This has bugged me for a long time…any clarity would be appreciated…
In my many travels across this great nation, with my paltry collection of CDs and whatever radio stations I can pick up as my only companions, I’ve noticed an odd trend. As a general rule (certainly a rule with exceptions) most of the FM stations on the “low” end of the dial (from 87.9 to about 92.5 or so, roughly the lowest quarter of available frequencies) are usually either religious, foreign language, or Public Radio stations…stations that usually have a more noble ambition (to unite peoples of a community, or to inform) than their higher-frequency brethren (which are more concerned with wacky morning Zoo Crews which are SUPPOSED to earn them ratings, but generally send me scurrying for a station that’ll either drone on in a monotone voice about Mid-west political candidates, promise me a savior (hopefully one that will save me from zoo crews) or even in some funky moon-man language that I don’t understand.
In fact, from NPR’s member station list, I learned that while there were NPR stations as high as 107.9 (as high as my dial goes) by and large, the majority stayed on the lower end, with the Median NPR station being 90.5, and the Mean being 91.009.
Why this trend? Is it cheaper to get an FCC license on the low end of the dial? Or, more likely, is the equipment cheaper? And why do more traditionally commercial stations shun the lower quarter of the band? To make way for their broadcasting brothers with a message, or is there a demonstrable quality difference between 91.5 and 102.9?
I’m not sure why this trend exists but I too have noticed it. The Dallas classical music station, WRR, is at 101.1 and has a very powerful signal. When I am driving out of town I can usually pick it up for up to 100 miles give or take a little.
However, it is owned by the City of Dallas and there is a big discussion about whether or not to exchange the frequency with a commercial station ( a Zoo Crew station as you so eloquently put it) with a lower, and less powerful, frequency. As I understand it the commercial station would pay for the “better” frequency thus providing the city with some needed revenue.
Welcome to the boards BTW.
What diku said is still true. There’s no rule against a non-commercial station broadcasting on another frequency, but the 88-92 mhz frequencies were specifically set aside in the U.S. for that purpose.
The only difference technically speaking is in areas where there’s a TV station on Channel 6. The Channel 6 frequency is close enough to the bottom of the FM band that there can be interference. The FCC won’t put an FM station at the very bottom of the band in those areas.
I think the technical reason for parking these stations at that end of the band is because you get more “bang for your buck” (or for your watt, in this case) with a lower frequency. As I’ve heard it explained, the amount of energy in a radio wave is a function of its amplitude and its frequency. A 100 watt signal at 88.1 Mhz takes less power to generate than a 100 watt signal at 107.9 Mhz. So, if you’re operating on a limited budget you’ll want a transmitter that consumes as little power as possible, so you stick to as low a frequency as possible. At least, I think this is how it works. Someone who knows a thing or two about RF engineering will hopefully step in and correct me if I’m wrong.