Read Eric Rhoads' Blog
AM Radio is Alive and Kicking
4-13-2012
It's not dead yet. Five of the top ten billing radio stations in 2011 were parked on that static-ridden, antique-sounding much maligned AM dial that many people have been trying to claim is dead and gone. Hold off on the funeral folks. Of the $477 million taken in by the top ten, $226 million came from successfully programmed AM stations. Four of the five were news or news/talk and the other was sports-talker WFAN in New York. When you add in WTOP-FM, six of the top ten billing stations came from the spoken word format.
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(3/9/2013 9:50:08 PM) I believe AM radio will outlive all of us by quite a few centuries. New Smart Phones and Tablets can do amazing things, but they rely on a network which is more delicate than most would like to admit. AM radio and also Shortwave radio should always be available. AM stations can be heard at incredible distances at night and a Shortwave station can be heard all over the world. An important fact is that most radio stations have their own generators and can operate and offer entertaintment and news even when netwoks for cell phones/smart phones and tablets are not working. During normal times I listen to AM radio because the continue to offer the best information (in my humble opinion at least)and different points of view not normally found on TV. I also keep a couple of "Walkie Talkies" around just in case. |
| - Henry Duran |
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(1/26/2013 3:44:35 PM) AM radio has a much better bandwidth than you'll hear without a decent, wideband radio (10k at least, more in a few cases) but most radio receivers cut the high-end way before that, maybe 3.5k or so. Besides the bad-sounding receivers, the content on a lot of AM stations isn't all that compelling (same could be said of many FMs!) but the trick is to put something on AM that will pull younger folks in to listen. Big trick... not many programmers will even try. Too bad. |
| - Marshall Stax |
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(1/5/2013 4:12:48 PM) Here In Pittsburgh, we have a ton of AM stations including one that plays modern music. AM is still booming here |
| - Matt P. |
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(1/1/2013 9:02:19 PM) Ten years ago, I was working and living in Wisoconsin. There were several news and talk stations that I could listen to. Now, I am living in eastern North Carolina and sometimes I can pick up those stations late at night when I sm getting off work. Stations out of Chicago come in pretty strong also. Being a radio dx'er, I would have to say that the am band is still alive. |
| - Robert Terry |
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(11/22/2012 10:17:43 AM) I spent most a great portion of my working life in radio, and have to say that outside of community radio and progressive programming, it is a vast wasteland. The finest sports programming today is New York City's WFAN 660 AM, which has also taken its signal to FM. (101.9) Right wing radio has killed AM... |
| - Scott Van Dusen |
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