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If his or her manuscript is carefully prepared and the prospective journal judiciously selected, the graduate student will find the publishing process fulfilling and professionally valuable. Submitting papers to conventions is a good place to start, particularly if the convention specifically requests debut papers, papers written by those who have not previously presented a paper at that particular convention. Students should revise their work based on the suggestions of their professors and those attending the convention. Eventually, they may submit it to an appropriate journal, one whose purpose, mission, focus, and degree of competitiveness is suited to the student's work. Finally, graduate students should take rejection in stride, and with minimal revision, resubmit their paper to another journal. (TB)

In the mid-1980s, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) reformed the National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC) as a liaison between receiver manufacturers and amplitude modulation (AM) broadcasters to promote unity in upgrading AM transmission and reception, and to aid AM in narrowing the sound quality gap with frequency modulation (FM). In 1982, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that no single system for broadcasting AM stereo would be picked by the government. Of the five competing AM stereo systems, the marketplace effectively eliminated three within 2 years. The NAB believed the keys to enhancing the sound quality appeal of AM radio to be improving both the technology for transmission and for reception. The NAB and the NRSC were able to convince the FCC to begin a series of notices of inquiry, rulemaking proceedings, and policy changes for improvement of AM, such as reduction of interference and relaxation of many regulatory rules. Contrary to broadcaster sentiment, in 1989 the FCC unanimously decided on a technical standard for AM broadcasting which included an "RF mask." Broadcasters complained of the high cost of the new standard. Criticism for the failure to upgrade gradually in the 60-year history of AM must be shared by both the FCC and the AM industry. As with FM in its struggle to gain parity, the process for AM's revitalization will take a number of years. (Five notes are included; 82 references are attached.) (RS)

Historically, radio broadcasting has been affected by innovational, social, technological, and economic change. For instance, FM (frequency modulation) radio emerged out of a desire to free broadcasting of static noise common to AM (amplitude modulation) signals. The eventual response by AM was to improve the technology of the signal. The inquiry for the feasibility of stereo broadcasting for AM and the suitable technological standard to set began in 1977. By 1982 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revealed an intention to allow the marketplace to decide the fate of AM stereo. During these years several actions by the FCC indicated that it was uncertain of its proper regulatory role. The process of wrestling with whether to set a technological standard led the FCC to question its own responsibility in such matters. Ultimately, the FCC determined that it was not responsible for the success or failure of any particular technology and that the proper technology selection should be passed on to the marketplace. (One table of data is included, and 110 references are appended.) (MS)

The emergence of frequency modulation or FM radio signals, which arose from the desire to free broadcasting of static noise common to amplitude modulation or AM, has produced the controversial development of stereo broadcasting. The resulting enhancement of sound quality helped FM pass AM in audience shares in less than two decades. The basic groundwork for FM stereo was laid in 1955 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed FM multiplexing, where one transmitter sends out two simultaneous (and, possibly different) signals. By April 20, 1961, the FCC allowed FM stations to broadcast stereo with multiplex, creating considerable excitement in the broadcast industry. The decision to allow stereocasting for AM radio was much more problematic. The FCC, in 1982 (after years of debate) finally decided that, rather than pick a single standard to ensure rapid facilitation of stereo on AM stations, they would instead pass the decision process to the marketplace. The FCC sent the AM stereo decision to the marketplace out of confusion and desperation. The changing role of the Commission during deregulation of radio directly affected AM stereo, particularly since both proceedings were being dealt with by the FCC simultaneously. The result was that the FCC failed to set a standard. The major difference between the evolution of FM stereo and AM stereo was the changing policy of the FCC. The outcome made it clear that self-regulation of the airwaves is a difficult task. (Ninety-eight references are appended.) (MS)