By June, WMPG is expecting to install a new transmitter and to be broadcasting digitally. Unlike existing satellite broadcast radio, such as XFM, WMPG will still be subscription free. The only change for listeners should be a higher quality for those with digital receivers.
“To the average listener there should be no change; they should not have noticed it’s happened,” said Jim Rand, WMPG’s station manager.
Digital broadcast radio should sound almost as good as a CD. The broadcast range of the station will not be affected, and the quality of the analog broadcast may become slightly better, Rand said.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, donated about $60,000, or 70 percent of the new equipment, Rand said. Rand said the station has been saving for a number of years to purchase a new transmitter. The current transmitter is 15 years old. It will remain in place, serving as a backup for the new one. The transmitters could also transmit simultaneously on different channels, allowing WMPG to broadcast multiple signals at once. Another advantage of digital broadcast is the ability to send non-music information, like song titles and artist names, or even traffic and weather information. The possibilities are exciting for radio personnel.
“The speed of technological changes is amazing,” said Rand.
The question, Rand said, is: “Is it gonna take off like DVDs?” The station manager is betting that digital radios will become the norm, being introduced in higher end cars at first, and eventually become cheap enough to be standard equipment, much as CD players are now.
The station intends to be proactive in promoting digital technology in the community. In the fall, WMPG is planning on setting up listening booths around town. Rand said the listening booths are still just a concept, but he said they would likely be in places around town like Videoport, the Woodbury Campus Center, and at the station itself. The listening booths would be used to show people the difference in quality between digital and analog broadcast, and to help educate about how the digital technology works. Rand said that there likely won’t be any other major changes at the radio station for another five years, and he predicted that the station will continue broadcasting analog for at least another 25.