Public Radio

The importance of broadcasters serving the public interest is a matter of general concern today as never before. Digital radio affords public radio stations the opportunity to play a greater role in their communities through increased flexibility in the use of their signal, and FMeXtra dramatically expands their abilities.

Public broadcasters are going to have more and more responsibilities to provide a wider range of programming to an increasingly diverse population. This is one of the principal reasons that public radio stations have been the driving force behind the demand for additional program channels with the arrival of digital radio. The Tomorrow Radio project pioneered by NPR, is clearly a step in the right direction, but there is very limited additional data available in hybrid mode IBOC for purposes other than delivering a digital audio main channel with the highest quality audio. Public stations will soon find a great demand for additional programming and services, and FMeXtra can deliver the additional data capacity to get the job done now. This represents a huge opportunity for public stations to more fully realize their mandate.

FMeXtra permits public radio stations to achieve multiple goals:
• Digital conversion and enhancement of existing Radio Reading Services
• Foreign language programming for large ethnic communities
• Targeted news and information for special-needs and under-served groups
• Dedicated channels for emergency and security broadcasts

FMeXtra allows public stations to add these and many other additional capabilities without sacrificing main channel analog or, for those stations transmitting IBOC, digital audio quality.