[cma-l] AM for CR

Wed Feb 17 23:39:06 GMT 2016

It's funny really because, here we have expressions of a romantic attachment to crackly AM. Yet elsewhere I hear an indictment of DAB multiplex operators who broadcast music stations at 80kbps mono. There's a strange, contradictory and unsatisfiable constituency out there.

On a pragmatic note, an illicit love affair with AM holds us back. An intransigence to sacrifice digital bit rate to introduce more variety and choice of services holds us back. We need to move forward and that sometimes means taking a leap of faith. Embracing the less certain. 

The future of radio lies not in the past but in the road ahead.

David
www.theradiopeople.co.uk 

On 17 Feb 2016, at 12:04, Canalside's The Thread <office at thethread.org.uk> wrote:

Another good point                    Radio Luxembourg 208 metres in 1975 when I was 16, under my bed sheets on a cold winters night listening to Bob Stewart playing Ms Grace by the Tymes        oh the memories

Wrighty

From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Eryl Price-Davies
Sent: 17 February 2016 11:30
To: The Community Media Association Discussion List
Subject: Re: [cma-l] AM for CR

I like AM.  I listen in the car to 5Live and others (including the cricket on LW), and I also listen at home - mainly at night since I can't stand the World Service jingles (or content) during the night.  Crystal clear sound quality is overrated...I like the 'radioness' (radioicity?) of listening of AM - the crackle, hum, distorition etc etc all give it warmth and, especially when listening to overseas stations, a wonderful sense of 'otherness'.
I'd love to hear more AM in the UK...but also recognise that in the digital age its fuzziness and humanity are unwelcome guests for many radio managers who prefer cold hard delivery. ;)

Eryl 

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:48 AM, Tony Bailey <ravensound at pilgrimsound.co.uk> wrote:
MF/AM (medium/long wave) is a legacy system with older listeners predominantly, but we, the Aussies and Americans still find it useful.  It is possible to listen to it on a battery powered radio which will run for days on a couple of AA's.  In the US they even extended the medium wave band, which could be done here now as many receivers cover up to 1700 kHz. It's ability to cross boundaries has sometimes been useful although less cost effective now. As always, given relatively free access to broadcasting excess demand has driven the need to exploit any available waveband and this will continue until cheap mobile internet radio takes over. 

There are a couple of ways I would look at AM community applications: Low power AM as a way to get a better deal on music licensing (fingers crossed!) for an essentially web only radio; or higher power AM coupled with an online (decent quality) receiver selling promotion to the served community.  As with FM the transmission site is critical.  Keep away from domestic housing and look for high ground conductivity, this is particularly important with short aerials (less than 1/4 wave).  To save costs, you could reduce power overnight as audience numbers will often be low and incoming interference high (the permitted power would not overcome it anyway).  There are still quite a few car radios with AM for the dedicated listeners.

Tony Bailey

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> On 17/02/16 02:45, James Cridland wrote:
> AM is being switched off all over Europe, including here in the UK.
>  
> AM receivers are being removed from cars (BMW one of the first), will never be in most microprocessor-powered electronics, like mobile phones.
>  
> The sound quality is relatively dire, the electricity costs are huge, the interference is growing, the user experience lacking, the audience is falling away. Many AM masts are nearing the end of their life cycle.
>  
> AM isn't an equivalent platform to FM, therefore; and you'd be crazy to want to use it.
>  
> (It is still quite large in Australia, for coverage reasons, incidentally, but I still worry about its future here too).
>  
>  
> 
> On Wed, 17 Feb 2016, 12:36 AM Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> wrote:
> We have been trying for over 8 months now to together a reliable and predictable  AM transmission system together for a Client (sadly not a CMA Member) who insists on taking an AM frequency rather than pushing Ofcom for FM.
> We're now looking at a 600W transmitter from Bulgaria.
> Can I ask for some views please?
> Does anyone have anything positive to say about Ofcom's policies of:
> Offering AM as an equivalental platform to FM?
> Offering only AM if an Applicant wants greater coverage than a 5km radius
> Offering AM licences on a countrywide basis in the second half of 2016
>  
> Thanks for whatever you can contribute
>  
> Ian Hickling
> Partner
> 
> 
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