In this letter to the editor, the author comments on the article “U.S. HD Radio by the Numbers.” Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email [email protected].
Thanks for your very informative article in the Sept. 10 Radio World.
That broadcasters have not taken full advantage of the potential for new formats on their multicast subchannels is, as you imply, a disappointment. It’s not for lack of advocacy — see Fred Jacobs’ blog over the years.
What I find especially frustrating, however, is the seeming lack of imagination even within the narrow confines of the approach most of the broadcasters have taken, such as feeding translators.
Here is an example: Maine Public Radio covers my topographically challenging state with many analog transmitters near population centers on various frequencies, in both the reserved and regular bands, and most of them have an HD1 injection.
They also have a network of Maine Public Classical analog stations and a few translators around the state, none of which have any digital injection, though the classical music program is carried as HD2 on most of the Maine Public News stations.
So far, so good; but there has been no initiative to add digital injection to any of the analog classical signals, which are in different locations from the main channel transmitters and could provide superior coverage for many areas of the state that don’t get a clear signal from the news stations.
Thus, while they could provide a strong HD1 signal for the classical programming on those dedicated frequencies, they could also provide their main news programming on an HD2 of the classical stations, which would bring that program to areas that aren’t reached by their primary news stations.
It’s not for want of suggestion! Yes, I can be a pest.
Radio being somewhat a religion for me, the wasted potential is sad.
The industry needs to take better advantage of the tools available.
— John Covell, Augusta, Me.
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