I guess most cities have evidence of old neighborhoods that were made extinct by the eminent domain development of super malls which shortly were abandoned and became blighted ghost malls.
I guess most cities have evidence of old neighborhoods that were made extinct by the eminent domain development of super malls which shortly were abandoned and became blighted ghost malls.
If RF engineer Paul Thurst is right, the radio bands may be in store for a similar future. Read his blog “Trends in Terrestrial Broadcasting” written Nov. 11 on his blogsite:
http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog/
Then think about what this could mean for Part 15 in the future, and please come back here and share your thoughts.
mram1500 says
SWL Delight
For starters, I’d like to see the domestic SW broadcasting open up.
Your Big Talker may lead the way!
RFB says
High Hopes
“think about what this could mean for Part 15 in the future”
If Clear Channel (bit time NAB member/special interest) could have before, there would not even be a Part 15 or at least a refined Part 15 that removes any type of broadcasting activity completely. Clear Channel hates competition, otherwise why would they needed to buy up so many grass root local stations?
Now let’s examine this a bit more closely.
Just as the big move to buy up properties to build super malls by real estate kingpins, the same will happen to the real estate of the radio spectrum from the radio real estate kingpins….heck it already has been.
“SOLD to the highest bidder”!!
What this could mean for Part 15 in the future? Nothing really, except the big gobble em up corporation controlled media gobbles up the spectrum like they did with the stations. Part 15, in the sense of license free broadcast activities, could become obsolete, removed as being an acceptable form of license free radio transmission.
Note the following from that blog…Also, they plan to “generate higher ratings for our advertisers and marketing partners and give our best people bigger roles.”
Give “OUR” best people BIGGER roles??
That is a dead giveaway.
They are not talking about the public, they are not talking about repairing the damage they already have done. They are talking about blowing up their already over-bloated control of the airwaves EVEN MORE!
And that very well could include totally wiping out our activities under Part 15, the broadcasting part of it, which there really isn’t any straight forward provision regarding broadcast activity in Part 15 anyway, so that would make their take over that much easier.
All we have to do is simply examine the history of what has happened to radio over the last 30 years and see what kind of future it will bring.
All I am saying here is that after what we all have seen take place in the broadcast industry..if there even is such a thing these days…do not expect any miracles especially for Part 15 broadcasting. If anything, we may see actions and rulings that remove broadcasting activity completely from Part 15.
Look further down the blog of entries about the consolidation of engineering, which just like the gobbling up of the stations by big corporate media such as Clear Channel, us engineers who have spent decades in the industry are now having to compete against each other for engineering contracts to stations that got rid of their on-board engineering staff. It has mostly happened in radio, but TV will follow that same path too.
I do not see anything within these articles on that blog site that would indicate a change for the better. I see further disclosure of corporate control plans and those plans do not include us…or the public’s interest.
RFB
Carl Blare says
Bandwidth of Perspective
The perspective shared by RFB is very important to the discussion about the future of radio and Part 15 in particular, because RFB is an experienced contract engineer with ongoing contracts from licensed stations and has an insiders perspective.
But by adding a few more possibilities I will widen the bandwidth of the discussion, with the caveat that my comments are not expectations nor predictions, but merely possibilites.
When the Clear Channel spokesperson said they will increase future earnings, that’s exactly what a sales executive always says, even at car dealerships and fast food restaurants. But bluntly in the present situation he means, “having fired 50% of the staff, there will be more profit for shareholders.”
The statement “give our best people bigger roles,” means, “remaining employees will be given double the workload with no increase in pay.”
In a word, “austerity” has been declared for the radio industry.
In my opinion Part 15 is the “tiny crumb” it is comes already from the pressure of corporate broadcasting in league with government giving aspiring broadcasters a “drip” from the faucet, and I think they have done that because they know that we will flounder and flop around as “honest fools” measuring our 3-meter antennas out in the wilderness of buzzing RFI.
I do NOT believe anyone will take the trouble to further dampen the low power rules, because it would unleash a small flood of micro-civil-disobedience which might grow into an increase in the pirate radio population. That’s not a threat, as their fighting mentality might claim, but a likely natural release of pressure by the oppressed.
Both RFB and I have negative outlooks, but just slightly more wide-band when you combine them.
RFB says
Difficult
It is difficult to have a positive outlook when surrounded by so much negativity. And its not just the radio industry.
I won’t bore any relaxed and perfect planet perceptions with a detailed list of what’s wrong in the world…plenty of evidence all around…just have to simply pay attention and look.
We just have to keep going and never give up no matter what.
RFB
Carl Blare says
Civil Disobedience in Perspective
With firecrackers banging illegally in the afternoon sun my thoughts on civil disobedience are expanding.
Wiktionary.org defines Civil Disobedience as “A form of social protest, involving the active but non-violent refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of an established authority, because they are considered to be morally wrong or detrimental.”
Days ago “civil disobedience” came to mind with the hearing of “This Week In Law” from TWiT.tv in which a guest suggested that baffling copyright restrictions which inhibit creative program creation should be disobeyed as an act of “intellectual disobedience.”
Then today Radio World brought a fascinating article by Christopher Friesen about “Pirate Radio” on shortwave where the favorite band is 6850 to 6935 kHz with some action on 1710 and 1720 kHz, the main claim being “free speech rights.”
As fascinated as I am by the concepts of civil disobedience and free speech, I am inclined to believe that the end should justify the means.
What I mean is, I don’t approve civil disobedience without a well reasoned and mature justification.
Firecrackers in a residential neighborhood are a nuisance, safety hazard, and serve no more purpose than declaring one’s stupidity.
Illegal broadcast on shortwave is not automatically stupid, there could be carefully considered and rational purposes in doing it, but if it’s only for sending music or useless babble it has no dignity as “free speech,” which should rise to a standard of important and necessary public information if it’s worth violating the Communications Act. Anything less than an essential public message should be said privately among buddies and need not be sent globally.
The creative problem involving use of copyright material in creative programming is a genuine barrier for production artists and the rules are out of proportion in several ways, paramount among those the complexity of knowing and meeting the requirements, but with all of that I still think the creative artist needs to reflect on the actual importance of his/her planned work, to be sure it matters to the world whether the message gets sent.
Summarizing, I think free speech should be carefully reconsidered before it gets published widely. It might reveal a loud idiot.