WYSL owner Bob Savage feels so strongly that AM IBOC in the hybrid mode is bad for AMs that remain analog, that he and a couple of friends have begun a Web site, www.stopiboc.com.
The site includes tips for filing interference-related complaints to the FCC.
While IBOC proponents consistently have said there have been few AM-related complaints about nighttime service, “that’s largely because small-market AM operators don’t know what to do,” says Savage, meaning those owners probably don’t have a communications lawyer and consulting engineer on tap.
With only about 70 AMs on the air at night with IBOC (he thinks) after some six weeks of allowed nighttime service, “the scarcity of complaints isn’t surprising,” he says, adding it would be a mistake to assume this means there isn’t interference.
As of this week, the site has some 50 registrants, though not all of them broadcasters, he said.
Will the effort make a difference?
Bob told me he “doesn’t harbor illusions,” but says, “We have to take a stand and try to save our business.”
