David Eduardo wrote:
"D Peter Maus" wrote in message


{content stipulated.}



So, let me put it this way....WLS is strong in Lake County. Even though
the signal is not 15mv/m. Lake County listenership is high, and WLS is a
strong radio station, here. And yet, here, HD rash has been encroaching on
WLS, to the degree that it's now sometimes virtually impossible to hear,
much less enjoy....and this HD rash is coming from another radio station.
You telling me this is acceptable? Even when WLS, itself is NOT
transmitting HD and so no digital solution is available? (the C-Quam pilot
is still lit and the station is still in stereo, even as of 00:30 UTC
today.

What station? I'm curious about this...


I'm having trouble receiving WLS. The offending station, I'm not
sure. I can't make out much due to the IBOC rash from there down.


I'd be interested in what your engineer has to say.

I can send you audio files of the AM band from my location, if
you'd like.






This is not an easy discussion, and the first step is accepting that AM will
not exist in 10 years or less if something is not done. There is no other
solution than HD. Either it works, or the band dies. Nobody is coming into
the party, and the ones already there are undesirable to advertisers.



If things were that dire, it would make sense to have a less
intrusive/obtrusive implementation strategy. Disenfranchising local
listening with digital noise on a band that's fighting for it's
survival, is like everything that's been done to AM in the last 30
years: shortsighted, and ultimately, counterproductive.


Taking your scenario one step further... if AM is truly on it's last,
tentative legs, and AM stations of significant investment are in dire
straits, and if the large companies are beginning to move AM stations
to the FM band, where, say, in Chicago would stations like WBBM, WGN,
WSCR, WLS go? There are no open allocations. And it's not like there are
any allocations that would be worthy of sacrifice. And Young Talk was
tried here. It failed dismally. (Ask Turi Ryder how many times she's
been here.) Where would that content go? Where would Rush, Hannity,
Levin, or even Franken, Rhodes, Springer and Malloy go?


More to the point, if AM is over in 10 or less, and you're looking at
a 5 year implementation, do you really think that there's a chance in
less than 5 years remaining you can rebuild what you've lost?


David, I certainly see how you've arrived at your conclusions, Radio
being what it has always been and all...but what you're describing is a
roll of the dice with far greater chance of crapping out than staying in
the game. Almost entirely by serving the needs of advertisers and
broadcasters over the needs of listeners who ultimately carry the water.

And if Radio is really more about Radio than it is about the
audience, is it any wonder why listenership and revenues are eroding in
favor of alternative outlets? Non traditional outlets permitting mass
customization vs traditional radio where answers to complaints are met
with prepackaged corporate non responses, and listeners can be
disenfranchised by a statistician in a locked room.

Can you see now why I've turned down offers to return?