RE: Tech question (Was Re: WBZ stereo?)

[Scott Saloway <saloway@bu.edu>]

Well, the general thinking is exactly what's already been said here: That
you reach a larger audience with better audio quality if you broadcast in
mono most of the day. 

There's a notorious memo floating around 'BUR on that very subject. 

Weekend Edition Sunday's stereo broadcasts go back to the early 1990s,
when the show was mostly music programming and 'BUR was still airing
classical music. Marsh is in stereo (as is Sunday morning's "Con Salsa")
because they are music programs.

Am I saying I agree with the decision? No, of course not - I'd rather see
the station in stereo 24 hours a day. But I understand the thinking:
"We're a talk station. What the heck does stereo matter? And OAG - well,
it's a targetted program in a bad time slot, let's give them a little
bone..."

As to why the rest of the pre-transmitter programming isn't done in
stereo: Last year, during a Sunday morning fundraiser, we tried - just
because the transmitter was already in stereo - to pan the voices left and
right. We couldn't hear any difference on the $4,000 speakers in the
studio. I'm gonna guess the average listener wouldn't hear it either.

--Scott--

On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Sven Franklyn Weil wrote:

> On Tue, 6 Nov 2001, Scott Saloway wrote:
> 
> Then why don't the powers that be at WBUR do all their programming in
> stereo?  I don't know about you, but I like hearing talk shows in stereo
> -- with a touch of reverb and slight bass.  It adds some depth and
> presence to the voice, especially the  callers.
> 
> A lot of NPR affils are very chintzy on the processing. WHy don't the up
> the processing to make them sound hotter?  Are they afraid of sounding too
> "mainstream?"
> 
> All that being said, I appreciate NPR and its stations and I think they do
> a good job covering the news. Now if only Pacifica could get its act
> together...
> 
> -- 
> Sven Franklyn Weil            "The needs of the many outweigh 
> <sven@gordsven.com>                      the needs of the few
> <http://www.gordsven.com/sven>                   or the one." 
>                                                      -- Surak
> 
> 
>