RBDS Standard Up For Review

The National Radio Standards Committee is reconvening the subcommittee on the Radio Broadcast Data System. Members say it’s been five years since the RBDS standard has been reviewed, hitting the timeframe in which the NRSC needs to review all of its standards periodically.
The group would have three options regarding the American RBDS standard: leave it as is, retire it or change it.
Entercom Vice President of Engineering Marty Hadfield and Allen Hartle, president of The Radio Experience, have agreed to co-chair the committee. Former chair Scott Wright, who worked for Delphi when he held that position, is no longer in the consumer electronics industry, sources said.
A growing number of companies including Microsoft, Clear Channel and Entercom have invested in the FM subcarrier technology. RBDS is also available in more car radios now, adding to increased interest among broadcasters, sources said.
The reconvening of the RBDS subcommittee (the group was never de-activated) is expected to be on the agenda at the next NRSC meeting at the NAB Radio Show in Philadelphia, said NAB’s David Layer.
Several companies and broadcasters are members of the subcommittee; to learn more about joining, go to: www.nrscstandards.org.