From: bill@peora.sdc.ccur.com (Bill Vermillion)
Subject: Re: But it IS dying...
Originator: wdp@gagme
Organization: Vermillion
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 06:06:44 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.214254.13203@gagme.chi.il.us> john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes:
>bill@peora.sdc.ccur.com (Bill Vermillion) writes:
>
>> I just gave up on AM & FM both and put a CD player in my car.

>How can we as broadcasters expect the public to support our product if
>even we insiders bail out? Of course, I have a CD player in each of my
>trucks which underscores my point about AM audio quality which I will
>now expand to include FM as well.

I personally feel that the de-regulation that has caused
trafficing in stations is partially to blame.   Buy cheap, hype
the ratings, pull out in a year with big buck$.

And with the latest changes coming up that allow one owner to
have multiple outlets in one market, things aren't going to get
better IMO.

Just today the company that owns the top country station
announced that when the approval for their purchase goes
through their second station in town will compete with
themselves.  One will be contemporary country the other more
traditional.

I grew up in the 'old' way of broadcasting and really believe
that the 1934 act that made sure there was no concentration of
power was a good idea.  Those who are in broadcast just for the
money will probably not agree.

>To hide behind the belief that the unwashed public has a tin ear as a
>justification for excremental audio quality is one more contributing
>factor to the decline of listenership of radio as a whole. Superb audio
>quality is now available to the public at very low cost. For instance,
>a $100 CD player (Sony D34 on sale at Macy's for $99) and a $100 pair of
>Sony headphones (MDR CD-550) will give the listener awesome sound.


How true. After I left broadcasting and got into recroding studio work
it was pathetic how many ad agency people thought about the public that
way.   I remember asking one onetime about this, and he basically
replies "who would notice".   He said something like "not all people
are as critical as you".  True.  But the idea that you play down to the
audience is wrong.   Ratings are an average of all, and it takes all
kinds.   Little did this ad person know that I had been an Arbitron
rated house just a few short months earlier.  Same thing last month.

When I was in radio we never played down to the audience.  We treated
them as equals of better.  Our ratings were so good the station manager
gaver ORDERS to the sales department not to interfere with the
programming or air staff IN ANY WAY.   He said, "If I have the number,
I can sell anything".  We had the numbers.   We were only in the top 60
or 70th market at that time - early 70's, but we had a 33% share on a
24hour 7day week basis, and had 46% in afternoon traffic.   And we
constantly tried to be better.

>So what do we do as broadcasters? First we squash all of the dynamic
>range out of the program material. This is necessary on AM so as to
>keep maximum power in the sidebands. Most people do it on FM so that
>they are never "down in the mud". Then on AM we chop off everything
>above 10K (NRSC), add about 10% IM distortion (in the transmitter),
>take the noise floor from -90 db to about -35 db (real world
>reception) and voila! our wonderful product is presented to the listener.

And it is not really neccesary to abuse the signal that badly.  If you
are good the listeners will seek you out.  If you are bad no amount of
processing is going to overcome bad programming.

....

>In days past, FM broadcasting was a superior way to hear music. Few
>could afford the expensive turntables, arms, and cartridges that
>broadcasters used. Now, however, a CD player can be had by anyone. The
>difference in quality between the cheapest and the most expensive of
>these is difficult to distinguish. So I ask you: do you think young
>ears would rather hear the CD direct, or after the audio has passed
>through the bumps and grinds of ridiculous FM processing? And AM? Get
>serious.

I had an idea many years ago, and presented it to your station manager.
He thought it was 'interesting' but didn't pursue it.  We were the top
rated station - top 40 format too.  And we were getting ready to
modernize the station.  I suggested we go all the way and make it into
a stereo operation - it wouldn't cost that much more to just go stereo
for the music, and while we would continue to be a mono top40 on AM, I
wanted to go on local cable as a wired stereo.  I guess I was a bit
early. :-(

>> I can't stand how bad it is.

>You ain't alone, pal. And people tell me that San Francisco is one of
>the BETTER sounding markets!

I remember the glory days of early progressive FM when San Francisco
was THE best programmed market in the eyes and ears of many.  


-- 
Bill Vermillion - bill@bilver.oau.org  bill.vermillion@oau.org
                - bill@bilver.uucp 
                - ..!{peora|ge-dab|tous|tarpit}!bilver!bill


Newsgroups: rec.radio.broadcasting