Hi, all.

I am not sure if this will be considered by some to be "off topic", but last
evening, I heard something on an FM broadcast station that has confirmed my
long-standing suspicions about where commercial FM radio is going today.

I simply thought it might be of interest to others.

By way of introduction, I have noticed that the quality of many normal
non-HD FM stations seems to have deteriorated over the past few years,
especially in larger metropolitan areas.  By declining quality, I mean more
commercials, less music, and what seems to be a much less diverse play-list.

My theory had always been that normal non-HD FM stations were simply being
operated for those who hadn't yet made the switch to HD radio, as kind of a
necessary evil.  It just seemed to me that more resources and efforts were
being put into HD stations, so as to come up with a better-quality and more
appealing product.

As many of you may know, I am currently traveling throughout the east coast,
and am now spending some time with my wife's mother in the Trenton, New
Jersey area.

Last night, I was listening to W O G L--98.1 FM in Philadelphia.  In the
past, that station had been an excellent oldies station, with what I think
had been very good ratings.

Now, the station has more of a "classic hits" format, with lots of talk,
commercials, and other stuff between the music.

Anyway, shortly before the top of an hour, the station ID was played,
followed by a message that said something like this:  "If you want more
music, more oldies from the 60's and 70's, and more home-town DJ's, tune to
W O G L HD1".

To me, this indicated, at least in this case, that the HD option was clearly
being promoted over the normal non-HD programming.

Am I onto something here, or totally "off base"?

And, please:  to those in the broadcast business (like Lou )WA3MIX), I mean
no offense whatsoever by these observations.

HD radio has not yet arrived in the part of semi-rural west-central lower
Michigan where I currently live, but if I lived in a bigger metro area, I
have the feeling that HD radios would quickly be added to my wish list.

73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ