WICR Turns on IBOC

Non-commercial WICR(FM) says it’s the first pubcaster in Indiana to go digital. Two ham radio operators from Plainfield who own an HD Radio flipped the switch to launch the classical-and-jazz station owned by the University of Indianapolis into the digital age.
Gary Day and his father, Ken, bought their HD radio over the Internet and had been waiting months for WICR to get its new equipment in place.
“AM is where you really hear the difference,” between digital and analog, enthuses Gary Day.
WICR General Manager Scott Uecker calls the decision to convert this year this year was made easier because the station needed a new transmitter. “We had a transmitter that was installed in the early 1980s that needed to be replaced at a cost of about 80% of what the upgrade to digital would entail. It wasn’t that much more to complete the conversion to digital, and we were able to cover the expense largely through listener donations and underwriting.”
Three commercial radio stations in Indianapolis have also gone digital according to Ibiquity: Susquehanna-owned WFMS-FM, WGLD-FM, and WGRL-FM.