Digital radio is experiencing the same sort of problems that FM experienced. In order for receivers to sell at low prices, you need high volume. In order to drive volume sales you need more stations. It’s the chicken and the egg.

Fortunately for iBiquity, consumers, and broadcasters, it all appears to be coming together now, and it took a lot less time than it took FM radio!

Paul Thurst of Engineering Radio recently addressed this package of claims making an exhaustive side-by-side comparison between the state of HD Radio in 2010 and FM radio in 1950. He spares no facts:

…

Read the rest over at Paul’s blog.

Vanderbilt University Station WRVU Wants to Stay on the Air

It’s really starting to feel like the unfortunate college radio trend that we covered at the end of last year (Cash-strapped schools turn their backs on college radio), is showing no signs of slowing down.

For the past month I’ve been reporting on the proposed sale of Rice University station KTRU and have been sharing the perspective of both KTRU alumni and staffers who continue to fight to save the station’s presence on the FM dial in Houston, Texas.

Well, a similar situation is brewing in Nashville, Tennessee; where Vanderbilt University college radio station WRVU‘s staff were informed last week that the organization who oversees their station is considering selling off the station’s FM signal.

As I wrote on Spinning Indie, WRVU is controlled by the non-profit group Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC), which also oversees campus print publications and a television station. In explaining their interest in selling of WRVU’s FM signal, the Board of VSM has pointed out in a statement that,

“In response to changing student habits and evolving economic challenges, Vanderbilt Student Communications Inc. is exploring the migration of radio station WRVU to exclusively online programming and the sale of its broadcast license. If the license were to be sold, the proceeds would be used to create an endowment to support innovative student media experiences, facilities and operations at Vanderbilt in perpetuity.”

They also argue that decreasing student interest in terrestrial radio and in participating in WRVU entered into their decision to explore this sale. When I contacted Mark Wollaeger, Chair of the VSC Board of Directors, by email to discuss the specifics of this point, he provided me with statistics from several student surveys that took place between 2008 and 2009. According to a February, 2010 survey, 83% of those surveyed reported that they had never listened to WRVU over the airwaves and 89% reported that they had never listened to WRVU online. Mark pointed out that historically the station has been more popular with members of the off-campus community than with Vanderbilt students (a trend that I’ve seen at many college radio stations all over the country).

Mark also told me that in recent years there have been more community-member DJs than student DJs and that it would appear that with the increasing use of automated programming, there’s been a decline in participation. He said that this fall there are 49 undergraduate student DJs, 7 grad student DJs, 14 alumni DJs, 10 faculty/staff DJs and 19 guest DJs. In addition to that there are 71 student DJs in training. Based on the information that he provided me from the most recent years, this fall’s numbers represent an increase in student participation in the past year (although Mark said that 10 years ago it was common for there to be 60-100 student staff members at WRVU).

As one would expect, as soon as this news came out on September 16, members of the WRVU staff and fans of the radio station have been voicing their concern and are beginning to organize their response on the Save WRVU Facebook page, Save WRVU Radio blog, Save WRVU Google Group, and by soliciting feedback from WRVU alumni (who are being asked to email wrvuoffice AT gmail DOT com). Luckily, VSC is actively seeking feedback on this proposal and it seems that they could potentially be swayed by a strong showing of support for the station, particularly by students.

As word spread about this last week, many were dismayed to see that some obvious protest URLs (such as SaveWRVU.com) had been registered more than a week in advance of the announcement and were re-directing people to the website owned by VSC where visitors can submit comments about the proposed sale. This seemed to create a strong sense of distrust about the process and about VSC’s willingness to allow people to protest and express dissenting opinions in venues outside of the official channels. I’m happy to see that those URLs have been released by VSC and are now redirecting to websites under the control of WRVU staffers and allies.

I spoke with WRVU’s General Manager Mikil Taylor to learn a bit more about how the staff found out about VSC’s interest in selling the station’s license and to also hear about their efforts to express their disagreement with this move.

Spinning Indie: When and how did the WRVU staff hear about the Board’s proposal to sell of the FM signal?

Mikil Taylor: We were told on  Thursday, Sept. 16th.  I met with Mark [Wollaeger, Chair of the VSC Board of Directors] at 4pm, and he broke the news to  me.  At 4:30, the rest of the Estaff came into the room to hear.   About over the course of the next hour and a half, emails were sent out to  media, alumni, and WRVU staff about the news.

Spinning Indie: What is your  reaction as a staff?

Mikil: We are completely and unequivocally against  it.  Being on the radio is the main reason we’re here at WRVU, and to  take that away is very shortsighted.  Vanderbilt is often concerned about the “Vanderbubble” that separates us from the rest of Nashville, and  taking away our main communication with the city is a step in the wrong  direction.

There is too much value in WRVU for both Vanderbilt students  and the Nashville community to allow some other station to play exactly  what another is playing.  We aren’t just a bunch of kids fiddling around  on the radio.  We learn a lot by being on the radio, and all of  the opportunities that brings.  We don’t believe that money can  doanything to replace that.

Spinning Indie: There are rumors that Student Communications bought up various URLs that would have helped you in efforts to  protest (SaveWRVU.org, etc.)  and this seems likely since those URLs redirect to the VSC site. Do you have any information about whether or not this is true?

Mikil: It seems to be a big mystery among everyone as to who exactly bought the URLs in VSC, but they have handed over control of the domains  to us as of yesterday, so we’re currently deciding what to do with  them.

Spinning Indie: What efforts have the staff and fans of WRVU made to voice your concerns about this proposal?

Mikil: We have started  gathering student signatures in opposition to this decision, as Mark  Wollaeger and the rest of the board present at our meeting on Sunday stressed  that student support would do a lot to convince them.  In addition, we  are writing letters to the editor of the campus newspaper, we have contacted  many local news outlets, are beginning to gather alumni to voice their  support, and probably 10 other efforts that I’m forgetting right now.   We have to try every possible way to gather support our direction.  We  have also started a Google group called Save-WRVU that people can join if  they would like to help out.

Spinning Indie: What can people do to let  their opinions be heard?

Mikil: First and foremost, you need to submit a comment  at vandymedia.org/wrvu.  The board  members have said that they will each personally review every comment made,  so we want the best arguments you can muster.  In addition, any support  you can give us in spreading the word will be invaluable.

Spinning Indie: What role does Vanderbilt Student Communications play in the ongoing operations of WRVU?

Mikil: In terms of the  day-to-day operations, they don’t play much of a role other than  financier.  We have an adviser employed by VSC who runs most of the  technical aspects of keeping a radio station on the air, but the board  doesn’t take any active relationship in the programming of the station on a  regular basis.  We do our best to connect with other student media  outlets, and we have made some tremendous strides in the past  year.

Spinning Indie: How would you characterize your relationship with the Board?

Mikil: After last year’s community DJ cut, a lot of DJs don’t trust  the board.  This only further deepens the animosity.

Spinning Indie: Are there representatives from WRVU on the Board? Are there representatives from other Student Media organizations on the Board?

Mikil: We  do have a trained DJ who is on the board right now, but there are no current  DJs sitting on the board. All the student media outlets used to have a  representative on the board, but they cut that down to the current 5 at-large  students and 3 faculty members.  The new students are elected, I  believe, by the previous board each year.  We have not been great about  encouraging DJs to apply for board positions, but we are planning on changing  that with the next round of elections.

Spinning Indie: Why do you think a terrestrial signal is vital to the survival of WRVU?

Mikil: As most of our DJs  have pointed out, taking away the radio part of a radio station would kill a  lot of what makes us vibrant.  Local bands and Vanderbilt artists no  longer have a sympathetic voice on the airwaves of Music City.  Students  no longer have the legitimacy that a terrestrial signal brings when trying to  interview bands.  We no longer gain the confidence that comes with  speaking blindly to a potential audience of thousands. In an  online-only format, we would drown in the sea of options.  We would keep  some listeners, but it would be next to impossible to gain any.   Eventually, we would fizzle out and die, if the sale were to happen  soon. Everyone knows that radio is dying, but it’s not dead yet, and  the value of a station in our part of the spectrum will not change much over  the next few years, due to the limited types of stations that can broadcast  there.  Our Internet presence is like a child still dependent on its  mother, a terrestrial signal.  To remove the signal too early will kill  the Internet presence as well.

Spinning Indie: Are student listeners the main audience for WRVU? Statements from the Board seem to indicate that declining student listeners over FM and declining student involvement are part of the rationale for going online-only.

Mikil: Student  listeners are an important audience, since we largely exist for them, but  they are not the largest segment of our audience.  Most of our audience  still listens on the radio in the 45-mile radius we cover around Nashville.  The only people who listen to online radio right now are the  early adopters and those who are too far away to receive the terrestrial  signal.  Online is still the wave of the future, but it’s too far in the  future to transition to it now.

Also, we just put 70+ students into  training this semester.  We currently have about 50 students on the  radio.  If anything, student interest has been massively exploding in  the past year, not declining.

Spinning Indie: Any idea if the Board has  received offers from people wanting to buy the signal?

Mikil: I have not  yet heard of any, but we have heard rumors that Christian group K-Love may be  interested.

Spinning Indie: How would the loss of WRVU from FM alter the  radio landscape in Nashville?

Mikil: Nashville would lose about 90% of the  genres played over the air. We’re the only major free-form station in Nashville, and play hundreds of songs from multiple genres every day.   The city often wants to bill itself as “More than just country”, but to take  away one of the largest voices screaming that fact will significantly impact  their argument.  If one place needs a college radio station to showcase  the local, new, and weird music, it’s Music City USA.

Spinning Indie: Anything else?

Mikil: Please please please do everything you can to support  us!  We need all the help we can get.  If you know someone who has  worked or studied here, please tell them to submit their comments to the  board.  There are other methods to raising the money that VSC needs, and  we want to have the time to try them.

On Monday the trade publication Automotive News reported that the number of car makers offering HD Radio is up, mostly relying on stats provided by iBiquity, which owns the technology. According to the article pricey brands Volvo, BMW and Rolls-Royce now offer HD Radio as standard, while twelve other brands offer it as an option. Curiously, only one Japanese brand, the Toyota division of Scion, offers HD.

However, there are a lot of things one can buy as an option on a car, so the more important question is, Is anyone buying? On the surface, thing don’t look too bad for HD. Apparently 438,000 automotive receivers were sold in the nine months ending June 30, contributing to a total of three million HD Radio receivers sold in the US, both car-based and not. By comparison about eight million cars were sold in the same period, meaning only about five percent of new cars sold were equipped with HD Radio.

After reading a recent Radio World article, I wonder if at least part of the blame is due to the difficulty of actually buying the option. Writer Thomas R. Ray III, who is normally a cheerleader for HD Radio, recounts the difficulty he faced in getting an HD receiver in his brand new Ford Escape. It turns out the Ford dealership had never heard of HD Radio, and so he ended up with a factory-installed analog radio. He encountered further trouble integrating an aftermarket receiver because of the Ford’s much ballyhooed Sync system.

As long as HD Radio remains an option on most cars, I don’t think it’s going to see the kind of growth it needs to become a mainstream technology. As it is, there isn’t enough to recommend HD Radio to make it work the extra hundred bucks or so to the average car buyer, who is probably more concerned with a CD player or iPod connectivity. I remember back when I was a kid in the 70s that AM radios were standard and FM was an option. It wasn’t really until AM/FM radios became standard that you saw FM radio start to take off. I’m not convinced HD offers nearly as much extra as FM did thirty years ago.

My Sony XDRF1-HD tuner in its habitat.

Primary HD Channels

First off I will address the question of sound quality and fidelity. iBiquity claims “drastically improved sound quality” for HD Radio over its analog counterpart. I do not agree with this claim. Tuning between the analog and primary HD channel for each station I could perceive slight differences in sound quality between them. The biggest difference is the loss of background noise and hiss in the HD channel. Now, this is a very subtle difference, primarily perceptible during quiet music passages (which are rare on commercial FM) and voice breaks. This leads to the perception that there’s a bit more dynamic range on the HD channel, but it requires fairly high listening volume to clearly detect.

While I welcome the lower noise floor of HD, I otherwise don’t perceive any other significant increase in fidelity. On nearly every station I listened to the primary HD channel sounded nearly identical to the analog FM. Much of commercial FM is overcompressed, and I found that if a station’s analog signal was so overprocessed, so was the primary HD channel.

Sometimes I would lose the HD signal–since it’s broadcast at a much lower power level than the analog signal–and I never noticed just by listening. I had to look at the tuner’s display to know for sure. The shift between the HD and analog signals is pretty smooth sounding on the Sony tuner. I can tell when it happens, but it’s quite unobtrusive. If I’m not paying close attention to the radio it can happen without me noticing.

All of the 19 HD FM stations I received are stations that come in reasonably well in analog in my apartment in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago. The Sony XDRF1 turns out to have very good analog FM performance, bringing in the analog FM signals of these stations better than any other radio in my house except my Tivoli Model One, which is another room. Of the 10 stations where I couldn’t tune in an HD signal, 8 of them don’t come in clearly in my house in analog, either. For two stations my tuner did not indicate there was an HD signal present. More details listening notes by station are at the end of this post.

Secondary HD Channels

The other big advantage touted for HD Radio are the additional subchannels a station can have. Each HD station I listened to broadcast one or two additional channels. By and large the second HD channel had decent sound quality, but that nevertheless never matched the quality of the primary analog or HD channel. This should be expected because there is only so much digital bandwidth for each station to exploit, and the FCC requires that the primary HD channel–which must have the same programming as the analog signal–have the biggest share of the bandwidth.

The second HD channels typically sound like a good webcast station. That is, they sound like medium-quality MP3s with bitrates of 128 kbps or lower. I hear more compression and less dynamic range than the analog side, and some rolling off at the high end. Right now I’m listening to WXRT’s commercial-free HD channel 2 called “Channel X” and it’s pleasant to listen to, no more fatiguing than most web stations.

The stations broadcasting only on additional HD channel had slightly better fidelity on their HD-2 channels than those broadcasting three digital channels. Chicago Public Radio WBEZ broadcasts its Vocalo service on HD-2 and has no HD-3 channel. It sounds a little fuller than WXRT’s HD-2, with better stereo separation, a little more high end, and a little more dynamic range.

WXRT also broadcasts an HD-3 music channel which is branded as last.fm, owned by the station’s parent company CBS. The fidelity on HD-3 is greatly compromised, sounding like a webcast from the late 90s. The highs are heavily rolled off, with lots of shimmery distortion on high pitched instruments like cymbals. I find it pretty unlistenable and think it’s a waste to try and cram music on the HD-3 channel.

The stations that air talk programming on their HD-3 channels are much more listenable, mostly because voice-only programming just doesn’t require as much bandwidth and fidelity as music. WUSN airs a motorsports talk station on its HD-3 channel, and while the programming isn’t my cup of tea, I could imagine listening to it if it aired something of interest to me.

The HD Experience

Listening to HD Radio is not necessarily the most user-friendly experience. The digital HD signal is broadcast at much lower power than the analog signal–in order to lessen interference with adjoining stations. Therefore I had to adjust my antenna carefully to pull in HD signals. The Sony tuner provides a nice signal strength indicator which aids in this task, flashing an HD indicator when a digital signal is detected. You know you’ve got a HD signal tuned in when the HD indicator stops flashing, and more data–like song titles and station name–is displayed.

I have a fifteen-year-old Radio Shack amplified FM antenna that is tunable to frequency. I found with careful tuning I could successfully receive the HD channel for every available station. However, keeping that HD signal was sometimes difficult. Just walking across the room could cause the HD signal to drop out. The HD signal also seemed more susceptible to electrical interference than analog FM. For instance, my wife was shredding documents in the next room, and every time she shredded something the HD channel would drop out, then take 10 – 30 seconds to come back in after she stopped.

Now, it’s true that I live about 10 miles from downtown Chicago, where most major stations are located, on the second floor of an all-brick building. It’s not the ideal location to listen to radio, but not the worst, either. I’ll argue that at least 60% of the metro radio audience lives at least as far away as I do, so I think others’ experience would be similar to mine.

On some stations it was difficult to listen to the HD channels for any length of time. They just wouldn’t stay tuned in, no matter how carefully I adjusted the antenna and tried not to move around. It’s not a big deal if I’m listening to the primary HD channel, since the tuner smoothly falls back to analog, which sounds just as good. But it is frustrating if you’re listening to an HD2 or HD3 channel, since it goes away altogether. No slow degradation, no static–it’s either on or off.

Given the somewhat delicate nature of tuning in HD stations, I have real doubts how many average radio listeners are willing to devote the patience necessary to tune in HD channels. Sure, any radio listener is used to having to move an antenna or radio to get better reception. However, with analog a listener can hear the changes when reception degrades or improves. With HD it’s all or nothing, and therefore much more difficult to finely tune. Furthermore, hearing a crystal-clear analog signal does not necessarily mean you’ll get a clear digital signal. I can only imagine how frustrating it is to try and listen to a portable HD Radio, since just maintaining a clear FM signal with a portable can be a real challenge.

Finally, one of the great experiences of analog radio listening is scanning the dial looking for a good (or tolerable) song, or simply just trying to see what you’ll find. This is not a pleasure one will enjoy with HD radio. In my experience so far it really just isn’t practical to scan HD stations. It simply takes too long to get the HD signal locked in. Perhaps someone living downtown near the major stations might be able to do this, but I just don’t see it happening elsewhere.

Conclusion

I will continue to listen to HD Radio in order to see if the experience improves or I figure out some tricks to improving reception. But so far I find that the technology of cramming a digital signal in next to analog one has too many compromises to be successful. The bandwidth for the HD channels is not enough to offer significantly better fidelity for the primary HD channel, and the leftover bandwidth available for HD2 and HD3 provides sound quality that does not surpass what is available online or on satellite radio. Importantly, tuning in a clear HD signal can be a very finicky process that can try one’s patience. How many signal drop-outs will the average listener endure before giving up on an HD2 or HD3 channel?

Details

As I mentioned I did my listening with a Sony XDRF1-HD tuner which is generally highly regarded for its fidelity and performance on both analog and digital FM. I amplified the audio with a harman/kardon AVR25II receiver, which is a very high quality unit from the mid-90s. The receiver is well maintained and provides quite nice sound quality in plain 2-channel stereo that well exceeds most receivers you’ll find for under $1000 in the electronics store. The speakers are RTR28 bookshelf speakers and an Audiosource 100 watt subwoofer. Laying this out is my way of saying that I believe the electronics were up to task of fairly evaluating the sound quality of HD Radio.

These are the HD stations I listened to, with some listening notes as relevant:

• 91.5 WBEZ HD1 HD2 – HD2 had some of the best sound quality I heard on an HD2 channel.
• 93.1 WXRT HD1 HD2 HD3 – HD3′s music quality was too compressed and nearly unlistenable.
• 93.9 WLIT HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounds OK.
• 95.5 WNUA HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounded above average.
• 96.3 WBBM HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounded average.
• 97.1 WDRV HD1 HD2- HD2 is music, heard high end “shimmery” distortion on cymbals.
• 97.9 WLUP HD1 HD2 – HD2 sounded average.
• 98.7 WFMT HD1 – No HD2 or HD3. HD1 sound quality was the best I heard.
• 99.5 WUSN HD1 HD2 HD3 – HD3 had talk which sounded adequate.
• 100.3 WILV HD1 HD2 – HD2 was talk and sounded very good for that format.
• 101.1 WKQX HD1 HD2 – HD2 was music and sounded decent, but somewhat compressed.
• 101.9 WTMX HD1 HD2 – HD2 was 80s music, pretty highly compressed.
• 102.7 WVAZ HD1 HD2 – HD2 is religious talk, sounds OK.
• 103.5 WKSC HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounds average for HD2.
• 104.3 WJMK HD1 HD2 – HD2 is sports talk, sounds OK.
• 105.1 WOJO HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounded slightly above average. HD3 is music, sounds poor.
• 105.9 WCFS HD1 HD2 – HD2 is simulcast of WBBM-AM. There was a lot of artifacting on HD2, not as clear as the station’s webcast.
• 107.5 WGCI HD1 HD2 – HD2 is music, sounds average.
  

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/08/08/first-day-with-hd-radio-not-impressed/feed/ 11 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/06/14/fcc-commissioner-clyburn-suggests-channels-5-6-for-radio/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/06/14/fcc-commissioner-clyburn-suggests-channels-5-6-for-radio/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:27:49 +0000 Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=4947 finish reading FCC Commissioner Clyburn Suggests Channels 5 & 6 for Radio]]>
  

  FCC Commissioner Mingon Clyburn

  The National Federation of Community Broadcasters just wrapped up its annual conference this past weekend in St. Paul, MN. The NFCB has been a true anchor in the community radio movement, both supporting individual stations and advocating on their behalf in DC. This year the FCC actually graced the conference, with Commissioner Mingon Clyburn giving a speech on June 10.

  Commissioner Clyburn certainly let loose quite a few surprises, starting with suggesting that TV channels 5 and 6 could be reallocated for non-commercial FM radio, low-power FM or AM broadcasters. While she said that she wasn’t suggesting an immediate change, Clyburn said that, “it is time for us to take a serious look at
  where these services fit within the overall spectrum plan, and that Channels 5 and 6 maybe a good home.”

  The spectrum allocated to analog channels 5 and 6 sits just below the FM band’s lower limit of 88 MHz. Before the digital transition you might remember being able to hear channel 6 TV audio at the bottom end of your FM dial. Although the transition meant full-power stations lost their analog audio signal, low-power TV stations were permitted to remain analog. As I’ve reported before, there are several low-power channel 6 stations taking advantage of their proximity to the FM dial to function effectively like radio stations rather than TV.

  Any reallocation of channel 5 and 6 spectrum would require dealing with the few full-power stations that chose to stay put rather than move to different spectrum space. It would also have to deal with the LPTV stations on channels 5 & 6. My guess is that these stations could be offered to move into spectrum allocated for digital, though it might take some horse trading. It’s also likely that those few LPTV stations on channel 6 are going to be very reluctant to move and give up their radio-like business, although it’s just a matter of time before the FCC kills that business model by forcing all LPTV to go digital.

  Commissioner Clyburn also suggested that community stations consider the charms of HD Radio. She acknowledged that, “limited receiver penetration and the cost of digital transmission equipment may make owning an HD Radio station an unappealing option for community radio groups.” However, she also proposed that “HD can provide yet another way to promote broadcast diversity and expanded programming option.” She even suggested that community stations or groups seeking stations could partner with other commercial or non-commercial stations to program their secondary HD-2 and HD-3 channels.

  It’s pretty rare for community radio to get such a courtesy call from an FCC commissioner, and all the more rare for a commissioner to drop so many bombshells. I’m cautiously optimistic to hear such support for community radio and an apparent willingness to consider an expansion of the FM band in order to accommodate more non-commercial stations. I do have to note, however, that there’s no indication that an expanded band would be only for community radio. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the idea gains any traction with the full Commission.

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/06/14/fcc-commissioner-clyburn-suggests-channels-5-6-for-radio/feed/ 1 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/29/fcc-awards-another-26-full-power-noncomm-fm-licenses/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/29/fcc-awards-another-26-full-power-noncomm-fm-licenses/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:00:29 +0000 Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=4469 finish reading FCC Awards Another 26 Full-Power NonComm FM Licenses]]> The FCC has released the winners of another twenty-six full-power noncommercial FM broadcast licenses from the 2007 application window [PDFs: 1, 2]. Like the fifty-seven licenses announced in February, the winners in this set were chosen from amongst two or more mutually-exclusive applications. The Commission uses a point system to judge which group should receive a noncommercial FM license amongst multiple competitors. The system awards points with preference to candidates that are locally headquartered with an “established” presence, do not have a controlling interest in another nearby station and which propose to serve the largest number of people.
  

  The owner of WSCA-LP was awarded a full-power NCE license.

  This time around three of the new licensees are current operators of low-power FM stations. As a condition of obtaining their new full-power construction permits they will have to divest themselves of their LPFM licenses. One owner of a translator repeater station, Educational Information Corp, won out over three other applicants for a license to serve Milton, NC. EIC offered to divest itself of the translator in nearby Danville, VA, and won out for the license because it has an interest in fewer other stations than any of its competitors.

  Amongst the other twenty-two license winners there were six universities and colleges, with New Mexico Highlands University winning a total of three. One independent Catholic school, Vineyard Academy, won a license for Vicksburg, MI. The vast majority of licenses–fourteen–went to churches or other religious organizations.

  One of the most interesting winners is the Committe for the Rescue and Development of Vieques in Puerto Rico, which is apparently dedicated to the rehabilitation of this region that has been used for military exercises–including bombing–by the US military. A couple of other interesting community groups that won licenses are Neighborhoods United for a Better Alachua in High Springs, FL and North Curry Families and Childrens Center in Port Orford, OR. It also looks like the Americana music group the Western Oregon Opry won a license in Cottage Grove, OR.

  There are also a couple of mysterious winners of licenses. One of them is the B. Stephen Demchuk Foundation in Glen Spey, NY. It is listed as an IRS 170(b)1)(a)(vi) community foundation, but I cannot easily find any information about what the foundation actually does. The best I can figure out is that the applicant, Julian Demchuk, seems to be active in the Ukranian-American community.

  Another mysterious winner is ST’AL-SQUIL-XW of Kettle Falls, WA. Looking at the name I’m guessing it may be a Native American associated group. The group has received grants from the Environmental Support Center, so it’s not a bad guess to say that it has an environmental outlook, too.

  Overall I’m glad to see that some groups dedicated to a variety of community work, in addition to arts and culture, were able to win licenses.

  I should note that these awards are still tentative because there is now a thirty-day period for filing peitions to deny against any of the winners. For better or worse, in practice it’s highly unlikely for such a petition to be successful. Nevertheless, it could happen.

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/29/fcc-awards-another-26-full-power-noncomm-fm-licenses/feed/ 2 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/05/college-radio-101-uw-parkside-station-learns-when-you-need-a-license/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/05/college-radio-101-uw-parkside-station-learns-when-you-need-a-license/#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:53:33 +0000 Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=4070 finish reading College Radio 101: UW-Parkside Station Learns When You Need a License]]> The University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s student-run station WIPZ has apparently been on the air since the early 1990s, broadcasting on AM, then FM and online. The station has never had a license, presumably operating at very low power under what are known as Part 15 regulations which govern unlicensed operation of devices that radiate radio frequency power. These are the same regs that dictate the operation of the small transmitters sold to broadcast an MP3 player into a car radio.

  Last week WIPZ learned a tough lesson from the FCC when agents showed up and determined their signal was broadcasting at a level way above the limits set by Part 15 for the FM dial. In fact, the agents reported measuring the signal at 334,559 microvolts per meter (uV/m) at 3 meters. Compare that to the Part 15 limit of 250 uV/m at 3 meters. My rough back-of-the-envelope calculations say that WIPZ must have been operating at around 5 watts of effective radiated power. Generally speaking, anyone who wants to broadcast in accordance with Part 15 should keep their power under 100 milliwatts (.1 watts).

  I’m a little surprised that anyone at a university station would think it was legal to broadcast with that much power without a license. FCC Chicago district director James M. Roop told the Journal-Sentinel, “Somewhere they were misinformed by people who told them that operating a station by low power would be OK.”

  I’ve seen a number of references to WIPZ being a carrier-current station, which is a type of very-low power AM broadcasting where a building’s electrical wiring is used as a big radiator for an AM signal. Schools are permitted to operate carrier current stations provided their signal obeys Part 15 limits with regard to the signal’s transmission off school property. WIPZ probably used carrier current back in its AM days. However, there are no similar rules for FM broadcasting; there is no such thing as a carrier-current FM station.

  My best guess is that the station’s management confused the more lenient restrictions for unlicensed AM broadcasting with the tighter ones for FM. Working in and around universities for some 20 years I’ve often heard misguided educators claim they can legally set up FM transmitters using several watts of power provided the signal stays on campus. But the simple fact is that this is not true.

  It appears that WIPZ will attempt to return to air using power levels that obey Part 15 limits. They will probably be disappointed at how limited their broadcast range will be. They might actually be better off going back to AM and taking advantage of the techniques devised by the sizeable community of Part 15 broadcasters.

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/04/05/college-radio-101-uw-parkside-station-learns-when-you-need-a-license/feed/ 3 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/03/31/that-next-license-is-going-to-cost-you/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/03/31/that-next-license-is-going-to-cost-you/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:21:58 +0000 Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=4004 finish reading That Next License Is Going to Cost You]]>

  While we commonly accept that broadcast stations and, especially, their licenses to broadcast have a market value, for most of US broadcasting history there was no direct cost to obtain that license. Sure, there were engineer surveys to conduct, lawyers to pay, and so on. But the license itself came at no cost from the FCC. That license was supposed to be in exchange for operating in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” Given that this obligation was rendered mostly unenforceable, if not laughable, by 1996, Congress figured it was better to try to cash in.

  So, for all intents and purposes the Telecommunications Act of 1996 pretty much changed the whole free license thing for commercial stations, instituting an auction process for new commercial radio licenses whenever there are competing applicants. Since there it’s a rare occasion when there’s only one applicant for a commerical frequency, in practice most new licenses are auctioned off. There hasn’t been much hubub about this change in part because there have been relatively few new broadcast radio licenses available in the last fourteen years; most major metropolitan radio dials pretty well filled up by the 1990s.

  Nevertheless, there are a few spots on the dial left, scattered about the country. In fact the FCC will be auctioning a total of 15 radio licenses this coming July–thirteen commercial FM, one commercial FM translator and one commercial AM [public notice PDF]. Before you start counting your pennies and cashing in savings bonds, understand that if you haven’t already submitted an application to the FCC, then you’re out of luck. The participants in the auction are already determined because they’ve submitted applications for frequencies for which there are other competing applications.

  The number of bidders for a single frequency range from just two to as many as seven (that’s for a spot on the dial in Idalou, TX, just outside of Lubbock). The FCC sets a minimum opening bid, which each bidder must also submit as an upfront payment. This opening bid is based upon the prices obtained in earlier auctions from the same market. To bid on a license in the Hudson Valley town of Rosendale, NY you’d have to pony up $100,000 to start, whereas in New Holstein WI, about 25 miles northwest of Sheboygan, the starting bid is just $15,000. A hundred grand may not sound like chump change for a station license, but compared to the market value it’s a bargain. An existing station in New York’s Hudson Valley is likely to be at least five times that, if not more.

  We’ll be watching to see what the selling prices end up being when the final gavel falls. Stay tuned.

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2010/03/31/that-next-license-is-going-to-cost-you/feed/ 0 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2009/11/02/pirate-cat-radio-fined-by-fcc-and-ceases-terrestrial-broadcast/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2009/11/02/pirate-cat-radio-fined-by-fcc-and-ceases-terrestrial-broadcast/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:14:03 +0000 Jennifer Waits http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=1342 finish reading Pirate Cat Radio Fined by FCC and Ceases Terrestrial Broadcast]]>

  Pirate Cat Leaving Terrestrial Radio

  It was probably only a matter of time before the FCC would catch up with San Francisco’s Pirate Cat Radio.

  The unlicensed broadcaster was increasingly putting itself in the public eye by operating a cafe adjacent to its studio, granting interviews with mainstream press, and even appearing on the national television show No Reservations this August.

  Since at least April, the FCC has been monitoring Pirate Cat’s operations and eventually levied the station and owner Daniel K. Roberts (aka Monkey) a $10,000 fine on August 31st when it became clear that the station was continuing to broadcast without a license

  Pirate Cat issued a press release on Halloween stating that the station would cease their terrestrial broadcast in light of the FCC’s action against the station. According to the statement from Pirate Cat:

  “…the FCC asserted that Monkey, the founder of Pirate Cat Radio, ‘willfully and repeatedly violated Section 301 of the Communications Act of 1934′ and proposed to fine him $10,000 for the infraction… the FCC’s order effectively ends Pirate Cat Radio’s thirteen-year run as one of the Bay Area’s most consistent voices of protest against corporate-run media monopolies and monocultural programming.”

  According to the “Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture” document prepared by the FCC, not only was Pirate Cat Radio found to be broadcasting over FM without a license, but the frequency being used, 87.9, is also “not allocated to the FM broadcast band.”

  Additionally, the FCC poked holes in Pirate Cat Radio’s previous argument that because the United States is in a state of war, broadcasters can operate without a license. As we’ve discussed before, the belief held by some non-licensed broadcasters that stations are automatically granted an emergency authorization to broadcast from the government during wartime didn’t seem like it would hold up under scrutiny. According to the FCC’s statement:

  “The PCR website also mistakenly claims its unlicensed operation is sanctioned by Section 73.3542 of the Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 73.3542. We note that authority to operate pursuant to this Section must be granted by the FCC, and that the burden is on the applicant to show the required ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to support such a grant…There is no record that Roberts and PCR have ever received such a grant of authority from the Commission. Additionally, the frequency used without authority by Roberts and PCR is 87.9 MHz, which is not allocated to the FM broadcast band…”

  The FCC’s signal measurements in April also found that Pirate Cat’s broadcast strength far exceeded what would be allowed by non-licensed broadcasters:

  “On April 29, 2009, the measurements indicated that the signal was more than 3,000 times greater than the maximum permissible level for a non-licensed Part 15 transmitter in the 88 to 108 MHz band and more than 8,000 times greater than the maximum permissible level in the 76 to 88 MHz band.”

  So, for now, Pirate Cat Radio is going to broadcast solely on the Internet as it builds up its case for returning to the terrestrial airwaves. With its over 13-year-history (not all of it from the current location in San Francisco) it will likely maintain its presence, but who knows if it will ever return to FM. Typically the FCC is not too keen on granted FM licenses to those who have previously flaunted the law.

  They might take some lessons from the hugely popular and above-board East Village Radio in New York City. Like Pirate Cat they had an unlicensed, terrestrial past as well as a physical presence in their home city. But their success and fame seems to have really skyrocketing after they began channeling their energy into being a for-profit Internet-only station.

  Ironically, on the same day that the FCC was issuing its fine to Pirate Cat, the station was celebrating its recent accolade from San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. From the SF Gate blog “Off the Record,” here’s an excerpt of the letter of commendation:

  “…Pirate Cat Radio, in recognition of your trailblazing efforts towards freeing the airwaves from corporate control, providing the community with training in radio broadcast skills, empowering voices ignored by traditional media outlets; and contributing to the advancement of the City’s coffee culture through the unique creations of baristas of the Pirate Cat Radio Cafe; the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, extends its highest commendation!”

  As always, it’s nice to see the Board of Supes supporting local radio. Not sure if that will help sway the FCC, but it does emphasize the city’s desire for local, community stations.

  

  ]]> http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2009/11/02/pirate-cat-radio-fined-by-fcc-and-ceases-terrestrial-broadcast/feed/ 0 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2009/10/14/a-latent-radio-hidden-in-your-iphone/ http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2009/10/14/a-latent-radio-hidden-in-your-iphone/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:40:58 +0000 Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/?p=1232 finish reading A Latent Radio Hidden in Your iPhone?]]>

  iPhone Radio app mockup by 9 to 5 Mac.

  Hot on the heels of the new FM-enabled iPod Nano comes the rumor that there’s actually an FM radio already hidden inside current iPhones, and that Apple is about to turn it on. Apparently the radio circuitry is currently used as part of the Nike+ that connects up certain sneakers to report exercise data back to your phone.

  According to 9 to 5 Mac, which originated the rumor, the hold-up on the radio is getting it integrated into the iTunes music store the way that the new Nano is, so that users can tag songs for future purchase as they listen. I’m not entirely sure I buy that explanation, since I’d think it would be harder to implement in the Nano–which has no application platform–than the more powerful iPhone and iPod touch.

  If Apple does decide to wake up the sleeping iPhone radio I’m wishing for more recording time than the Nano’s short fifteen minutes.  Recording airchecks on the go, like the CC Witness Radio, would be a great bonus to have in addition to not having to take a separate radio with me when I travel. But I wonder if the FM radio will sap the battery all the faster, or if it will be more efficient than listening to streaming internet radio which kills the battery with just an hour or so of listening. Perhaps users of the Nike+ app might be able to illuminate this mystery based on their experiences.

  I’ve heard no timeline for release of the radio app, but we’ll be sure to keep you up to date here at Radio Survivor.

  

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