— 17 —
PTY / PTYN
(FM Menu Screen 12)
The RDS PTY (Program
TYpe) function identifies
‘programming type’ (or
‘format’ in the US) from
a list of about thirty
fixed categories. Some
consumer radios can be programmed to search automatical-
ly for available programming based on the PTY sets of iden-
tifiers. The upper line on this screen identifies the decoded
PTY by name from the appropriate list.
The PTY field is one important difference between the US
RBDS and European RDS standards. The proper PTY list is
selected automatically when the INOmini 639
Region:
is
set in one of the ‘hidden’ menus with explanations begin-
ning on Page 20.
PTYN is an optional 8-character identifier used to further
define the programming type or format. It is not used by
the receiver to search for specific programming, but once
the receiver is tuned to the station PTYN can further detail
the program content and present it on the radio faceplate.
The lower line of FM Menu Screen 12 displays the optional
PTYN if this information is being sent. In the example
above, a jazz station might send
Big Band
during a daypart
period that focuses on popular music of the 1940s.
PS and Radio Text
(FM Menu Screen 13)
The upper line of this menu shows the station’s 8-character
PS:
, or Program Service Name. This can be a
static
-PS mes-
sage, like the station’s call letters:
WREN-FM
, or a familiar
‘street name’ such as
LIVE-95
.
Most stations now practice
dynamic
-PS messaging, actually
transmitting a different 8-character block at quick intervals
to create a scrolling display on the radio faceplate. This can
convey song title and artist information, program promo-
tions or even advertising.
RT:
, Radio Text, is a 64-character message that is displayed
on consumer receivers that have a
TEXT
or
INFO
button.
The INOmini 639 automatically scrolls the
RT:
message to
display all 64 characters.
— 18 —
RT:
may be used to present the same artist and title data
that is commonly scrolled in the
PS:
field, but is often re-
served for static information such as the station’s telephone
number, web address or program promotion.
Radio Text Plus (Tagging)
(FM Menu Screens 14 and 15)
‘Tagging’ is the process
of identifying certain da-
ta, such as song title and
artist, within the Radio
Text field. The tagged
info must appear as
plain text within the 64-character message and is ‘tagged’
with a numerical code that defines its location within the
64-character block. This code is then transmitted in the two
fields identified as
RT+1:
and
RT+2:
on these menu
screens. In addition to artist and title, ‘tags’ may also be
used for advertiser tie-ins or product promotion.
The
04
in this Menu Screen 14 example refers to the RT+
Item Number, which in this case is
Artist
. The second line
names the performer. If the group name overruns the LCD
display, it will scroll automatically.
Here, Menu Screen 15
gives a similar display
for the RT+2 tag. In this
case it’s RT+ Item 31, the
“short name” of the sta-
tion.
Hot 92.3
is being
sent to receivers during a commercial cluster. Again, tags
too long for the LCD will scroll.
As shown in the RT+2 example, tagging is not restricted to
song information. Telephone numbers, e-mail addresses,
station IDs and many other RT+ ‘items’ may be tagged.
With tagging, a listener simply pushes a button on an
equipped radio to automate the purchase of a song down-
load or to retain a phone number or Web address in his
portable device memory. Later, when docked with an Inter-
net connection, his radio can assist in downloading music,
purchasing merchandise, or allow the user to place a call or
find a Website of interest with minimum effort.
