While the station’s regularly scheduled programming continues unaffected on its traditional 88.5 dial position, NPR’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the confirmation hearings of John G. Roberts, nominated for next chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is being provided on a second digital channel multicast on the same frequency of 88.5 MHz.
Listeners who have an HD Radio receiver can “tune-up” from the dial position for WAMU’s main channel to hear the confirmation hearings on “WAMU2.” The audio portion of the broadcast is enhanced with the program associated data (PAD), which appears on the screens of the HD Radio receivers.
HD Radio was developed by iBiquity Digital. HD Radio provides a digital radio signal which provides CD quality sound with the ability to transmit text and images on the HD receiver’s display screen in addition to multicasting various audio services.
DigaSystem, the digital audio storage and delivery system developed by D.A.V.I.D. Systems, is facilitating the operation of this second audio channel. DigaSystem creates a separate schedule for WAMU2 using the same tools used for the main channel.
Stations can further enhance the scrolling text with traffic alerts, weather advisories and emergency information. DigaSystem integrates the audio and metadata in the existing radio operation into the multiple media streams made possible by an HD Radio broadcast.
According to WAMU General Manager Caryn G. Mathes:
We envision WAMU developing into a ‘family of content services’ to listeners utilizing conventional analog and HD Radio transmission, HD Radio multicast channels and data services, live streaming, web-exclusive program streams—such as BluegrassCountry.org, ‘on-demand’ downloads of programming and podcasting. This opportunity to use a major national news event to demonstrate how different content can be directed to multiple delivery systems offers our listeners an exciting look into the near future of radio.
- Portions From a Digisystem Press Release
