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Service Name is displayed even on automobile receivers, it was
really meant to remain ‘static.’
Because of driving safety considerations, broadcasters have,
from the beginning, been discouraged from making the PS ‘dy-
namic’; that is, to send long messages in a succession of 8-
character frames. As a matter of note, it remains a violation of
both the CENELEC and the NRSC standards to flash or scroll the
PS display. Nevertheless, this nefarious practice of ‘Scrolling-
PS’ has become ubiquitous, both in the US and abroad. The 730
Encoder has various modes for message scrolling that offer a
safe alternative to the static PS display. These are described
beginning on Page 44.
PTY
Program Type:
The PTY data flag identifies the station format
from a list of pre-assigned categories. Many RDS receivers are
able to seek the listener’s preferred listening preferences au-
tomatically. This helps a broadcaster catch a certain transient
audience share… long-distance truck drivers for instance. Two
distinct lists, one for RDS and the other for RBDS, remain a ma-
jor disparity between the two systems. A listing of all PTY cat-
egories is given in the Appendix.
PTYN
Program Type Name:
This is an 8-character identifier that may
be used to further define the Program Type. It is not used by
the receiver to search for a specific format, but once the re-
ceiver is tuned to the station the Program Type Name can fur-
ther detail the type of programming. Further notes are found
on Page 42.
Under some programming circumstances, the PTY identifier
may be made dynamic, changing between categories for a sta-
tion that ‘dayparts’ (changes its format for specific time pe-
riods). However, the PTY code is not meant to change from
song to song or to accommodate a top-of-the-hour newscast.
RT
Radio Text:
This is a 64-character block of plain text that the
listener is able to select for visual display, but on only those
radios that have an INFO or a TEXT button. Radio Text should
not be confused with scrolling-PS; they are two separate and
distinct messaging utilities that are available simultaneously.
The Radio Text function is not typically available on automobile
receivers for legacy safety considerations. This has precipi-
tated the frowned-upon practice of instead scrolling the PS field
for song titles and other ‘dynamic’ messages. Radio Text has
become relegated to the display of static information, such as
the station’s call-in phone number or Web address, unless the
station runs RT+ applications.
RT+
Radio Text Plus:
RT+ allows newer RDS radios, as well as cell
phones and MP3 players (equipped with FM receivers) to give
the listener interactivity with specific elements within the Ra-
dio Text message. For example, RT+ enables song ‘tagging’ or
direct access to telephone numbers or Internet addresses that
appear in Radio Text. See Page 70 for further details.
