Speaking of Anti-1st amendment dren

[Xavier_Onassis]

The reason there are larger audiences for ratwing shows is that ratwingers are simplistic folk who like simple solutions. (THey attacked us because they hate our freedom. Jesus is my most admired philospopher.)

 Liberals like to discuss nuances. Rush and Sean don't know a nuance from a fruitbat.

Liberals also prefer to come to their own conclusions, and ratwingers prefer to be spoon-fed.

You could also ask why mystery novels outsell philosophy, and the answers would be the same, pretty much.

[Amianthus]

This is not a question of printing presses, which don't require licensing.  This is an issue of a publicly-owned format (the airwaves) which have to be regulated by government to avoid total broadcast anarchy (ten guys trying to broadcast on the same frequency) so that each frequency is assigned one broadcaster.

There's no suggestion that any broadcaster be banned from having even one frequency because of his political views.  All the government needs to do is revert to an older system:  when a guy already has one frequency assigned to him, let someone else get a crack at another frequency.  Since there aren't enough to go round, why should one guy have more than one assigned to him while somebody else gets none?

Bogus argument.

We have the technology to allow a virtually unlimited number of broadcasters to use the airwaves. Take, for example, cell phones, FRS transmitters, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Hell, ham radio operators have been managing their own frequency space for years, going to digital service to avoid stepping on each other when it was needed.

But in this country, we have people who whine that they'll have to buy a new $50 TV when digital TV service is mandated.

If people would just switch to digital radio, we could support a virtually unlimited number of stations in each market. And digital radio is available now, for under $100. Many broadcasters have already started digital, multicast broadcasting on their currently assigned analog frequency.

[Amianthus]

You could also ask why mystery novels outsell philosophy, and the answers would be the same, pretty much.

There are philosophy novels?

[Xavier_Onassis]

If people would just switch to digital radio, we could support a virtually unlimited number of stations in each market. And digital radio is available now, for under $100. Many broadcasters have already started digital, multicast broadcasting on their currently assigned analog frequency.

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Why should a radio cost $100?  I have yet to see one for under $199.98.

we have people who whine that they'll have to buy a new $50 TV when digital TV service is mandated.
===================================
Where can you get a digital TV for $50?

I agree that digital radio could be a good thing, except that it will never apparently have the range that AM radio or FM radio does.

A drive across FL should convince anyone that radio is lacking. 150 miles out of Miami, and all you can listen to are nutball preachers and car dealers who think people like to be screamed at.


A friend of mine plunked down over $4000 for a plasma Samsung a couple of years ago. It fizzed out in l;ess than a year and he had to throw several fits to get them to replace it under warranty, which was a puny 1 year affair.

I avoided the $1200 Betamax, the $600 VHS, and the $2000 DVD player, and for the same reason I am waiting for the technology to imp[rove and the price to come down on HDTV and Digital radio as well.

[kimba1]

It`s gonna hurt when we finally switch
pretty much for at least the first 3 years all portable tv units will be useless
I kinda doubt they`ll make adaptors for them anytime soon
and I haven`t heard anything about a portable hd unit being made at all
so that not gonna be available anytime soon.

and digital radio hasn`t really sold that well
I barely listen to free radio
due to reception
if digital is worst than I doubt I`ll wanna pay money for it.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I barely listen to free radio
due to reception
if digital is worst than I doubt I`ll wanna pay money for it.
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I am surprised that reception in San Francisco would be poor.

We have great reception here in Miami of at least 30 stations, but most broadcast awful music (rap, hiphop, crap I didn't like 40 years ago) mixed with way too many commercials. NPR isn't bad, there is one classical station, and Air America, and the rest are all pretty sucky.

[Amianthus]

Why should a radio cost $100?  I have yet to see one for under $199.98.

Because they're new. They'll be under $20 soon. And the signal doesn't degrade as rapidly as analog radio, so the range is greater. The add-on HD radio for my car's audio head is $99.50, IIRC. It also adds another AUX IN that I can use for an MP3 player or whatever.

Where can you get a digital TV for $50?

Walmart. Retail price on a 13" digital TV is under $95, I've seen them on sale for $49.95.

And, from your followup rant, I assume you're still confusing "High Definition TV" with "Digital TV".

[Amianthus]

and digital radio hasn`t really sold that well
I barely listen to free radio
due to reception
if digital is worst than I doubt I`ll wanna pay money for it.

HD radio has better sound quality than analog, and it's free (other than the cost of the radio).

[Michael Tee]

I have to admit I never heard of DAB (digital audio broadcasting, or digital radio) till now, so my comments on the licensing situation did not take that into account.  However a  quick google seems to indicate that even in the DAB world, the big fish will chase the small fish out of the pond, at least where the competition is limited to the world of commerce:  http://p2pnet.net/story/5253

The story is old and I didn't have time enough to follow it to its end, nor was I able to get a line on the current status of DAB in Canada or the USA.  Theoretically, in the world of the future, DAB would solve the licensing problem that is at the heart of the proliferation of right-wing idiots in the talk radio world, but then theoretically in the world of the future, miniaturized floating computerized robots in our bloodstreams could solve the health problems of all 45 million Americans without even basic health-care coverage.

It was interesting to learn of DAB and I thank Ami for posting about it, but the fact is that in the world of here and now most people are listening to conventional AM and FM stations and the problems of multi-station ownership are still very much with us, as described.

[Amianthus]

It was interesting to learn of DAB and I thank Ami for posting about it, but the fact is that in the world of here and now most people are listening to conventional AM and FM stations and the problems of multi-station ownership are still very much with us, as described.

According to http://www.hdradio.com/find_an_hd_digital_radio_station.php, in North Carolina there are 38 stations broadcasting 58 HD Radio channels, 16 more coming soon.

As I said, this number would increase rapidly if people adopted the technology. That's what happened with FRS and WiFi, to pick only two recent examples.

[kimba1]

S.F. is very hilly so fm doesn`t do very well and most radio get cell static which can get painful to hear.
my cell radio seems to block it out.
but my older collection of portable radios doesn`t
am can handle hills but cuts out indoors.
HD sounds interest though if it has no subscription like the others does

[Universe Prince]

From the government's point of view, it has no business endorsing the right or the left, only to ensure that a broad spectrum rather than a narrow spectrum of views is presented to the public.

Why does the government need to ensure that?

while both are legitimate values (the profitability of the licencees and diversity of broadcast ideas) the higher value is in the preservation of the diversity of the ideas broadcast over the public airwaves.

Why?

The ideal should be:  for each frequency, one station and one owner.

Why?

Those who own more than one station must be forced to divest - - the public's interest in maintaining an open marketplace of ideas trumps a multi-station owner's interest in making a private profit.

Why?

In a way it seems no more an invasion of freedom than the anti-trust laws which ensure freedom of economic competition.

Do they?

[Universe Prince]

The reason there are larger audiences for ratwing shows is that ratwingers are simplistic folk who like simple solutions. (THey attacked us because they hate our freedom. Jesus is my most admired philospopher.)

 Liberals like to discuss nuances. Rush and Sean don't know a nuance from a fruitbat.

Liberals also prefer to come to their own conclusions, and ratwingers prefer to be spoon-fed.

That gets my vote for the ironically most simplistic post of the day.

You could also ask why mystery novels outsell philosophy, and the answers would be the same, pretty much.

Yeah, that is such a nuanced position to take. You must be a real smarta-- oops, I mean, a really smart person.

[Universe Prince]

There are philosophy novels?

Sure. Atlas Shrugged and Thus Spoke Zarathustra are the only two I can think of off the top of my head at the moment, but I'm sure there are others.

[sirs]