Re: [IRCA] KPOJ 620 Portland is now IBOC

["Craig Healy" <bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Patrick Martin wrote:
> ..an IBOC station covers a very small area. So a
> 50 KW station will cover a few miles rather than several hundred miles.

My experience with WBZ at about 30 or so miles is that the IBOC signal is
spotty.  Mid-day it is not at all consistent while driving around.  At
sunset it becomes unusable.  You do have to remember that David Gleason
(whose comments I miss) said that they simply don't care about coverage
outside their core market.  For WBZ, that's within the Rt 128 circle, maybe
a 15 or so mile radius of Boston.  My IBOC reception doesn't matter.

I also see a lack of enthusiasm from local broadcasters.  In many cases, the
IBOC audio is substantially different in level or timing.  Makes the back
and forth switching weird and unpleasant.  WGBH HD must be 15 or 20 db down
from analog.  I bet darned few GMs even have HD.  I don't think the local
Clear Channel guy has one in his BMW.  The local engineer doesn't even have
an HD2 radio yet, and he's setting things up on WWBB-101.5.

On FM, the HD2 channels are often worthless.  I've heard a dozen songs
rotating and repeating. An HD2 channel connected to the production studio.
That gave me the treat of listening to a jock do the voicetracking for a
later show, including all the outtakes.  Really - yawn - compelling.  They
don't even care enough to grab a computer with WinAmp and a couple thousand
songs and IDs/promos and let it run.  I could do that in an afternoon and it
would sound fine.  Jack FM format stuff, and easy.  But no..

HD2 programming from one of the major groups is supposed to come in 75
flavors.  They are proposing Comedy for the HD2 on one of my locals.
Comedy?!?  Who cares!  And just how many of these 75 formats can any one
person receive?  Maybe six or ten at most?  No way that HD2 can compete with
XM/Sirius on that level.  Unless it is on a stream.

> Canada and Mexico can join in. So many border
> stations in Canada that will be adversely affected by the IBOC hash.

What I'm seeing is interest in those countries in joining the IBOC game.  We
are the 800 pound gorilla for radio, and there are far more important
diplomatic issues that this.  While there may be complaints, I don't see
them any more as being the deal breaker.

What I do see is the rolling apathy and availablity of other media as the
prime competition.  I got my wife an iPod recently, and she hasn't listened
to radio in a long time.  We also have XM, and one of those portable DVD
players.  Geek City, I guess.  My stepson and friends simply don't listen to
radio.  CD players in the cars, iPods, and small MP3 players.  They swap
songs over the internet and create their own music source.  Just listen to
the loud stereo cars on the street.  Ever hear a jock's voice?  Nope..  All
CD or iPod music.

When an iPod-type device comes out that will connect to streaming audio, I
think I will have listened to my last conventional AM/FM broadcast for
entertainment.  We were at the Verizon store Sunday, and I asked if a
particular phone could connect to streams.  The salesperson said it could,
though not all of them.  When that happens, and people upgrade their cell
phones and get that capability thrown in, then that's what will relegate
IBOC to the "who cares" bin.

So endeth my quasi-monthly IBOC post..  I'll shut up now..

Craig Healy
Providence, RI

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