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| Greetings...
Update
June 1, 2008
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Navigating
the Digital Dial…
Many times we put
stuff out here that trumpets the latest advancements in
digital broadcasting without really trying to explain
what this means. Digital
radio has become a very confusing place and, as a “public
service”, we’d like to look at the various systems
and a peek at what’s going on and where things are
going.
There’s a battle
being fought between several digital systems to be the
future radio standard.
HD Radio uses existing radio signals and embeds a
digital signal along with the analog one.
You need a special HD radio, which also offers
secondary channels with additional formats.
There have been plenty of problems with this
system. It
began with the slow rollout of radio that still are
difficult to find and few people are buying.
Also the audio quality, while better than analog,
is limited by trying to fit both analog and digital on
the same signal. |
| Satellite is also a digital
broadcast system and has been more successful than HD
Radio. It’s
great for those who spend a lot of time on the road and
want a wide variety of programs and formats to tune
into. Signal
limitations in major cities have been worked out, but a
rainy day can still create havoc.
While there’s a lot of variety, satellite radio
is a national service and has little local programming…a
key element in radio’s success.
The fluid situation surrounding a merger of the
two satellite companies into one also has many concerned
about its future. |
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| Inferion Internet
"I-Radio"...wireless internet radio that
connects to any Wi-Fi system or router |
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The third system that has
emerged in recent years is Wireless Internet radio.
The growth of Wi-Fi has un-tethered Internet radio
from the computer and is finding its way into more
portable devices. New
large-area Wi-Fi systems are being built around the world
that will put Internet radio in cars and new wireless
networks (like the one we work with at Nokia) are
streaming signals into cellphones.
Initially the audio quality was poor…low
bandwidth led to a “fishy sound” and constant network
congestion made the system unreliable.
In recent years, bandwidth has been increased and
MP3 and AACPlus streaming have improved the audio quality
to equal or surpass that of the other digital systems. |
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| Nokia Internet Radio
and more... |
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Zecom Radio began digital
broadcasting as one of Chicago’s first Internet radio
stations in February 1997. In the 11 plus years since, we’ve made several changes and
improved our quality and reliability.
Currently we offer two ways to hear both The Choice
and Gemz Radio digitally…using your computer, PDA or
cellphone to access our programming from anywhere in the
world. Our
first signals went out using RealAudio that offered a lot
of limitations…in 2000 we switched to MP3 streaming that
we still offer on both stations.
Last year we added a second digital system…AACPlus…or
known to some as MP4.
The quality and reliability improves on MP3 and is
headed for being the new standard.
AACPlus delivers a CD-quality signal…so much so,
we always suggest you either listen on good quality
speakers or on headphones to fully enjoy this sound. |
| You can enjoy Zecom Radio in
both MP3Pro and AACPlus audio.
We highly suggest using the latest Winamp
player, and then select the station and your connection
rate (high or low speed) on our AACPlus
page for other players.
Or, we have our Zecom Tuner…a page with both MP3
and AACPlus players.
The MP3 feed uses the Windows Media player.
To hear us in MP3Pro, use the Winamp player with
the special MP3Pro plug in. This will give you a fuller sound (44 bit vs. 22).
We also have an AACPlus tuner that includes an
Active X plug in that drops the proper codec into your
machine…when you reach the page follow the instructions,
refresh the page after the codec is installed and enjoy
both The Choice and Gemz Radio in the finest internet
digital sound. |
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We’re always working to
update and upgrade our facilities and sound…and will
keep you informed of new technology and changes as we move
closer to radio’s digital future. |
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Zecom
Radio Soundgarden
For the past two years, we have archived
thousands of reel-to-reel and cassette tapes from our
nearly 45 years of broadcasting. Some
of these old recordings are now online in our Zecom Radio
Soundgarden…samples of how our sound and programming
have evolved over the years.
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ZRK92's
Dolby Stereo Studio - Summer '76 |
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On the air
on ZCM92 in February '85...a screen cap of
the video available below... |
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A peek at a
very busy Zecom Radio Central today...tape
machines, turntables and all the other
goodies still doing their thing |
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This month we’re offering some “Choice
moments” from 1977 and 1985.
These are actual “off-the-air” airchecks that
feature many of the tunes we still feature today.
Also, it shows the limitations we had…transmitter
noise, scratchy vinyl and other noises.
It also shows how far we’ve come. |
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Here
are a couple samples…WZRK and WZCM IDs.
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We’ve
also included a glimpse of ZCM92 in operation in February
1985…
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To hear more, check out
the Soundgarden.
Also, we’ll be adding audio and video clips to
our Chicago Radio Museum
featuring other Chicago area stations…stay tuned for
more details. |
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Gemz
Email…
There’s now a way
for fans and friends of Gemz Radio to reach us.
We really appreciate all who tune our way and your
feedback is what makes us a better station.
If you get a moment, drop a line and say hello.
The new Gemz Email
address is: gemzradio@gmail.com. |
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Bob
& Jim…
If there’s one thing Chicagoans have a
passion about, it’s sports.
Now we all don’t agree on which teams to love but
we sure love to talk about them. We’re fortunate to have some fun with sports and friends.
Each Saturday morning at 9am Central, veteran
Chicago sportscaster Bob Greenberg joins us to give his
take on what’s been going on.
Bob worked for over 25 years at various Chicago
stations, overcoming his blindness to interview many great
sports personalities and witness many of Chicago’s
finest and less than finer moments.
Bob also has a passion for “True TV”…always
looking out for a juicy trial we can have some fun with.
Once a month, another veteran Chicago sportscaster,
Jerry Kuc joins us with many of his great stories about
the events and people he’s covered. |
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On Monday, we recap
the weekend and more with a longtime Zecom Radio friend
and voice…”Rogers Park” Jim. Jim began his radio “career” with this station back in
the 60’s and now offers his views of sports and more
from his perch atop a snow cave outside Portland,
Oregon. His
opinions and passions are always matched with a
computer-like knowledge of stats and contracts that
always tell the story behind the story. |
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| The Monday Morning
Tandem at White Sox Spring Training in 2006 |
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Win or
lose, we always are having fun and invite all to join in…a
way we can offer more of Chicago to the world. |
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Zecom
Radio Widget… |
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What’s a widget?
Well it’s kinda a WYSIWIG,
OK…it’s downloadable version of our Zecom
Radio tuner that you can place on your favorite website
or download to your desktop. Listening to The Choice and Gemz Radio are only a quick click
away.
For more details, or to download or
link to our new widget…here’s where to go:
http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/zecom-radio-tuner |
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Updated
Chicago Radio Museum |
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One of our great
passions is exploring Chicago’s long and rich radio
history. Our
Chicago Radio Museum is a look at the many interesting
people and stations that have emanated from this city.
We recently updated a look at the early days of
FM radio featuring the listing of stations and programs
from 1962, 1968 and 1975.
It’s an interesting look back on a time when FM
was radio’s backwater but was beginning to evolve.
Included are many stations long gone, but not
forgotten along with some names you may remember or
still hear today.
We’re working on a
comprehensive look at the history of this city’s rich
broadcast history.
We also applaud others who also are dedicating to
preserving this great heritage and enjoy hearing from
those with special Chicago radio memories.
Feel free in sharing
with us at wzcm@aol.com |
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Updated
Zecom Tuner
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| There are several
ways for you to enjoy The Choice and Gemz Radio
on your computer. Listen to us in MP3Pro
on your Winamp, Windows Media Player, I-Tunes or
AACPlus on your Winamp Player. Even
better, keep Zecom Radio on your desktop and
enjoy all we have to offer with our Zecom Radio
tuner. This not only enables you to listen
to our stations in MP3, but also we have a
special AACPlus audio tuner that works on most
computers...just download the codex (the
Active-X attachment) and you, too, can enjoy
this superior sound.
Check out our Zecom Radio
Tuner page about other players and how to tune
in. |
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Contact us... |
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| As always
we appreciate feedback on our site and
programming. If you're listening to our audio,
we'd appreciate a note of where you're listening from and
how we're sounding at
The Choice: wzcm@aol.com
Gemz Radio: Gemzradio@gmail.com.
Cheers and thanks
for stopping by.
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