"Frank Dresser" wrote in message
...

"David Eduardo" wrote in message
om...


Yes. The model is free for listener, paid by advertiser. There are nearly
a
billion analog radios out there, so there is no effective way to do pay
radio, and the entire licensing system would have to change, something I
doubt the FCC and the folks on the Hill would stand for.



As I understand, the FCC already allows SCA channels to be subscription.
I'm sure the FCC allowed some TV channels to go subscription about 25
years
ago.

But SCA was always designed for narrowcasting, such as stock quotes,
telemetry, and such. HD has not been approved for a subscription model, and
the receiver specs are open access.

The government has already allowed pay broadcasting.

Radio's main defense is being free and ad supported. The relative lack of
success of satellite (many think it will not make money before another
technology supersedes it) is certainly enough to keep us away from that.

In fact, the current authorization is for simulcasting of the analog
content. the only new content is on FM, with the second (and maybe third,
fourth) channels... like HDTV, which is not pay either.