AMband.org

The NAB and the RIAA are busy cooking a deal for radio stations to pay music royalties to performers.  To make things appear better for Radio stations, the deal includes a scheme to put an FM analog radio into all cellphones by law.

Radio stations have  paid  royalties to composers for playing music on the air, but not to the performers.  This is because radio has traditionally been a great way for performers to promote their music.  That logic is no longer so firm, now that websites, streaming services and music appliances compete with radio for the music listener’s ears.

The NAB initially responded to the calls for radio to pay performance royalties by labeling the royalties as a “tax”.  This didn’t get much traction with Congress who saw through the disingenuous claim.  It might have been that the record labels had a better lobby than the NAB.

A number of big broadcasters finally came to the conclusion that stonewalling the royalty tsunami was not going to work, so they sat down to get the best deal they could.

The crux of the draft is that broadcasters will pay royalties a lower rate than webcasters and other distributors, and to sweeten the deal, they tossed in an additional wrinkle:  Require FM radios in every cellphone.

This kind of protectionist ploy never works out in the end.  There are a raft of reasons why this is a BAD IDEA.

• First and Foremost – AM Radio gets no cellphone radio – AM music stations pay the royalties, but get no sweetener.
• The deal is for FM Analog radios – Not Digital radios – effectively crippling deployment of  HD Radio
• The cellphone buyer has to pay for an FM radio raising the cost of the cellphone
• The cellphone has to have an FM radio even if the phone has only a tiny speaker or no headphone jack
• Tiny FM radios without a headphone connected have terrible sensitivity, giving the listener a bad experience with FM Radio
• Cellphones will have the cheapest FM radio possible giving the listener an even worse FM Radio experience.

The first two factors are critically detrimental to broadcasting.  The balance of the problems set up radio for a bad user experience, driving listeners to more reliable and satisfying choices.

All AM broadcasters and broadcasters who have invested in HD Radio need to let the NAB know that they think that this is a BAD BARGAIN for radio, and let your Congressmen know that this kind of protectionist scheme is not in radio’s long term interest.

The FCC released a new “Public and Broadcasting” manual that is
required to be in your station’s Public Inspection File.

Here is the link to the manual.  It can be downloaded below.
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/public_and_broadcasting.pdf

Courtesy of Jim Pollock, PE

The AM Directional Antenna Performance Coalion’s recommendations have been recieved and added to the record of MM Docket 93-117. These recommendations are to permit a large portion of AM stations with directional antennas to determine that the antenna performance conforms to the requirements for licensing using a much simplified procedure. The draft rules are available at :

The present way that an AM station demonstrates that its antenna has the desired directional pattern is by making extensive field intensity measurements in the area within 16 km of the transmitter site. The proposed method would permit stations meeting a minimum set of criteria on design and construction to model the antenna using method of moments, and establish operating parameters by setting the operating constants to the predicted values. The antenna system monitoring system would have to be verified on a biennial basis.

This post will be updated with a link to a full listing of the comments once it is officially available on the FCC website.

Radio Ink has reported that the FCC has presented its final IBOC rules. From the initial release on the FCC website:

• There will be no schedule for mandatory conversion to digital
• AM Night will be authorized
• FM stations can use extended digital hybrid mode
• Stations must simulcast a digital signal at least as good a analog
• Stations can use a flexible bandwidth policy – digicasting, multichannel, etc.
• Brokering is OK, with restrictions
• Same program content rules as main channels – no swearing, fake contests, political access, etc.
• The FCC is looking for comment on some remaining issues:  Limits on subscription broadcasting, public interest limitations.

MB Docket – 99-325 is still open for comments on some items.  A link to the Report and Order will be added here when it becomes available.

Radio website reports that WGNS-AM of Murfreesboro, TN has also gotten an STA to operate two translators to repeat its station. According to an article in Murfreesboro’s  Daily News Journal, the owner of WGNS, Bart Walker, attributes getting the STA to the fact that Murfreesboro native Deborah Taylor-Tate is now on the FCC.

According to the Broadcast Law Blog, the FCC has issued a Special Temporary Authority to duplicate its AM signal on an FM translator. Apparently, the station got a jump on the pending rulemaking through pressure by its congressman, U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.  This may indicate that the FCC is seriously considering approving the pending rulemaking, RM-9419, that would permit AM stations to rebroadcast on FM translators. It is disturbing to hear, however, that congressional pressure has succeeded in having the FCC grant an STA that yeilds facilities that are proposed to be permitted in a pending rulemaking, but are proscribed by present rules.   This is almost  as amazing as the FCC’s recent issuance of an STA to permit a Pirate to continue broadcasting.

The Rock Hill Herald reports that WRHI(AM) in Rock Hill, SC will soon duplicate its 1340 kHz signal on the FM Band on 94.3 MHz.