Has radio broadcast technology moved past the need for a main transmitter? That’s the question ZoneCasting and MaxxCasting provider GeoBroadcast Services is asking the FCC in a petition tied to its “Delete, Delete, Delete” deregulation initiative.
According to GBS, the requirement that radio broadcasters operate from a central main transmitter was established during an era when high-powered towers were the only viable means to deliver market-wide radio coverage. In a statement, the company described its proposal as “forward-thinking,” claiming it “highlights the opportunity to replace outdated rules with technology that better serves the public, improves operational resilience, and reduces unnecessary costs for broadcasters.”
With the Commission already allowing limited geo-targeted program origination from FM boosters, the company now argues that boosters should be permitted to fully replace a primary transmitter. The rationale: distributed transmission systems have, in GBS’s view, proven more effective and sustainable in a variety of markets.
To support its case, GBS points to Beasley Media Group’s brand-new Maxima 105.7 (KOAS), a Spanish-language Classic Hits station licensed to Las Vegas. While the station’s official main signal originates from a high-powered transmitter in remote Dolan Springs, Arizona, it’s the 2.5kW FM booster located atop The Strat Hotel, Casino, and Tower on the Las Vegas Strip that delivers the station’s most impactful market coverage.
“Technology has changed, and so should the rules,” said a spokesperson for GeoBroadcast Solutions. “Broadcasters should not be forced to bear the high costs and environmental burdens of maintaining a main transmitter when modern, distributed systems can provide equal or better service to listeners.”
The proposal includes a data-driven case study using KOAS. In particular, GBS says a comparison of current versus proposed coverage maps illustrates how KOAS’s signal remains fully within its designated contour and “even improves urban coverage without reliance on a costly and environmentally burdensome tall tower.”
In the filing, GBS touts improved service reliability, as it asserts distributed systems “are less vulnerable to natural disasters than tall, centralized towers, providing more reliable public service during emergencies.” There’s also “environmental and financial efficiency,” as it claims eliminating the need for large towers “can reduce broadcasters’ energy consumption, insurance premiums, and real estate costs, by millions of dollars annually in some cases.”
GBS also asserts that DTS “allows broadcasters to target dense population centers more effectively, overcoming terrain and urban interference challenges.”
“This proposal does not mandate change for broadcasters who rely on main transmitters — it simply introduces flexibility,” GBS concludes. “Broadcasters who wish to continue using traditional infrastructure may do so. For those ready to evolve, GBS’s plan opens the door to innovation without increasing interference or altering coverage obligations.”
Not sure what these folks are trying to push, but higher powered boosters are already in use. No rule changes needed. An example is WXBW-FM/1 in Huntington, WV, at 3.5 kw, relaying WXBW Gallipolis, Ohio,
Unless their concept is to replace the main signal entirely, and only have a network of boosters–all carrying different programming?
The Geo-casting concept is silly, radio’s remaining strength is mobile (car radio) coverage. Particularly reading minority audiences. Just because they live in “south side” doesn’t mean they aren’t driving to work or shop in the rest of the station’s coverage area.