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European RDS rapidly grew in use following initial adoption of
the Standard. RDS is nearly universal throughout Europe; it is
almost impossible to find a European FM broadcasting station
that does
not
carry a RadioData subcarrier.
The popularity of RDS in Europe is very much in contrast with
initial reluctance on the part of US broadcasters to embrace this
technology. This can be ascribed to material differences in
broadcasting practices.
Almost without exception, FM broadcasting in the United States
is ‘detached’ and independent; that is, each station originates
its own programming. One exception might be America’s Na-
tional Public Radio, although for most of the broadcast day
even NPR stations originate, or at least schedule, their own pro-
grams.
Much of European broadcasting is similar to the concept of
network radio that was common in the US prior to the 1950s.
In Europe, a central program originator may feed many trans-
mitting facilities of modest power situated throughout the
country. The European disposition toward lower-power trans-
mitters can be found on the ‘local radio’ level as well, with relay
(re-broadcast) repeater transmitters at several different fre-
quencies to blanket a designated service area.
The European concept of a
service area
equates to the US
broadcaster’s
market
. The subtle difference between these de-
signations further characterizes broadcasting practices and eth-
ics. RDS benefits the European broadcaster through almost an
altruistic endeavor to be of
service
to his listeners. The US
broadcaster is
marketing
his programming, and is primarily in-
terested in how he can promote his station through RDS ‘brand-
ing,’ as well as creating additional revenue through song ‘tag-
ging,’ sending GPS-linked traffic updates and other interactive
applications.
RDS vs. RBDS
or “What’s in
a Name?”
As the Radio Data System was developed in Europe, it is un-
derstandable that it is abbreviated RDS there. The first US im-
plementation of RDS differed sufficiently from the European
standard to warrant its being renamed the Radio
Broadcast
Da-
ta System, or RBDS to differentiate it from its European coun-
terpart. Differences between the two standards have been re-
conciled and minimized over the years, yet RBDS prevails as the
US designation. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, the more
generic and established term RDS will be used throughout this
Manual.
RDS APPLICATIONS SUPPORTED BY THE 730 ENCODER
The following is an alphabetical listing of RDS applications that
are fully supported by the 730 Encoder. The standardized RDS
application abbreviation is followed by an expansion of the ap-
plication name and a short explanation of the function.
