In a proposal filed by many of the nation’s largest radio broadcasters, a request was made that the FCC allow FM stations operating with the HD Radio (or "IBOC system" – for "In Band On Channel" as the digital signal is transmitted on the same channel as the current analog signal) to increase power
IBOC Digital Radio Rules Become Effective – Some Stations Lead the Way on Multicasting
By David Oxenford on
Last Friday, the rules on over-the-air digital radio for AM and FM stations – the IBOC system or, as it is commonly known, HD Radio – became effective. The most immediate effect of the new rules, which we summarized here, is the ability of AM stations to operate using the IBOC system at night. The Commission determined that such operation offered more benefits than any interference it might create. The final rules also allowed stations to begin digital operations – and multicast operations – on a permanent basis without prior FCC approval. As these rules take effect, some stations are beginning to look to the multicast channels to provide new programming opportunities.
NPR has, in many ways, led the efforts to utilize digital radio for multicast operations. In today’s Washington Post, there is an article about the city’s NPR affiliate, WAMU, which has recently announced plans to take its multicast operations to a new level. WAMU had in the past programmed a substantial amount of bluegrass music, a local DC favorite. Over time, that programming had been reduced as the station broadcast more and more talk programming. The station had moved bluegrass to a full time Internet radio stream, and has now announced plans to move all of the remaining bluegrass and roots music programming (which had been limited to Sundays) to one of its IBOC digital multicast streams – and to include live announcers during at least some of this digital programming. The Post article quotes the station manager as saying that the local Best Buy now knows that HD Radio is different from the service that XM or Sirius provide. Continue Reading IBOC Digital Radio Rules Become Effective – Some Stations Lead the Way on Multicasting
Radio Items Missing In Action at the FCC
By David Oxenford on
Posted in Digital Radio, FM Translators and LPFM
Two long awaited broadcast items seem to be missing in action at the FCC. Both the final rules on digital radio ("HD radio") and the Commission’s Notice of Proposed rulemaking on using FM translators to fill in gaps of the signals of AM stations, while expected quite a while ago, have still not been released by the FCC. The digital radio item, adopting rules on digital radio, eliminating the need to file for experimental authority for multi-channel FM operations and allowing AM stations to operate digitally at night, was adopted by the FCC at its meeting in March, yet the final text of the decision still hasn’t been released. As the text has not been released, the effective date of the new rules has not been set. Those AM stations ready to kick on their nighttime digital operations continue to wait.
As we explained in our previous posting on this matter, here, the digital radio order also contains a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, addressing issues such as the public interest obligations of broadcasters on their multicast digital channels. That was one of the items that was supposedly delayed the action that finally occurred at the March meeting, and perhaps it is delaying the release of the text of the order in this proceedingContinue Reading Radio Items Missing In Action at the FCC