[BC] AM Stereo, etc

[Jeff Glass]

In a message dated 11/24/2010 8:00:31 AM Central Standard Time, broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

>AM Stereo could have extended the length of time that music was played 
>on AM, at the expense of FM.  People don't recall how rough the launch 
>of FM was, and how many early FM stations failed.

I do not have any confidence in the "If we build it, they will come" philosophy. Quad, AM stereo, and now HD, are all products that the general public did not ask for.

The general public is interested in functionality and convenience that's cheap.  None of these new technologies effectively address these points. Most people do not care about audio quality to the same extent as audio professionals do. I occasionally sample the AM band and go back to FM after a few minutes. It's not because of the audio quality but more due to the poor programming quality.

There would be no cellphone users if people really cared about audio quality. The fact is, it's good enough, and there is no other way people can get the convenience and functionality of a cellphone without putting up with the audio, and that's why cellphones sell.

AM stereo would not have saved AM because the general public eventually had an alternative choice for receiving their music that cost them nothing; listen to FM. The receiver manufacturers did the right thing; there was not the consumer demand to justify the cost of introducing an AM stereo receiver. There were receivers available (The Sony SRF-A100 and others) and sales flopped.

We have to solve the actual problem if we want to save broadcasting. we must provide a desirable product that cannot be gotten elsewhere for cheaper, more convenient, etc. It will then be appropriate to do some tweaking on the delivery technology.

Broadcasting does however, have to commit itself to providing an outlet on all available transmission media to the public, like Internet, etc. But doing so will not necessarily save us; it will merely keep us from losing ground.

Jeff Glass, BSEE CSRE
WNIU WNIJ
Northern Illinois University