Re: [IRCA] More IBOC

["Craig Healy" <bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> According to the conspiracy theorists (of which I am kind of one...)
> that is the whole point:
>
> Stop people from tuning in radio stations outside their listening
> area.

I think there may be something to this.  And, please add in the recent
action of the US Copyright office.  They set rates for streaming audio,
retroactive to January 2006.  If I read this right, the rate is 1.9 cents US
for every listener, every song.  One song, 1,000 listeners, nineteen bucks.
That's far more than probably every station/programmer makes on internet
radio.  Internet radio was growing at a phenomenal rate when several
money-based hurdles were erected.  First, AFTRA refused to allow any
union-voiced commercials to play over the stream unless some significant
added
fees were paid. So, ad replacement became common.  Second, when the
RIAA/ASCAP/BMI/SESAC fees were first announced, many streams and streaming
providers simply shut down.  Despite the growing demand, they had to quit.
Now this last and absolutely over the top fee was announced.  Had they
simply left it alone, streaming would be ten times or more larger than it
is, and probably generating more revenue than these idiotic fees will ever
amount to.  Stupid..

Many of my clients are going to shut streams down, or move overseas beyond
the reach of US law.  Or, make the streams "private" to prevent any
accounting by outside entities.  Listen to the stream without authorization,
get charged under the US DCMA anti-hacking laws.  No RIAA representatives
need apply.

> I knew there was something odd about American AM Radio when
> I was tuning around the dial at sunrise this fall (on the West Coast)
> and swished the dial past seven spots on the dial (picking up about 3 or 4
states
> in the process...), hearing the EXACT same programming (Coast to Coast
radio...)

That's common in many places.  CBC, BBC, take your pick.  However, it still
is bad radio.

> Let's face it ladies and gentlemen - the days of chasing a 250W station in
> Kansas on a graveyard frequency, running a local farm report are almost
gone.

Yup.

> Who knows what will happen. Maybe the end isn't near. Maybe enough
> people will eschew this crap and the equipment will be phased out
> after a few years.
> Let's cross our fingers.

I'm still waiting for some complaint by Canada over interference to their
stations by US IBOC.

Craig Healy
Providence, RI

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