"Crazy George" wrote
I don't have an accurate number for the entire country, but here in
the
local area, there is one clear channel station with a single
radiator, a
half dozen two tower arrays, two 3 tower arrays, five 4 tower arrays
that I
can recall off the top of my head. If you had asked a dozen years
ago, I
could have been more accurate. I don't think we have any 5 or 6
radiator
arrays here locally, if so, I don't remember them. If my math is
correct,
that is a 50-50 split, so maybe half have more than 2 towers.

=======================================

Thanks George,

I am amazed at the number of multi-tower MF antennas in the US. As you
say, they are necessary to prevent co-channel interference, day and
night, between a large number of broadcasters in the more densely
populated regions of your vast country. ( Antenna salesmen have had a
field day.)

It is also interesting that the whole system is technically regulated
by State and/or Central Government. It is not just a free-for-all for
newcomers.

I imagine the revenue comes solely from advertisers. Which makes me
wonder what percentage of program time is allocated to adverts. Are
such matters also regulated? Are any broadcast stations State or City
owned?

In this (UK) relatively densely populated country things settled down
about 20 years ago. Few MF antennas have more than one tower (or masts
as we call them). Although there is much broadcasting at MF for
individual cities, most broadcasting takes place at FM VHF where
'capture effects' reduce interference from co-channel transmitters.

It may be of interest that the BBC, still the World's finest
broadcasting system, including its overseas services, no longer owns
any transmitting stations, Mrs Thatcher quietly sold them off to a
private party. Do some Googles for who the eventual owners are?
----
Reg.