[BC] HD Radio -- Folks we have to get it right!

[R J Carpenter]

As a technical person who doesn't know a darned thing about
programming, let me expound on programming HD's second channel.

Perhaps we're not typical, but the DC area has only two or three AMs
that come close to area-wide coverage (630/1500/maybe 980).  Yet at
least some of the can-hardly-be-heard AMs have had / still have
formats that get them above the ARB threahold, some even up near a 1.
(Wow!)   Air America is one of these.  It's on 1260 which can hardly
be heard in the good NW Maryland suburbs and even less in Virginia.
And that's daytime.  Much worse at night.

I see these formats that do get measurable ratings on bad-coverage AMs
as candidates for coowned FM HD second channels. Especially when/if AM
HD destroys that band.

And another thought.  WTOP(AM) is one of the locals which I included
in the "stations with coverage", yet they have bought rim-shot FM and
AM to fill the gaps.  Could it be that "someday" coowned WGMS(FM) will
become WTOP-FM and the classical programming moved to HD2 and perhaps
to the rimshot now carrying WTOP?  This would be a situation where the
HD1 would have 32 kb/s or less while the HD2 would have 64 kb/s or
better.

Returning to lurking, which is where I probably belong.

bob carpenter