RadioBanter - The AM IBOC mess is yet to begin...

From www.radioworld.com....

NAB Radio Board Wants FCC to Permit AM Nighttime IBOC Operation

The NAB Radio Board believes the FCC should authorize AM nighttime
IBOC on an interim basis. In language approved at its semi-annual
board meeting, members state: "The dramatically improved audio quality
from IBOC service at night is well worth the predicted and limited
reductions in analog coverage."

The FCC should "take steps to address those problems," state board
members, should any AMs experience reduction in nighttime analog
coverage "beyond those predicted by the studies." Presumably the AM
nighttime data Ibiquity recently completed and delivered to an NAB
committee working on AM nighttime IBOC issues.

NAB Radio Board Supports Leaving Codec Out of IBOC Standard

The standards-setting body, The National Radio Systems Committee, and
Ibiquity Digital have been going back and forth over how much
information Ibiquity needs to divulge so the NRSC can set its IBOC, or
HD Radio, standard. Ibiquity has said that its new HDC codec is
proprietary and unique. NAB SVP Science and Technology Lynn Claudy
told the board Ibiquity is unable to disclose the technical details of
the codec, in turn, delaying the standards-setting process.

The board decided to recommend that the NRSC should pursue "modulation
and transmission" standards for AM and FM HD Radio, standards that
include provisions for advanced data applications. All of these are
elements Ibiquity can disclose, the technology developer told Radio
World.

The codec would be left out of the standard, so "audio compression
methods thus would be subject to selection by market forces,"
according to board minutes released by NAB.

Ibiquity says the HDC codec would still be included in the technology
it licenses to broadcasters.