Jo Jo Gunn wrote:

(radiolocator links deleted to save a little bandwidth)

You actually proved my point. The blue area (while we all know that's
only predicted) is just about exactly where I used to receive the
signals on my stock 1996 Chevy pickup FM radio in the pre-HD days. KVMR
was a little better because their transmitter is so high off the valley
floor.

Most radio stations do not make any money from DX listeners. Stations are
not interested in servicing areas outside of their assigned license.

KPIG used to have ads for Streetlight Records in San Jose, as well as
some of the Stevens Creek car dealers. KVMR was very interested in
their ability to cover Sacramento. So much so that they had a
translator there for a while. While your statement is probably correct
for the conglomerates, there certainly are exceptions.

People listening in the metro area of a signals are going to be deprived so
a few people on the outskirts are able to pick up an out of town signal?

Given the penetration of HD receivers, you could also say "a few people
in the metro area of a signal are going to be deprived" so that other
people in the metro can pick up a weaker signal. I check the HD-2
broadcasts of our local channels probably twice a week just to see if
they decided to do anything interesting. Sometimes I hear silence,
sometimes the same song over & over, sometimes the PAD doesn't match the
program, and sometimes the errors go unnoticed for days. That probably
means nobody is listening.

There's no way of knowing for sure, but I suspect that the number of
listeners that KKUP lost in the Bay Area far exceeds the number of
people listening to KALW in HD. Likewise, the number of listeners that
KVMR lost in Sacramento probably exceeds the number of people listening
to KQEI in HD. Also - why is it that the interference area extends so
far beyond where an HD radio will lock? Is the system really that bad?

Dave B.