Re: Stereo for voice (was RE: Dr. Laura anywhere in New England?)

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 12:52 PM 7/15/2003, Garrett Wollman wrote:
><<On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 12:33:34 -0400 (EDT), Peter Murray 
><pete@partnercomm.com> said:
>
> > Why don't stations like WVOM, WTKK, WBUR and others on the FM dial that
> > program mostly talk programming switch off the stereo generator for those
> > voice-only (stereo-irrelevant) programs?
>
>WBUR does, so far as I'm aware.  I believe WGBH does not.  Most NPR
>programs are produced in stereo.

FWIW - most, if not all, of the BBC World Service is in mono...although I 
think The World is produced in stereo.   I do know that as recently as a 
few years ago, the satellite channel WBUR used for the BBC was only in mono.

I vaguely remember hearing that WGBH mgmt felt that if they switched from 
stereo to mono repeatedly during the day it would confuse listeners who 
would get good reception on the fringe during the talk segments (morning 
and afternoon drive) and then not get it as well the rest of the time when 
they'd be stereo for music.   There's good logic there, I think.

However, WTKK/FM Talk is in stereo (when I checked it at 1:30pm, during 
Bill O'Reilly)...go figure.  Must be the whole "listeners think stereo 
light means good signal" thing Garrett mentioned.  Are any of WTKK's shows 
explicitly stereo?  As in, you'd really lose something if it weren't in stereo?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA