[BC] SCA programming

[Ira Wilner]

Back in the 1960's you had the same type of problem IBOC has today, a low 
penetration of receivers capable of picking up the signal.  FM Stereo helped 
peak interest in FM.  So the AM/FM simulcasts sounded more interesting on FM 
with the addition of stereo image.  The difference in fidelity was 
insufficient to most untrained ears.  It also didn't hurt when the FCC 
mandated separate programming hours on the FM's in the major markets.  That 
helped provide a content incentive to purchase FM capable receivers.

So, while waiting for their FM signals to at least become revenue neutral, 
many owners opted to rent their SCA's.  Back in the late 1970's in the 
boonies I maintained an FM whose primary programming was "beautiful music." 
When the owner's wife threw weekend dinner parties they'd pull all of the 
stopsets for that evening so she could have uninterrupted background music! 
And yes, there was an SCA playing music from a multi-cartridge player.  The 
station had a bunch of blue Marti SCA receivers which were leased to 
businesses in the area for the background music service.  The BMI/ASCAP 
police were the station's friends.  By threatening businesses without proper 
licenses for the music they were playing, it opened the opportunity for this 
FM station to sell its SCA service.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Xen Scott

At 07:41 AM 11/14/2013 -0800, "Burt I. Weiner" <biwa at att.net> } wrote:

>
>**Would you believe that at one time it was less expensive to put a
>"High-Power"FM station on the air rather than lease phone lines to
>"Pipe" background music into restaurants and the like!

Back in 1964, when the company I worked for at the time (Nassau 
Broadcasting)
bought what was then WTOA (FM) 97.5mhz in Trenton, NJ, I discovered a
whole closet full of green metal boxes.