[BC] The IBOC Burden

[Lewis Munn]

I agree on the paucity of local stuff from the chain stations.

I have been supporting two small town stations, both making a go but 
barely.  Older equipment, but good.  They carry local production 
shows with town and county people, local sports for even smaller 
towns around their areas, run local promotions, etc.  Much nice, 
innovative programming.  Rip their own CDs and make up their own 
playlists.  One even keeps a station cat.

IBOC costs will put them off the air.  No way they can afford that 
massive cash outlay, and no way they can recover the costs with other 
services; towns are too small to need lots of other services.  People 
in general do not have money for $400 new receivers.  And they do not 
change cars every year or two.

So IBOC will marginally add to the unemployment, and hurt many many 
small to tiny town and ! country listeners.

You tune across the band here, and the small town radios are doing 
local stuff and different formats, for the most part.  It will be a 
loss when it is swallowed up.

It also is an engineering loss as big station management is having 
one engineer do 5-6-7- or maybe even 8 facilities by himself.  For 
what he used to get paid for 1 or two.  I know of engineers burned 
out by the excessive workload and demands from managers remote from 
the stations.  They just throw them away, it seems, and trot in a new 
guy.  Maybe it is different elsewhere.

Looey Munn
Roundup, MT
"still looking for a job"