Broadcast radio stands tall in battle against digital radio

DAINA HAVENS ASST PERSPECTIVES EDITOR DMH724@CABRINI EDU

Music and media consumers beware: a war has been waged between traditional broadcast analog radio and the technological advances opposing the good old music media. During the early stages of this skirmish for spectators, AM-FM radio was challenged by converged media, including ipods and podcasts, satellite radio and online music streaming, and has since lost 13 percent of its audience in the past 10 years, according to Rolling Stone.

Broadcast radio has recently released the trick up its sleeve that will give the newcomers a run for their money, digital radio.

More than 100 FM radio stations have recently turned to digital format, and they were able to do so because eight of the most highly ranked radio stations, including CBS Radio and Clear Channel, formed the HD Digital Radio Alliance in 2005 to strengthen the market. The alliance has since released digital stations in twenty-eight top-market radio companies.

ESPN’s “Philly Sports Live” director and co-host, Dan Schwartzman, believes that the standard AM talk show broadcast stations have not become endangered like the FM music stations have. “It hasn’t affected our stations at all; our ratings haven’t been higher,” Schwartzman said.

“Listeners are looking for personality versus sound quality,”

Schwartzman added, while explaining the difference between fan base and expectations of AM talk radio and FM music radio.

If sound quality is what listeners are looking for, digital radio will please even the toughest critics. The CD-like smooth sounds and the stronger signals are not the only benefits to digital listening. The better quality of music will be accompanied by advanced auxiliary capabilities including multiple audio programming channels, audio-on-demand services and interactive features. Live-music channels, all- news or comedy broadcasts, and alternative listening choices will also accompany this new technology.

“Both of my brothers have Sirius [satellite radio],” senior graphic design major Eric Campbell said. “I like it a lot; it’s pretty clear,” Campbell added, as he talked about the better menu options, better sound quality and less audio advertisements and commercials.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, “digital radio is the transmission and reception of sound that has been processed using technology comparable to that used in compact disk players.” Basically, transmitted sound waves are being replaced with patternednumber digits from the processed sound waves.

The liquid crystal display screen and the computer-like mind of the radio will not only make a more complex design simpler, but will also open the door to endless possibilities to the future convergence of all visual and audio media, including news, advertisements and local weather reports, according to the FCC. Although this competition may cause great change in the future of the media, and a great increase in cost of new digital merchandise, the transition is predicted to occur gradually without disrupting any broadcasts or consumers, according to the FCC.

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