Broadcast (OTA)
Subchannel partnership
RAP TRENDS is offered to licensed stations as a daypart block or a full-time subchannel, on a barter inventory split rather than a cash licence fee in year one. The station remains the licensee and retains all licence obligations.
Position
ATSC 3.0 audio
Broadcasting audio without owning a radio station.
Multiple HD audio services from one allocation.
ATSC 3.0 supports several simultaneous audio services on a single spectrum allocation. A music service, a talk or specialty format, and a Spanish-language service can ride the same signal. Which formats actually launch is a programming decision not yet made: the architecture supports several; we are not claiming several exist.
Digital broadcast audio, not FM.
ATSC 3.0 carries audio digitally using AC-4, the NextGen TV audio codec, at broadcast bitrates. It is not bound by the analogue constraints of FM. Final encoder settings and any exact quality comparison remain to be confirmed.
No separate FM broadcast licence.
An audio service carried on a licensed partner station's ATSC 3.0 multiplex does not require its own FM broadcast licence — the audio rides the partner's television spectrum under their FCC television licence.
Capabilities
What we can deliver today
- Clean feed only, with network identification and a top-of-hour clock
- Daypart blocks of three to six hours, or full-time subchannel carriage
- Ten local avails per hour on daypart carriage, eight on full time
- 608/708 captions on every programme, human-reviewed before air
- Explicit audio never appears on a broadcast feed in any daypart
- Political advertising handled with political-file and lowest-unit-charge obligations in mind
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Transport | ATSC 1.0 compatible; ATSC 3.0 on the roadmap |
| Feed variant | Clean only |
| Captions | 608/708, human-reviewed |
| Local avails | 8 per hour full-time, 10 per hour daypart |
| Commercial model | Barter inventory split, no year-one cash licence fee |
| Territory | Single pilot market |
Open items
Pre-launch diligence
No licence, no spectrum
RAP TRENDS is not an FCC licensee. Any OTA carriage runs under the partner station's licence and the station's compliance obligations are unchanged.
No pilot station
The OTA endpoint is a prospect in a single unnamed market. No station or group has agreed to anything.
Market #1 — NYC Tri-State (affiliate not yet secured)
The first market slot is modelled as an unnamed licensed affiliate. Bandwidth allocated, subchannels permitted, term, revenue split, control and preemption rights all remain to be agreed. The station would remain the licensee and retain preemption without penalty. The full slot terms and the multiplex allocation are published on the distribution page.
Partner station required for audio
ATSC 3.0 audio carriage requires a licensed partner station agreement. None exists; supported audio formats are programming decisions not yet made.
Encoder profile unconfirmed
Confirm any exact quality comparison with FM against the final AC-4 encoder profile before it appears in sales material.
Delivery path unbuilt
Station delivery has no vendor and no tested automation integration.
Children's programming and EAS
The schedule carries no children's programming, so KidVid obligations sit outside it. EAS remains entirely the station's responsibility and RAP TRENDS does not pass emergency messaging.
Music licensing per facility
Performance rights are owed on audio regardless of transmission path. ATSC 3.0 changes the licence needed to transmit, not the licences needed to play music. Performance licences for broadcast carriage are held by the station, not the network. Confirm ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR coverage before any airing.
Status
Endpoints on this track
OTA subchannel pilot
prospectATSC 1.0 compatible; ATSC 3.0 roadmap
Territory: Single pilot market
Requires a partnership with an FCC-licensed station.
Contact