On Oct 1, 7:07 am, wrote:
- Ban HD Radio after sunset. Discontinue analog AM in 2015, and then
make it all digital.

IMHO.

Digital radio of any flavor will suffer from the propagation
characteristics of the MW band. Let's leave AM well enough alone, and
use a tiny sliver of some of the reclaimed UHF TV spectrum or maybe an
old VHF TV channel, some band with more predictable and stable
propagation characteristics. I think that it serves the public
interest to reserve a tiny bit of spectrum for something other than
cell phones. Then again...

I really believe that mobile internet will supplant all of this anyway
within 10-15 years.

There is no single FM station that covers the entire Bay area
completely, and programming quality and relevance is the most
important issue.

AM is still useful and viable. The fact that it is being mis-
programmed in many markets shouldn't cause anybody to condemn the
whole band. If you serve your listeners and advertisers well by
creating unique content that people want, and distribute it in ways
that listeners want, you can do very well. I fully expect that our
'content' will become more available via many distribution channels
over time.

Newspapers are fighting similar battles right now, and are expected to
'invade' radio's turf with audio and video programming. I expect that
the content provided by newspapers, radio and TV will become more
merged and similar.
You'll see more "on demand" programming, and have many more listening
options. As broadcasting becomes more 'internet like', listeners will
expect audio and video content availability to be more internet like
as well, with many options (real-time "live" streaming, "on demand"
and the availability of individual program elements for inclusion into
personal and customized "playlists").

It's going to be a bumpy ride, but if anybody is paying attention,
we'll all be better served.

The stations that should be really concerned are the ones doing a lot
of syndicated programming. They won't have anything to sell once
distribution isn't limited by broadcast channels. If these guys want
to stay in business, they'll have to come up with some unique content,
which should be local. Generic music 'jukeboxes' will have similar
challenges, though there is certainly room for them.