{"id":23510,"date":"2017-01-20T09:59:32","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T13:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=23510"},"modified":"2017-01-20T09:59:32","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T13:59:32","slug":"fmx-not-all-broadcast-innovations-come-to-fruition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/fmx-not-all-broadcast-innovations-come-to-fruition\/","title":{"rendered":"FMX: Not all broadcast innovations come to fruition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following in-depth article from Tedium.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The story of FMX, the wannabe radio standard that was taken out in a very public way<\/strong><\/p>\n

Attempts at standard-building in the radio industry have come up repeatedly over the years, and few of them have stuck, not even in the nobody-knows-about-it way that AM stereo has made its mark.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most fascinating of these attempts to improve the radio signal, however, is that of FMX. Formulated in the late 1980s as a more pristine version of the FM dial, it intended to solve a major problem with FM that had been lingering since stereo had been added in the early 1960s: When you move to the edges of the coverage area, the sound quality gets really low.<\/p>\n

As you can probably tell by the fact that it\u2019s generally still a problem in many vehicles today, FMX failed to solve that problem.<\/p>\n

But the reason why it failed to solve that problem is more complicated than saying it didn\u2019t work. There were both technical and political issues at play.<\/p>\n

The technology, for what it\u2019s worth, did have the right folks supporting it: The brainchild of Tom Keller, an engineer with the National Association of Broadcasters, and Emil Torick, who worked in the same role for the CBS Technology Center, FMX was intended to fix stereo\u2019s weaknesses in low-quality areas. The best part? It was backwards compatible. It would reduce noise and improve the fidelity of FM stations for stereos with upgraded equipment, but those with cheap beater radios would still have the same staticky-in-outlying-areas experience that they did before.<\/p>\n

Paul Riismandel, a radio industry observer who co-founded the industry news outlet Radio Survivor, notes that the FMX technology wasn\u2019t the first of its kind. For example, Dolby attempted to bring its noise-reduction technology, common in cassette tapes, to radio stations in the 1970s, but its offering was generally ignored due to the fact that proprietary equipment was needed. (Over at the Internet Archive<\/a> is a sample of what Dolby FM sounded like during a 1978 Minnesota Public Radio broadcast.)<\/p>\n

But FMX likely got further than most due to two factors that became apparent in the 1980s: The fuzziness of radio stations in fringe parts of the broadcast areas, and the pristine sounds of the compact disc, which was becoming popular at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cFMX was a way for radio to compete with this new digital technology and adapt to listener expectations,\u201d Riismandel noted.<\/p>\n

But the FMX technology proved controversial within the radio industry due to two separate incidents that cost the technology its momentum.[…]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read the full article on Tedium.com.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following in-depth article from Tedium.com: The story of FMX, the wannabe radio standard that was taken out in a very public way Attempts at standard-building in the radio industry have come up repeatedly over the years, and few of them have stuck, not even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3781,3],"tags":[5367,2220,1584,5848,5849],"class_list":["post-23510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-fm","category-news","tag-aaron-kuhn","tag-digital-radio","tag-fm","tag-fmx","tag-tedium-com"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-67c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24230,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/activating-mobile-phone-fm-fcc-chairman-ajit-pais-remarks-at-nab-symposium\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":0},"title":"Activating mobile phone FM: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s remarks at NAB symposium","author":"Thomas","date":"February 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's remarks at the North American Broadcasters Association's Future of Radio and Audio Symposium from today have been posted at http:\/\/transition.fcc.gov\/Daily_Releases\/Daily_Business\/2017\/db0216\/DOC-343529A1.pdf I found the most interesting info in the statement is only 44% of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/FM-Radio-Smart-Phone.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23545,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/the-past-present-and-future-of-uk-pirate-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":1},"title":"The past, present and future of UK pirate radio","author":"Thomas","date":"January 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn who shares this excellent article from Dazed: The influence of pirate radio has endured despite government crackdowns and the rise of legitimate alternatives \u2013 today, it continues to thrive, both legally and otherwise Drive around some parts of London today and you\u2019re\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/radiocaroline.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31476,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/guest-post-a-review-of-the-xhdata-d-328-portable-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: A review of the XHDATA D-328 portable radio","author":"Thomas","date":"April 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following guest post: XHDATA D-328 Radio Review by Aaron Kuhn Disclosure: This radio was supplied at a 99% discount by the manufacturer, costing me only $0.15. About Me I live in the Philadelphia Suburbs, where there\u2019s ample FM Stations,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/XHDATA-328-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/XHDATA-328-6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/XHDATA-328-6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/XHDATA-328-6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60384,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/aaron-explores-why-a-dedicated-radio-enhances-the-live-baseball-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":3},"title":"Aaron Explores: Why a Dedicated Radio Enhances the Live Baseball Experience","author":"Thomas","date":"August 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Aaron Kuhn, who shares the following guest post: Live Baseball on the Radio: Radio Selection Considerations In recent years, I've enjoyed attending minor league baseball games in my region. One of my favorite aspects of live baseball is bringing a radio to listen to play-by-play commentary. Experiencing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56495,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/guest-post-review-of-an-affordable-compact-dab-portable-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":4},"title":"Guest Post: Review of an affordable, compact DAB+ portable radio","author":"Thomas","date":"May 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mangosman, who shares the following review: DAB+ digital audio\/FM receiver and Bluetooth Audio Player with 2.4 inch LCD Display\u00a0 by Mangosman Digital Audio Broadcasting with improved audio compression and error correction is called DAB+. I have had this radio for a few years. Retail\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Audio Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Audio Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-audio-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DAB-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DAB-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DAB-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DAB-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DAB-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5861,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/pirate-radio-recordings-x-fm-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":23510,"position":5},"title":"Pirate Radio Recordings: X-FM","author":"Thomas","date":"March 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"For your listening pleasure: three hours of the pirate radio station X-FM. This broadcast was recorded this morning, starting around 2:00 UTC, on 6,950 kHz AM. X-FM can even be received in C-Quam stereo--something I have yet to try. This is a 10 year anniversary broadcast of X-FM and has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pirate Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Pirate Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/pirate-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"Turn up the radio, I hear Stereophonics!\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/RadioListeningFamily-300x221.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23510\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}