Zoned Broadcast Coverage Could Get FCC Nod

A petition asking the FCC to change the rules for the signals FM boosters are allowed to transmit to make geotargeted radio ads and content possible is widely supported and considered a likely candidate for eventual FCC approval, said broadcasters and their lawyers in recent interviews. Some big broadcasters have concerns, but that may not derail the whole proceeding, stakeholders said.

Greg Wennes, CEO of Wennes Communications Stations, said the technology would let him air and sell ads against a local high school sports game for listeners in that high school’s town, while continuing to play a station’s normal country music feed for listeners the next town over: “I could use it right now.”

Zoned broadcast coverage, called ZoneCasting by petitioner GeoBroadcast Solutions, uses multiple highly synchronized FM boosters to transmit targeted signals that are picked up by FM receivers as being a single signal, said engineer Bert Goldman of Goldman Engineering and Management. Goldman consults on ZoneCasting for GeoBroadcast, which was founded by longtime radio executive Chris Devine. The concept is that a station using the tech would mainly broadcast a single stream of content, but shift certain zones to geotargeted, specialized content multiple times daily, Goldman said. That content would often be localized commercials, but could also be local news, sports or emergency alerts, he said. That would be “huge” for radio, said Wennes.

To allow stations to use the tech beyond experimental licenses, the FCC would need to change language requiring FM boosters to broadcast the same content as their parent stations, for a “substantially similar” broadcast, Goldman said. GeoBroadcast’s April petition received many supportive comments (see 2004280037) but hasn’t progressed to an NPRM or order. GeoBroadcast filed a similar petition at the FCC in 2012, but it wasn’t taken up. A GeoBroadcast spokesperson said the tech “was more conceptual and in its infancy” in 2012, and since then, the company has done successful field trials.

Mobile providers and TV broadcasters -- through ATSC 3.0 -- are already allowed to geo-target, the spokesperson said. “Radio is the final and largest of all the mediums that needs to catch up.” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has historically been open to rule changes that aid radio, broadcast attorneys said.

Several of the country’s largest radio groups -- Cumulus, iHeart, Entercom and Beasley -- asked the FCC not to rush into approving the new tech. “Automatically authorizing such an unproven technology” is “premature,” the companies said. They cited concerns that the tech could cause a station to interfere with its own signal. Those companies didn't comment.

If the FCC approves the technology, use would be voluntary, and it isn’t considered an interference risk to other stations, said Goldman. “No one is getting their arm twisted,” he said. “If you don’t want to, by all means don’t use it.” HD Radio advocate Xperi raised concerns about ZoneCasting’s effect on that technology, but recently filed in support of the GeoBroadcast petition (see 2005280057).

Most broadcasters support the proposal, said Womble Bond radio attorney John Garziglia. He represents Broadcasters for Limited Program Origination. Those radio companies sought to piggyback on GeoBroadcast’s filing, asking the FCC to also explore authorizing FM translators to originate content if it takes up the ZoneCasting petition. “FM booster and translator licensees should both be allowed to choose their own originated content categories,” said that filing. This has “created confusion,” said Goldman. “We have no involvement with translators.”

Most of the support for the GeoBroadcast petition is from smaller stations, many using the exact same language in their filings. Smaller stations will be able to install the boosters and new technology through ad-revenue sharing arrangements with GeoBroadcast, Goldman and the company told us. “The expectation is for ZoneCasting to be a shared revenue opportunity for the entire radio industry” said the GeoBroadcast spokesperson. “We will provide the infrastructure in a market and then each local station or broadcast group will be able to use the system.”