM went IBOC, I said, I’ll never DX
AM again, and I tried to DX AM IBOC.
UH, er, well – I still DX the analog stations.
If it all goes digital on the AM band, or if
the whole AM band moves somewhere else, I
will DX it! Yeah!
And I’ll keep the analog Part 15 on the air until
they say no. Hooray!
Goofiness aside, there is a wonderful full service
AM station on 1150 near here. Man, it would be
great to get a good signal from them. (They don’t
stream.)
Well… whatever. It will be interesting to watch,
and I think it will unfold very very very slowly.
Although I could be wrong.
“aHH! The Haggis is in the fire for sure!” -Scotty
Bruce, W 60 HZ
Proceed Naturally
(some NAB idiot holding the study report) “They should be told NONE of this”.
RFB
Hey, RFB, what’s going to happen to the “Over The Air” TV chs.?
What do you think?
Are they going to take
away everything above
31? (It was something
like that.)
I understand the latest
proposals call for taking
away channel 37, which has
always been set aside for
radio astronomy. (That really
fries my 2N2222A.)
Then – will they eventually take
it ALL away? After all of those
TV stations spent all of that money
to go to DTV?
I guess this is what one of the
FCC chairman dudes is saying.
Sort of. What’s his name?
Gerorsky? Guromsky? Geeworksy?
Well, it was something like
that.
I’m a big fan of over the air TV.
I hope it doesn’t go away.
Bruce, W 60 HZ
What Nobody Has Said
Nobody has said it yet that I know of, but it stands to reason that the cable industry, which charges way more than is reasonable for boatloads of glop, would lobby in the back hallways to smother free TV of all kinds.
People seem to be addicted to TV, no matter how lousy it gets.
I understand people actually watched Sally Jesse Rafael.
Radio must find a way of saving TV addicts.
Hi Carl!
Sally Jessee Rafael (sp)
UUUUUGHHHHHHHHH
But NOW, there is actually
much worse. You wouldn’t
believe some of the garbage.
HOWEVER.
Every once is a while, you will get
a gem.
I heard the wireless industry, you know,
cell phones, etc., wants the UHF TV
spectrum. If it gets it, there will be
tons of TV stations going off the air.
Nobody will rebuild their transmitter
plants A SECOND TIME.
Thing is, OTA (Over The Air) TV is great
during emergencies. I love my 25 dollar
piece of junk hand held DTV. And we don’t
have cable here. So we like the free OTA TV.
Oh well.
Bruce, W 60 HZ
What Would The World Do
There was a time when the world functioned perfectly without radio or tv.
Even without electricity, cars, internet, computers etc etc.
It might be a little discomforting for a bit but mankind will get over it.
Or not?
My suggestion…start now to include time in each day staying completely away from ANYTHING electronic, a little bit each day, gradually getting to the point where you could spend days with the tv, radio, and computers shut off.
It might help some develop that deep level relationship with the rest of their family.
But to answer your question Bruce, who the heck knows. They have turned the spectrum into chunks of real estate auction blocks that goes to the highest bidder. So much for “public airwaves”. Replace that in all the field manuals and other publications with “privately owned airwaves”, which is more accurate.
But let’s assure ourselves that no matter what “they” do, we should not let it affect any of us directly. As I stated before, let them muck it up more with hash and bash digital trash, won’t save them and they know it. But their interests are not in the what the public wants, their interests lies in profit over people.
RFB
One Tactic
One tactic that we hear a lot about in the news is to go on a hunger strike to save the AM band.
How this works I have never understood.
If we starved to death the AM band wouldn’t change at all.
Well, there would be one less listener, I suppose.
If I ate less food, I could buy more radio parts
Bruce, W 60 HZ