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

Funny, but I am in management and I know a lot of other people in
management. I have never heard any kind of "mission" to convert to
digital discussed. I have heard the occasional, "wouldn't it be nice if
AM was all digital" comments but we all know this is either impossible
or a decade down the road. I wonder if AM will make it that far, with or
without HD.

David, iBiquity, itself, has stated that the HD (Which stands for
Hybrid Digital--not High Definition, btw) system will facilitate the
transition from the current analog broadcast to an all digital medium.

Yeah, they mean that, as a compatible analog digital system, there will be a
transition period before all-digital can be achieved and during that period,
analog receivers are not obsolete. I can not see anyone pulling the plug on
analog AM for a decade. And I have never heard anyone planning for the
future based on an all digital band.


David, David, David....the chairman of iBiquity said the words.
The system will facilitate a smooth transition to an all-digital system.
That he envisioned less than a decade to phasing out analog entirely.



It doesn't get any clearer than that. The goal is to move to
digital, without analog.




Hybrid. That's your first clue that this is a transitional system.

Yeah, it can happen, but I know of no staiton that would do it till HD
penetration is virtually total. Just to get HD in most cars would take about
15 years.
Now, this is FROM iBiquity. It's been said many times. It was said in
the presentation to FCC, and presented as a key selling point, after FCC's
mandate that all future modulation schemes for broadcast be digital.

FM stereo is a hybrid, and backwards compatible with mono. FM stereo is
40-some years old, and yet over half of all FM listening is in mono today.


Yes, I believe I made that point last year. But the key here
is FM Stereo is backward compatible, costs next to nothing to implement,
produces no savings to turn off, and most listeners, or broadcasters for
that matter, don't notice the difference when it's not there. The pilot
is more important to most listeners than the separation.

But Digital/Analog is a different animal. And iBiquity, and
General Manglers all over the industry are looking at the day when
digital will supplant analog broadcasting. Because, analog requires 10
times the power, maintaining two audio streams, with separate processing
chains, is also expensive.

We're not talking FM stereo, here. We're talking two separate and
distinct radio stations on the same dial position. GM's don't like
that. And iBiquity has facilitated the demise of one in favor of the
other, and sold the system for that purpose.


It's been openly discussed at every radio station I've walked into in
the last 10 years, and was even forecast by Mel Karmazin at a staff
breakfast when I was at CBS.

Yet I have never heard any discussion of abandoning analog... lot of
"cheerleading" about digital, but no desire to blow off existing analog
listeners.
It's being discussed. It's been discussed. And discussed openly.

If you've not heard it, Brother, then you need to widen your circle.
It's all but been up on billboards.

I go to the NABs, RABs and programming conferences. I don't hear elimination
of analog and replacement with digital discussed at all.


I don't know what to tell you, David. I've heard it as far back
as a decade, now, and as recently as yesterday.

I've also heard it discussed on WGN overnights. Not that there
were any advertisers supporting it, but it WAS being discussed.

Like I said, Brother, you do need to widen your circle.



Figures I've heard have ranged from 5-8 years.

If look at the average age of operating cars in the US, you realize that
that is unduly optimistic, even if there is a covert transition being
planned.



How do you figure? You can retrofit any vehicle with anything
today. Hell, I've retrofitted my factory radios with iPod integration,
now on two Caravans and a GMC Envoy, even though the Envoy was not
capable of being retrofitted with iPod integration when I bought it.
Now, Peripheral is making a drop in device that does it, not only for
GM, but for damned near anything on the road. iPod, AND an Aux input for
either my Delphi XM piece, OR....are you sitting down....an HD radio tuner.

All integrated into the factory sound system (not by far the
premium package that's available, btw) and controllable from the factory
radio face.

The age of current operating vehicles in the US is irrelevant,
when retrofitting options are widely available. Especially when
specialized technical knowledge is not required to make the mods.

****, David....if you don't think guys like Karmazin, who openly
spoke of the value of digital terrestrial radio for it's SUBSCRIPTION
potential before the Senate last week, don't know about these devices,
you need to seriously get out of the office. Come to Chicago, I'll buy
you a rib dinner and show you how readily available this stuff is on any
corner from Howard Street to 57th.

And guys like Karmazin not only know of this kind of
opportunity, but have already made plans to exploit it.



Since most AMs in the US are not economically viable in analog, thinking of
going digital is pretty much pie in the sky.
Which is an interesting coincidence, given that you, yourself have
forecast AM HD's implementation would take 5-8 years to revitalize AM
Radio.

... and that is conditional on it being possible to bring new people under
45 to the band. I don't think this will happen, so all the rest is moot.
With less than 10% of Americans under 45 using AM, and the usage declining
each year, we may be too late for anything.


I can't argue with that. And the Law of Unintended Consequences
has resulted in a hastening of the abandonment of the bands through
objectionable QRM. Run off your current listeners, and what's to stop
you from shutting down the 50Kw blowtorch in favor of all digital? Since
stations like WLS, or WGN are going to have to go dark, or go to FMHD2,
because they don't have open FM's in the family, their options are
pretty limited. And by your own admission they're only on the cusp of
profitability, there's nothing to keep the analog channel running at
all. Except a deference to history.

If nobody's listening, that's a pretty expensive salute.