Lee Larson wrote: > > Here's another off-topic remark brought to mind by your AM radio note. > > In the late 1970s there were various standards proposed by Motorola > and several other smaller companies for improving AM radio sound and > allowing stereo broadcasts. The FCC was given the job of picking the > new standard. > > It took several years, and the 1980s rolled in and the Reagan years > had started. This was when "deregulation" and "let the market decide" > became the mantras of the day, so the FCC bowed to political pressure > and decided to let the market decide. It didn't decide because nobody > wanted to invest in technology that might be on the losing side in a > few months. > > Finally, in the early 1990s, the Clinton administration stepped in and > told them to pick a standard. They picked one, called C-Quam, but it > was too late because FM had pretty much taken over the market for > higher fidelity radio. > > Even now there are many AM stations in the US that broadcast in stereo > with increased fidelity, but radios that can take advantage of it are > rare. The JVC radio/CD player I installed in my car will do AM stereo, > and occasionally I'll notice it. WFIA-900 is AM-stereo, and I've been > told WHAS is also, but I dislike their programming, so I've never checked. > > > I wasn't aware they actually went ahead with AM stereo. I know they were contemplating PM too, but I don't think that ever took off. Thanks for the station info. Now I'm curious as to whether the Bose system is capable of picking them up.
-- Tony LaFemina Major in Layout & Design Techniques Minor in Software Fundamentals http://hometown.aol.com/visitmacland/index.html mailto:remacs at optonline.net | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be March 25. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>.
