Radio World - November 19, 2008 - (Page 1)

PIX OF THE NEW KFI TOWER. Page 14 Rollout Report What’s the status of HD Radio at the top 25 groups? Page GEP for The Bird Good engineering practices to get the most out of your satellite system. 19 Page 26 $2.50 The Newspaper for Radio Managers and Engineers November 19, 2008 INSIDE NEWS M Even in an industry of audio craftsmen, Ed Buterbaugh stood out. Page IBOC+Satellite? Subscribers Not Impressed Commenters Oppose Rules to Mandate It in Their Radios When the Federal Communications Commission okayed the merger of Sirius and XM this August, commissioners pledged to initiate a Notice of Inquiry on the issue of requiring satellite radios to also receive IBOC signals “or any other technologies capable of providing audio entertainment services,” according to the decision. Radio World peeked into MM Docket 08-172. Initial public comments were due Nov. 10 and replies are due on Dec. 9. As of mid-October, there had been about 30 comments filed, mostly from satellite radio subscribers who opposed a mandate, as well as an amateur radio operator who opposed it and one broadcaster who supported the idea. Here is a sampling of early remarks on the concept and on a bill introduced by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., that would mandate including HD Radio capability in any receivers that can tune analog AM/FM and satellite radio signals. Occasional minor typographical See MANDATE, page 5 NEWS ANALYSIS Mark Mueller takes field intensity readings. 3 ENGINEERING M The wireless Internet presents radio with some Shakespearean choices. Page M A talk with Steve Scarborough of Bay Country. The New World Of AM DA MoM SBE Is Asked to Develop Training Programs; MoM Not Without Its Critics by Randy J. Stine WASHINGTON New rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission will soon allow most AM broadcasters in the United States to verify the performance of their AM directional antenna by modern computerized methods. With the new rules, the FCC modified the means of verifying AM directional antenna performance to include antenna pattern-prediction modeling known as Method-of-Moments (MoM) computer modeling. The new rules had not gone into effect as of late October; they were still pending approval by the Office of Management and Budget and publication in the Federal Register. There are approximately 1,900 directional AM stations currently licensed in the United States, according to the commission. The rule changes should save broadcasters money and time, industry watchers said. Previously, broadcasters were required to conduct magnetic fieldstrength measurements for AM DA verification. MoM computer modeling is considered by most as a simpler and less time-consuming task. It’s possible that as many as half of See AM DA, page 8 16 Page 29 HD RADIO NEWS M Does Philly like HD Radio? We snoop the stores. Page 18 BUYER’S GUIDE M Buyer’s Guide looks at test, monitoring and remote control. Page Continental Electronics 32 802E Digital Exciter • Internal Embedded Exporter option (fully integrated HD solution in a single box) • Unique fully-adaptive, real-time, pre-correction • Software selectable HD power levels of -20dB, -10dB, (or any power level in between) • Hi-Res color LCD screen for maximum clarity and accuracy • Built-in stereo generator • Built-in audio delay (up to 16.4 seconds) • Multiple AES3 inputs and output • Standard composite input; and two baseband SCA inputs x 800E xp Embedded Exporter OPINION M What’s wrong with tech support these days? Page 44 • Based on Embedded DSP technology (more accurate and reliable HD Radio®) • No hard drive or unreliable OS (incredibly fast and stable) • Compatible with IP based STL systems (unidirectional or bidirectional) • Uncompromised reliability when used with Continental 802Ex • Special Discounted Pricing for NAB Members Look for your free 2009 Radio World Source Book & Directory in January! More cool stuff from the creative minds at Continental Electronics (214) 381-7161 www.contelec.com sales@contelec.com ©iStockphoto.com http://www.contelec.com http://www.contelec.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Radio World - November 19, 2008

Radio World - November 19, 2008 IBOC+Satellite? Subscribers Not Impressed The New World of AM DA MoM Contents Newswatch Buterbaugh Legendary in Upper Midwest From the Editor Buterbaugh: His Colleagues Look Back Workbench: What’s Wrong With This Picture? KFI Back at Full Power With New Tower 3G or Not 3G? That Is the Question Exploring HD Radio Availability in Philadelphia HD Radio Scoreboard Digital News GEP For That Bird Without a Wire A Chat With Bay Country Radiolicious Brings Radio to iPhones People News Belar FMHD-1 Clears the Skies Reader’s Forum Radio Thrives in Digital Age A Vote for Change

Radio World - November 19, 2008

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