Folly or Futurist?

A top Hubbard Broadcasting engineer places his bets on HD Radio for an AM lifeline.

For many across the radio broad- casting industry, the concept of “AM revitalization” — as championed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai — has little to do with any enhancement, improvement or upgrade of an existing kHz-based facility. Rather, the focus has been on that 250-watt FM translator designed to bring a bigger audience to a station on what many consider to be a dying broadcast band. That’s the branding associated forlorn simulcast of programming based In some countries, where AM was with the most eclectic Adult Album at the 1500 kHz signal that had once been defined as “Medium Wave,” all radio sta- Alternative radio station you’ve likely the home of WTOP and then the home of tions were permanently silenced and their ever heard, based at Class B WWFD-AM The Washington Post Radio Network and programming shifted to DAB. 820 in Frederick, Md. WWFD’s signal cov- Talk “3WT,” and eventually became what The U.S. failed to make that happen ers nearby Hagerstown and stretches to is today Federal News Network. years ago, preferring in-band, on-channel Montgomery County, Md., and much of With Kolesar’s “hobby” gaining trac- HD Radio implementation, which until Fairfax County, Va., during daylight hours. tion — meaning people were actually find- recently was hardly as successful as what It has an FM translator at 94.3 MHz ing The Gamut, and listening — Hubbard transpired in Western Europe. in Frederick, and can be heard closer to placed it on WWFD. Now, HD Radio could be seen as a the White House at 98.3 MHz — a second It ran as an analog station through savior for AM radio — but not for those translator using a feed off of an HD mul- July 16, 2018. stations’ transition to FM radio multicast ticast signal tied to top-rated all-News Then, a most interesting develop- channels or anything like a DAB band as WTOP-FM 103.5. ment unfolded. seen in Germany or the United Kingdom. The genesis of Hubbard’s AM digital HD Radio technology in the form experiment is a 10,000-song-plus inter- STATIC-FREE, SONICALLY of digital-only AM broadcasts is being net-only radio station created by Kolesar Around Christmas 2016, Kolesar started explored as the technical salvation for a several years ago as a hobby. pondering what to truly do with WWFD. broadcast band many younger audio con- When Bonneville International Corp. It had a decent daytime signal; it sumers don’t even know exists. sold its Washington, D.C., properties to covers a highly affluent portion of the Championing this possibility are two Hubbard in January 2011, it opened a National Capital Area, as well as many companies. One is based in Texas. The hole on WTOP’s HD3 channel, which had a Federal government employee either other is headquartered in Minneapolis been home to The Mormon Channel. By driving down I-270 to Washington or tak- and has a formidable presence in the December 2011, with Hubbard in control, ing MARC or the Metro Red Line from nation’s capital. that programming disappeared. Gaithersburg, Damascus, Clarksburg, and It is at the latter company, Hubbard What to put in its place? “[WTOP SVP/ surrounding communities. Broadcasting, where its Senior Broadcast GM] Joel Oxley thought it would be fun to “I started asking what can we do with Engineer, Dave Kolesar, just may be put what had been on a web station on 820 to make it a player, and how could we bringing to life the biggest technical the signal,” Kolesar tells RBR+TVBR. Thus, just get it so that people could actually advance to AM radio ever seen. “The Gamut” was born. want to listen to it,” Kolesar says. Fast-forward roughly 15 months, The pending arrival, in July 2017, of a FROM HOBBY TO LOBBY to March 2013, and Oxley and the local Frederick translator helped immensely. At the center of Hubbard’s grand experi- Hubbard team started to rethink what “The listeners were there and dedi- ment, overseen by the Washington, D.C.- to do with WWFD. By then, it wasn’t cated, but it was just not growing in num- based Kolesar, is “The Gamut.” really targeting Frederick and had been a ber,” he notes. “I just could not get people

FALL 2019 · RBR.COM · 17 to try this Triple A music format on an “This is stereo audio with 15khz frequency Where it was in use, audio quality analog AM.” response,” Kolesar explains. was extraordinary. This included the now- But what if it were broadcasting in The outermost circle is about the defunct CJSB-AM “54 Rock” in Ottawa, HD Radio? range of the “core-only signal,” he adds. which had a nighttime signal reaching Kolesar says, “Knowing that this Under ideal circumstances, you’ll still much of Upstate New York. Alas, financial translator was coming, I thought to myself hear WWFD out to the signal contour, troubles led the owners to move the sta- that the AM was going to be useless.” with mono audio with 15khz frequency tion to the FM band in 1994. A thought occurred to him. “That response. Four competing standards for AM facility was di-plexed, and on that facility This, he found, is better than being in Stereo prevented it from getting it off was the iBiquity experimental station on analog. the ground. Today, the AM noise floor 1670 kHz, where they were conducting It could be a game-changer for hun- would never allow AM Stereo to happen. field tests for all-digital AM mode.” dreds of AM radio stations, in particular But with HD Radio, error correction in all- This early trial of HD Radio on AM got those in Florida, where static from thun- digital broadcasts counteracts the noise Kolesar excited about the possibilities for derstorms can wreak havoc on reception. prevalent on AM band broadcasts. At WWFD and “The Gamut.” He says, “I knew what all-digital AM HD could sound like, and the thought occurred to me, ‘Why don’t we just do that on 820?’” A few weeks later, Kolesar headed to Las Vegas, and the 2017 CES. Spotting the booth for Xperi, now the purveyor of HD Radio, he walked up, introduced himself, and noted that he wanted to take one of his stations all-digital — WWFD. He asked for help. “After the stunned reaction, a lot of planning and coordination, engineer- ing and antenna system modifications were done over the next year,” Kolesar says with a laugh. Yes, they were willing “Even in the worst of thunderstorms, WWFD, an Omnia 7am processor with HD to help. They just couldn’t believe that reception is still robust enough for the option is in use. Kolesar was serious about, and commit- average listener out to the 2mv contour, For the listener, tuning to AM 820 ted to, his plan. which is the core defined listening area,” in Frederick won’t be any different than All that was needed was Kolesar says, referring to the red circle tuning to any FM station with HD Radio. experimental authority added to one can see on a Radio-Locator.com con- After a second or two, the HD signal will WWFD’s license. This came, and has tour map. lock, and the audio will become instantly been renewed once, after a progress Among those who have heard WWFD enhanced. “This was something we got report was submitted to the FCC. in HD Radio is Ari Meltzer, a Partner with working just in time for the spring 2019 “This is an engineering STA for one Wiley Rein. “It makes listening to music Nielsen Audio ratings book,” Kolesar says. year, where you ask the FCC for permis- on AM a really viable and almost indistin- As soon as fast acquisition was work- sion to operate using the MA-3 mode, guishable experience,” he says. ing, the station’s listening reached new under the condition that interference isn’t heights. For the first time ever, WWFD caused,” Kolesar explains. INTO THE GROOVE appeared in the Frederick, Md., Nielsen What did Kolesar and Hubbard learn As far as Kolesar and Hubbard are con- Audio ratings. after one year of HD Radio’s presence on cerned, if you’re going to demonstrate a As WWFD is still an experiment, WWFD? technology, you should shatter the expec- where is improvement needed? “Our daytime coverage is pretty tation for what type of programming “I am having trouble coming up with incredible … especially in digital,” you’re going to put on it. areas where there is trouble, because the Kolesar says. “The full digital mode, For the eclectic music found on “The coverage has exceeded my expectations,” which is the core and enhanced mode, is Gamut,” the choice was near perfect. Kolesar says. receivable on an average car radio, out “It sounds just as good, if not better, Where improvements may come are to the 0.5 mv contour.” than analog FM,” Kolesar swears. with things that listeners won’t notice – For novices, this is purple circle one Similar claims were made some 30 such as refining the spectral mask of the can see when calling up a station’s reach years ago for a technology many industry on popular website Radio-Locator.com. veterans chuckle at: AM Stereo. FUTURIST Continued on 23

18 · RBR.COM · FALL 2019 FUTURIST Continued from 18 to convert to an all-digital operation — The NAB agrees. In May, its EVP/ instead it proposes that stations be given Legal and Regulatory Affairs and transmitter and working with the manu- the option to make that conversion when- General Counsel, Rick Kaplan, asked the facturer to make sure all is operating at ever they want.” FCC to “promptly advance” the Bryan full tilt. It’s an idea that first came to fruition petition. “This is viewed within Hubbard as a four years ago. proof of concept,” he says. “An all-digital signal can overcome ON PAR, NEAR AND FAR While Kolesar is not privy to what this noise, and an all-digital signal is While the prospect of crystal-clear AM stations could be next, conversations are much more robust than the digital opera- radio is serious business, one important happening. tion allowed by the hybrid digital-analog question remains: How will radio “This has definitely launched some system currently permitted by the FCC,” broadcasters convince consumers to try discussions within Hubbard,” he acknowl- Oxenford notes. it — as it is still AM radio, the stuff of edges. Meanwhile, other broadcasters Perhaps more important to the con- “93KHJ,” Wolfman Jack and American have approached him and have toured cept of “AM revitalization” is the realiza- Graffiti? WWFD. They are considering a move to go tion that FM translators have done noth- Future designs of HD Radios are digital themselves. ing — except perhaps devalue — the AM trending toward station presets. This was What’s needed from the FCC is exper- stations they are simulcasting. seen in fall 2005 by RBR+TVBR while driv- imental authority — at least for now. “While FM translators have provided ing a 3-series BMW on the autobahns of That’s because a petition filed by relief to some AM stations, they have Germany and Austria. Bryan Broadcasting to broadcast in not solved any reception issues with the Instead of a radio dial, the user will digital, minus analog, is presently in the AM signal — they have just given the sta- have a choice of stations via logos, with hands of the Commission. Hubbard filed tions that were fortunate enough to get song or program information appearing comments in support of it. a translator a lifeline until a real solu- underneath. The petition from Bryan involved the tion comes along,” Oxenford says. “Plus, “At that point — it doesn’t matter assistance of David Oxenford, a partner not all AM stations, particularly those in if it is AM or FM,” says Kolesar. “It’s at Wilkinson Barker Knauer. It was filed large markets, were able to be awarded just buttons on a screen. That is the in March, and presents a solution for AM a translator license. For those AM sta- equalizer. In a day and age where radio stations in danger of losing even the tions that did not get a translator, or for people tune in or know what stations car radio as a place to tune in. Already, those whose AM signal reaches farther they want to listen to by name and not Tesla has removed the AM radio due to than a translator can, other solutions are by frequency, why would they tune by noise created by the electric vehicle’s needed. Bryan Broadcasting argues that frequency anymore? This is AM’s hope. operation. this market-based approach — a voluntary You can bring AM up to par and bring Oxenford explains that the pleading transition to AM digital — may provide the parity to all of these signals.” “does not suggest that any AM be forced answer for AM stations.”

While most of the 168 affiliate At KNBR, a report at 9am and a benefit from creating “a carnival-like stations are airing select VSiN report at 5pm are presently airing. atmosphere” at events ranging from programs, The BetR Network launched The first terrestrial partner for tailgate parties to Super Bowl watch-and- with two 24/7 radio partners: VSiN? That came in May 2018, with win extravaganzas. KBAD-AM 920 in Las Vegas, a Lotus WSCR-AM in Chicago. Casino remotes are also in the cards. Communications-owned Sports Talker, What’s the advertising potential for A radio broadcaster simply needs and WBSS-AM 1490 in Atlantic City, N.J., this programming? to understand that VSiN conducts no owned by Longport Media. “The gaming category is certainly wagering, nor does it intend to do so. Then there are stations such as there for the taking, and the casinos need “There’s absolutely nothing that Beasley Media Group’s Sports WBZ-FM help there,” Mason says. “I am sure they would get anyone in trouble when it 98.5 in Boston and WPEN-FM 97.5 “The would welcome radio with open arms. I comes to our content,” Mason says. “There Fanatic” in Philadelphia, and Cumulus think we caught lightning in a bottle.” is no betting. It is up to the station’s Media’s Sports KNBR-AM 680 in San Among the early believers in VSiN advertising team to decide how many Francisco and Talk WLS-AM 890 in programming is Indeed, the online job gaming-oriented sponsors it wants. We Chicago, which are airing “VSiN Action placement portal. Wine brands have also offer data on the games, point spreads, Updates” covering how the sports bet- warmed to VSiN. wind velocities — things people care about ting markets are reacting to the market’s Then there are the remote when they are going to wager on a game. sports teams. possibilities, with a station able to It’s all part of one big package.”

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