[BC] Skywave reception, big potential, under-utlized , was Re: Daylight Savings Time changes?

[Rich Wood]

------ At 12:41 PM 7/23/2005, Bill Harms wrote: -------

>Or open up the frequencies to those who really want regional
>coverage, while taking advantage of 50Kw (or more, gasp), and put
>those who want local coverage on another band.

Any station changing to another band is taking a terrible risk. 
They're abandoning their listeners on the existing band in hopes 
there'll be enough loyalty to get them to buy new equipment to follow 
them. Over the past 5 years or so I've noticed much less loyalty on 
the part of listeners. I believe anyone who moves will be abandoned. 
I don't believe anyone wants to give up any coverage. Unfortunately, 
from everything I see, IBOC will require it

>SKywave, in my opinion, is an under-utilized resource with HUGE
>potential.  Skywave is something to take advantage of instead of
>doing things to ruin its potential.

You're suggesting a band without IBOC. What we're forgetting is that 
the listener is not paying nearly as much attention to our work as we 
are. We're simply a part of their lives. Any heavy lifting won't 
work. You're suggesting at least 3 domestic terrestrial radio bands. 
Expensive new radios for any IBOC band. For AM we're going to have 
the same programming on both bands. Is hate radio more exciting in 
HiFi? Is Sean Hannity worth a minimum of $250 for a table radio or 
$399 plus the cost of a new headend for the car? I'd rather spend it 
on a trip to Borneo, assuming the show isn't carried there.

I really think the only way nighttime AM radio can continue to exist 
is to reduce skywave that's going to wipe out a lower powered local 
signal. IBOC stations have admitted anything beyond their protected 
contour isn't important. Let's take them at their word and reduce 
their interfering signal.

I guess I have to ask what value is a skywave signal. Most areas of 
the country have some sort of radio service. Skywave is useless for 
emergency information, anyway. WINS isn't doing wall-to-wall coverage 
of a local flood in Peoria. Once hybrid IBOC is in full operation 
some very dramatic action is going to have to be taken. 
Unfortunately, a station can lose an entire audience in days if it 
can't be received. We won't have the luxury waiting around for the 
NAB. The NAB is on the Fritz.

In the research I've done to estimate the cost to add IBOC to my car 
system I've wondered what is so complicated about an IBOC tuner that 
it costs $399 when both satellite services have the price for 
essentially the same thing at $99.99? That $99.99 gets me 130+ 
channels. An IBOC tuner gets me ... ? I realize the satellite units 
will be subsidized by subscriptions but the price point of the IBOC 
tuner, I believe is being far exceeded. The few big box stores who 
know what IBOC is sell so few they don't even stock them. They're 
special order items.

Either we do some planning now or Mutually Assured Destruction will 
take on a whole new meaning.

Rich