RCA Victor score

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I wish there was an all-news radio station in Cleveland (there isn't anymore, not since NBC's NNIS news service folded in the early 1980s; someone told me some time ago that Cleveland is too small a city to support an all news station, although the city did have an NNIS affiliate ....

I would listen to all-news radio if this area had such a station....

I can't figure that out. Cleveland is too small to have an all-news station, yet it is big enough to support an all-sports one.

Can you receive the WKSU repeater WKSV? It should cover your area well:

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://tra...26state=OH.kml

It has 24/7 news on one of its digital sub-channels, same as WKSU:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKSV

jr

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Can you receive the WKSU repeater WKSV? It should cover your area well:

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://tra...26state=OH.kml

It has 24/7 news on one of its digital sub-channels, same as WKSU:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKSV

jr

My area is an FM fringe area. I have a hard time hearing some Cleveland FM stations, let alone out-of-town ones. Never heard of WSJV-FM, or whatever that station is you just mentioned (I had an accident several years ago, and ever since then have had problems with reading numbers and letters properly; sometimes I get them completely backwards, so I may have that callsign mixed up badly).

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

My area is an FM fringe area. I have a hard time hearing some Cleveland FM stations, let alone out-of-town ones.

I should have posted the frequency (it was shown on the coverage map that I linked to). WKSV is at 89.1 Mhz, and according to the FCC website is 50 KW. The transmitter is "out of town" in your direction, almost in your backyard, perhaps 8 to 10 miles from your location. It should be nearly melting the front end of your receiver!

On an analog receiver you will only hear the main program, which is a mix of classical music and NPR programming. The news is on a digital sub-channel (HD-4).

jr

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

I should have posted the frequency (it was shown on the coverage map that I linked to). WKSV is at 89.1 Mhz, and according to the FCC website is 50 KW. The transmitter is "out of town" in your direction, almost in your backyard, perhaps 8 to 10 miles from your location. It should be nearly melting the front end of your receiver!

On an analog receiver you will only hear the main program, which is a mix of classical music and NPR programming. The news is on a digital sub-channel (HD-4).

jr

It should be very strong in this area, but it isn't. I can barely hear it on my stereo system (Aiwa bookshelf unit, circa 1999); the hash from my computer (the stereo is very close to the CPU) just about covers up the signal completely. (My stereo has one of the worst digital FM tuners on earth; all but useless in anything other than very strong signal areas.) On my other FM radios, this station does not come in at all. There is next to nothing in this area below 92 MHz, so I never bother with it.

I never heard of such a thing as -HD anything in connection with FM broadcast radio. That is, I have heard spots on local FM stations, ones I can get here (mostly stations owned by Clear Channel) advertising something called "HD radio", but I never hear any of those stations' "HD" programs. Besides, I read somewhere just recently that HD radio, whatever it really is, is just about dead in this country anyway. Maybe the large media conglomerates (such as CC) that operate such stations are beginning to realize this, and have all but given up on this format, not unlike AM stereo and four-channel (quad) audio, both of which died a quiet death in the 1980s and '90s, in reverse order.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I never heard of such a thing as -HD anything in connection with FM broadcast radio. That is, I have heard spots on local FM stations, ones I can get here (mostly stations owned by Clear Channel) advertising something called "HD radio", but I never hear any of those stations' "HD" programs.

No, you won't hear the digital sub-channels unless you have a HD radio.

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

Besides, I read somewhere just recently that HD radio, whatever it really is, is just about dead in this country anyway. Maybe the large media conglomerates (such as CC) that operate such stations are beginning to realize this, and have all but given up on this format, not unlike AM stereo and four-channel (quad) audio, both of which died a quiet death in the 1980s and '90s, in reverse order.

Hard to tell, it is pretty early yet (remember, it took decades for FM to "catch on"). Many listeners appreciate the extra sub channels, as in many cities they provide listening options not found on the regular outlets, such as "smooth jazz", "real oldies", blues, jazz, "all news", classical, "new music", "local music". At this time, most of the sub-channels are commercial free. Time will tell, I guess.

jr

[Jeffhs]

Why didn't I think of this before? WKSU, and most other classical stations, have audio streams over the Internet. Even WKSU's news channel is streamed live online, but I haven't been able to download its .pls (playlist) file yet for Winamp (the media player I use with my computer and stereo system). Find this station's main audio stream, with links to the others, at www.wksu.org.

Problem solved. I may not be able to receive WKSU or its translator over the air, but the Internet audio streams are audible all the time, with no interference, fading, etc.

BTW, I found a stream as well for another station I like in this area, WKHR-FM 91.5. It is a small, non-commercial station operated by the Geauga County, Ohio school district; the station plays older music from the '30s to about the '60s and possibly the '70s, is student-run during school hours, and is 100 percent automated after school lets out (and until the beginning of the next school day, usually around 8 or 9 a.m. EST). The Internet stream for this station is available at www.wkhr.org. On weekends and holidays, and during summer vacation, the station is run by adult volunteers because of legal issues concerning underage children operating the station without supervision.