Bluegrass Country » WAMU’s Bluegrass Country on HD Radio

WAMU’s Bluegrass Country on HD Radio

Changes in our HD Radio Channel

In September 2007 we moved the bluegrass tradition forward by switching WAMU’s Bluegrass Country to HD at 88.5-2., and transforming it from a prerecorded automated music service to a full-stereo, comprehensive, “real” radio station. You’ll hear all your bluegrass favorites, and up to 8 hours initially of live-hosted programs, featuring Katy Daley, Ray Davis, and Lee Michael Demsey, with opportunities for the audience to interact with the music hosts. This station will continue to be heard online at www.bluegrasscountry.org, which has served the full-time bluegrass listener since 2001. WAMU’s Bluegrass Country is among the first in the nation to offer live programming exclusively for HD Radio.

We want to make it easy to find out more about HD Radios, and how to purchase one. For a complete listing of currently available models, go to ibiquity.com. Many

Washington, D.C., area vendors currently stock HD Radios, including Circuit City and Radio Shack. Online vendors like Crutchfield also sell HD Radios. If you’d like your purchase of an HD Radio to benefit WAMU 88.5, you can purchase it from Amazon.com using this link, and a percentage of the sale will benefit the station.

If you are a current member of WAMU 88.5 through a pledge or gift made during our Sunday bluegrass programming in October 2006 or February 2007, you received an HD Radio offer direct from the station — an offer which would cost you nothing. Had you been eligible, you would have received your letter by Sept. 10, 2007.

Why is Bluegrass Country doing this?

An ongoing complaint from WAMU 88.5’s bluegrass listeners is that the growth and success of the station’s news and talk format has come at the expense of the music they enjoy. Our belief is that our station faces a situation in which music programming exists as one shelf of inventory in a much larger store specializing in a different stock of merchandise. This is not the way we want to present bluegrass, which has been such an integral part of WAMU 88.5’s identity for the past 40 years. That’s why we find ourselves at a crossroads, where to maintain and grow bluegrass and Americana music as a genre, we must provide this music with its own store.

Additionally, WAMU 88.5 has decided that this is the time to begin treating HD Radio multicasting as real radio, and programming distinct, robust, live-produced, listening alternatives to our diverse constituencies. There are currently 26 models of HD Radio on the market, either tabletop or in-car models, offered at various price points — the price range for HD-capable units is moving steadily downward, some below the $100 threshold. HD Radio is becoming eminently accessible to the general consumer.

What is HD Radio?

HD Radio is a groundbreaking digital broadcasting technology that offers the following benefits:

Crystal clear reception - no static, hissing, popping or fadingThe most common form of interference, multipath distortion, occurs when part of a broadcast signal bounces off an object (like a building) and arrives at the receiver a little late - creating noise. HD Radio receivers are designed to sort through the reflected signals and reduce static, hiss, pops and fades.
Enhanced sound fidelity - CD quality soundHD Radio offers a higher sound quality, capable of reproducing 5.1 surround sound. Essentially, FM broadcasts will have the same clarity and depth of Compact Discs.
Programming metadata - text, images and moreHD Radio screens are significantly larger than typical analog screens and since they are digital they have the ability to display additional text and images.Bluegrass Country will scroll the program and host name, and we are working to devise a system of delivering song information for all BGC programs via HD Radio units as well as computer players.
Supplemental Audio Channels - multiple programming channelsUsing HD Radio technology, a station’s broadcast spectrum or “bandwidth” can be divided up to simultaneously broadcast completely different programming content without losing significant audio quality.

How do I listen to Bluegrass Country on HD Radio?

You will need an HD Radio receiver and to be in the WAMU 88.5

Washington, D.C. listening area. To learn more about the listening area, go to WAMU 88.5 HD Radio FAQ.

What if I live outside the Washington, D.C. metro area?

Bluegrass Country is only available on HD Radio in the D.C. area. Visit HD Radio for a list of HD stations in your area. You can still hear 24-hour bluegrass music here at bluegrasscountry.org, no matter where in the world you are!