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WWFD 820 AM Becomes First All-Digital AM Station

rbc said:
I think I get it. You don't have specific statistics for a non-HD1 sub-channel that doesn't have a translator. I suppose HD1 for a particular station would have statistics if it's running hybrid? Radio measurement services (Nielsen Audio in particular I guess) aren't reporting on HD sub-channel listening?
Click to expand...

Nielsen provides an encoder for every service to separately encode. Each translator. Each stream. Each HD-2, HD-3, HD-4.

Stations outside a market metro can lease very cheaply an encoder if they want to be included in the adjacent market's data.

There is some indistinguishable data:

The is the (main) analog signal and its own HD simulcast are always combined. Because stations with HD are required to do a 100% simulcast on the first HD service (HD-1) there is no need to separate the data.

A translator and its "mother ship" are always combined. Whether the origination is an AM or an HD multicast signal, since they are required to do 100% simulcasts if they are within the same market / coverage area, Nielsen combines them.

Boosters are always combined with the station being boosted.

In another case, an AM/FM, FM/FM or AM/AM simulcast within the same market can either be combined or listed separately, at the licensee's discretion. Most choose to have the totals combined in Total Line Reporting.

Stations with partial simulcasts, even if the non-simulcast is brief, are listed separately. There is one exception for "blacked out" play by play streams, but it is a rare and complicated sub-topic.

In general, these rules are made so the advertiser knows what the reach of their campaigns is. The rules are not specifically done to benefit stations, since the purpose of ratings is to give metrics to advertisers.
 
TheBigA said:
The only HD stations that are attracting a measurable audience are the ones attached to a translator.
Click to expand...

Before the changes in the MRS* policy implemented in June, there were just a couple of HD auxiliary services that made the book. But with the changes, there seem to be around 100 HD-2's and HD-3's that showed with 0.1 shares. That's because any HD auxiliary channel that is part of a subscribing cluster makes the book as long as it has at least one creditable listening incident. It's sort of a "thanks for participating" prize for subscribing.


* MRS Minimum Reporting Standards. The minimum requirements for listening needed to show up or "make the book".
 
DavidEduardo said:
A translator and its "mother ship" are always combined. Whether the origination is an AM or an HD multicast signal, since they are required to do 100% simulcasts if they are within the same market / coverage area, Nielsen combines them.
Click to expand...

Does Nielson track HD sub channels that don't have analog FM translators? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what a translator is. I think you mean analog FM translators that are re-broadcasting programming from another source.
 
rbc said:
Does Nielson track HD sub channels that don't have analog FM translators? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what a translator is. I think you mean analog FM translators that are re-broadcasting programming from another source.
Click to expand...

Yes, they track HD-2, HD-3, HD-4 auxiliary channels even if they do not have a translator.

Translators (with some now rare and rural exceptions) must rebroadcast another signal that is on an AM, FM or HD channel. They can not originate programming on their own.

If an HD is rebroadcast on a translator, Nielsen lists the "simulcast" number only, and it lists it with the HD channel, not the call letters of the translator. If there is no translator, the HD channel alone is listed in the report.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Yes, they track HD-2, HD-3, HD-4 auxiliary channels even if they do not have a translator.

Translators (with some now rare and rural exceptions) must rebroadcast another signal that is on an AM, FM or HD channel. They can not originate programming on their own.

If an HD is rebroadcast on a translator, Nielsen lists the "simulcast" number only, and it lists it with the HD channel, not the call letters of the translator. If there is no translator, the HD channel alone is listed in the report.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Thanks for that. Do you think you have a pretty good idea of who's listening on the HD side or does the simulcast number obscure that?
 
TheBigA said:
As I said, the only HD stations attracting a measurable audience are the ones attached to a translator. You can't sell or monetize an audience that you can't measure.
Click to expand...

I had some more thoughts about this. Maybe "hybrid radio" will help out with this. There does seem to be a push by the NAB to integrate radio with streaming in automobiles. Having that cellular backhaul behind the radio receiver will provide a way for listening analytics to be collected. There are a couple of articles about this:

http://www.insideradio.com/radio-cozies-up-with-automakers-on-dashboard-of-the-future/article_0d86d8b2-5cc2-11e8-a1b0-5b7ade405d7c.html
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/broadcasters-pursue-dashboard-collaboration

It will be interesting to see how that works out.
 
Scott Flybush did a follow-up podcast on the WWFD experimentation with all-digital AM radio:

https://www.fybush.com/podcast-035/

As a new wrinkle, it's reported that Xperi is waiving the HD licensing fees for stations that participate in the all-digital AM band experimentation.
 
Here's a little update I received from Dave Kolesar
[...]
We just installed a new transmitter that allows us to transmit the full MA3 mode. (We put it on the air on Wednesday.) What this means is that we are now transmitting stereo audio, and are also sending out visual metadata to compatible receivers (station logo and album artwork). Stereo and artwork will generally be receivable to the stations 0.5 mV contour, and beyond that the receiver will blend to mono. If you get a chance to hear the station or see images please let us know. Also, if you encounter any reception or receiver problems, we would like to know as well. (For example, we are finding that not every receiver that implemented images for FM have done so for AM.) It's an experiment, and the more data we can collect the better!

Thanks for listening to The Gamut!
 
The prospect of a digital-only AM station may still be far on the horizon, but if it one day becomes reality the first step to securing regulatory approval has just occurred. The Federal Communications Commission has put up a proposal submitted by Texas broadcaster Bryan Broadcasting last month for public comment. It’s not a formal rulemaking, but the process could lay the groundwork for a FCC decision allowing digital-only AMs in the future.
[...]
http://www.insideradio.com/free/digital-only-am-proposal-gets-a-closer-look-by-the/article_d7702568-6016-11e9-80a1-ef75e6435bf5.html
 
Dave Kolesar recently provided me with a little update on the status of WWFD today. Here it is:

"We've finished optimizing the main transmitter and the antenna system, so I believe that the coverage is the best we can make it. As soon as we got fast receiver acquisition working (radio locks within about 1.5 seconds), we showed up in the Frederick Spring 2019 ratings:

https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb528

We've had the 94.3 FM translator for the past two years, and 820 as The Gamut was analog from 2013-2018, and it had never "moved the needle" in the Nielsen ratings until now. About 25% of cars on the road in the area have HD. I really think that people are starting to find us as a digital station!"
 
AM radio station operators in the United States may soon have the option of switching their transmissions to all-digital.

It’s not a done deal; but the concept is about to take a step closer to reality, because the Federal Communications Commission will consider a proposal at its next meeting that would start a process. It will take comments on whether to allow AM band licensees to make the switch if they want.
[...]
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/all-digital-on-the-am-band-the-fcc-might-allow-it-soon
 
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