Are there really "three KBIAs"?

Yes! In the spring of '05, NPR launched a multicasting project, known as Tomorrow Radio, designed to split each station’s digital bandwidth into two or more audio streams. (Complete details about NPR's multicasting initiative in their April 18, 2005, press release, are available here.)

Having received FCC approval to offer Tomorrow Radio, KBIA is providing a digital simulcast of our current analog signal, plus another two channels, called KBIA2 and KBIA3, that offer entirely separate, complementary program services. News and music, always at your fingertips from KBIA? It’s here, thanks to KBIA and KBIA2 ... and now KBIA3! Get more details, streaming audio links, and our multicast program schedules here!

What are some other benefits of HD Radio technology?

The new digital audio-compression technology allows radio stations to deliver wireless data services. Imagine tuning in to KBIA and seeing a digital readout scrolling station information, identification of the music currently playing, and weather and traffic updates. This data, known as PAD (Program Associated Data) or PSD (Program Service Data), is scheduled to begin appearing on digital radios tuned to KBIA in the coming months.

It is expected that HD Radio receivers manufactured in the future will have a TiVo-like record-and-playback capability. You’ll be able to program your radio to record a weather forecast or news broadcast or Car Talk, and listen to some or all of it at your convenience.

KBIA will remain at 91.3 FM ... but in order to take advantage of the benefits of digital, you will need a new digital receiver. HD Radio receivers allow you to receive a digital broadcast of KBIA at 91.3 FM. How does this work? IBOC technology makes use of the existing radio band (In-Band) by adding digital carriers to KBIA’s analog signal, allowing us to transmit digitally on our existing channel assignment (On-Channel). Now that KBIA has converted to IBOC technology, we are transmitting in the “Hybrid Mode” – a simultaneous analog and digital signal at 91.3 FM.

How can I get an HD Radio receiver?

Models for home and car have arrived on the electronics market. KBIA and NPR strongly recommend obtaining a multicast-compliant digital receiver, which will allow you to hear multiple audio streams from any station in your signal range that is multicasting.

Click here for a rundown of the latest brands.

Will I have to pay a monthly subscription fee for HD Radio?

No. Unlike the only other providers of “digital radio” – the satellite radio companies Sirius and XM, which act like a cable service, charging consumers at least $10 per month – stations such as KBIA will continue to provide their programming at no monthly cost to the listener. Even after the analog-to-digital conversion is complete, KBIA, like all public radio stations, will continue to rely on membership dollars in order to keep bringing listeners the programming to which they’ve become accustomed.

Is KBIA the first to take the digital plunge?

The FCC has not set a deadline for radio stations to begin transmitting a digital signal. But hundreds of stations across the country already broadcast in HD Radio, and hundreds more will be using digital transmitters within the coming year. KBIA is among the more than 80 stations that received a construction grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the spring of 2004, and KBIA was mid-Missouri's first radio station to "go digital," at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2005! On February 28, 2006, KBIA became the first radio station in Missouri, and one of the first 18 public radio stations in America, to multicast. A third channel appeared at 91.3 FM on November 26, 2007. It is expected that 800 noncommercial stations will begin simulcasting in digital in the near future.

Be listening for more information about further progress with program service data and multicasting, and more recommendations for later-generation digital receivers. Click here to see images of our initial construction progress ... and stay tuned!