Ford Dropping AM Receivers

[Santa fe]

Ford is the latest automaker to announce they are eliminating the AM band in their new electric pick ups due to insoluble interference problems and also in the 2024 Mustang gas-powered cars. They join makers like Tesla, Audi, Jaguar and others who have already dumped AM due to the noise problem in electric cars and the perceived lack of demand.
This is sending shockwaves through the industry. AM proponents are asking the FCC to do something. But what? Some are suggesting that rules be made that require AM in all car radios as a national safety matter, since many primary EANS stations are still AM.
This is part of the trend that is making AM transmission obsolete and it's not limited to the U.S. Britain has shut down almost all BBC AM transmitters, and other countries have done the same. Is there any hope for the AM band, or is it set to go the way of the incandescent light bulb? And how quickly?

 

[johnbasalla]

AM radio is challenging. However, people and organizations still want them (See: Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting, Salem, Good Karma, Radio One, WTAM and, non-commercially, WCCR). I don't see the FCC, dictatorially, shutting down these free American businesses as the commercial ones are successful. Rather, AM stations will disappear when nobody wants the stations anymore. And, without an ability to get a strong FM signal, or to have a streaming station that is magnificently profitable, the owners will, likely, want to hold on to their broadcast properties. Dialing around, I hear lots of commercials on AM radio. Something must be going right.

 

[MediaLover]

WAKR is still going strong, especially with its Soft AC format.

 

[Santa fe]

So that leaves it up to the audience, their customers, to make some noise here with the possibility of some official action to stop or slow this trend. How about it, NAB? Need more than prayers from the religious broadcasters. Have you noticed how few hotels even offer room radios anymore.
Money talks, so if there is still so much ad money out there, it needs to raise its voice now before the helots run roughshod over the industry.

 

[Mikey Radio]

AM radio is challenging. However, people and organizations still want them (See: Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting, Salem, Good Karma, Radio One, WTAM and, non-commercially, WCCR). I don't see the FCC, dictatorially, shutting down these free American businesses as the commercial ones are successful. Rather, AM stations will disappear when nobody wants the stations anymore. And, without an ability to get a strong FM signal, or to have a streaming station that is magnificently profitable, the owners will, likely, want to hold on to their broadcast properties. Dialing around, I hear lots of commercials on AM radio. Something must be going right.

So that leaves it up to the audience, their customers, to make some noise here with the possibility of some official action to stop or slow this trend. How about it, NAB? Need more than prayers from the religious broadcasters. Have you noticed how few hotels even offer room radios anymore.
Money talks, so if there is still so much ad money out there, it needs to raise its voice now before the helots run roughshod over the industry.

It's market driven. Few people under 55 or 60 listen to AM on a regular basis. Few under 50 know what the AM band is. Yes, there are people on RadioDiscussions that do, but they're not typical non-radio industry consumers. Simply put, if large amounts of consumers were asking for and accessing the AM band, then car manufacturers would continue to include it in their newest models. However, most consumers are asking for things like SiriusXM, Android Auto, (Apple) CarPlay, bluetooth connectivity, in-car WiFi and the like. Those are now the things that consumers are asking for, those are what car manufacturers are sure to include in their "Infotainment package" and those are the things they're selling on. AM radio is a relic. Regarding hotels providing radios in the rooms, again, they'd do it if large amounts of consumers were demanding them, but that's not the case. While it's nice to have a clock to glance at, most people use their cell phones to wake up, and just want a bedside place to charge their phones. They can listen to music or watch programming on the TV. Few listen to OTA radio, so hotels don't bother spending the money to buy one for each and every room in their facility.

 

[Rusty Muck]

WAKR is still going strong, especially with its Soft AC format.

But at the same time, they're branding as "Soft Hits 93.5 WAKR" with minimal mention of 1590.

 

[Rusty Muck]

AM radio is challenging. However, people and organizations still want them (See: Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting, Salem, Good Karma, Radio One, WTAM and, non-commercially, WCCR). I don't see the FCC, dictatorially, shutting down these free American businesses as the commercial ones are successful. Rather, AM stations will disappear when nobody wants the stations anymore. And, without an ability to get a strong FM signal, or to have a streaming station that is magnificently profitable, the owners will, likely, want to hold on to their broadcast properties. Dialing around, I hear lots of commercials on AM radio. Something must be going right.

It depends on the quality of commercials. Not the quantity. For example, WEOL makes the most of their money selling spots during sporting events. Most of their spot loads during Fox Sports programming (or even during Dave Ramsey) are usually FSR national spots and make-goods along with a disproportionate amount of OHSAA-produced PSAs. Maybe a local advertiser sneaks in, but not often.

Suburban AM stations will likely be the first to fail, moreso when the land under the transmitter becomes worth more than the station itself. That's why KDWN, long a 50kW in Vegas, lost that power output level and eventually, the ability to broadcast outright.

By the way, has anyone checked in on the fate of WWGK?

 

[snowdog88]

Probably the only advantage on driving an older vehicle. My car has the radio receiver in the trunk, so it's far enough away from the engine and other modules that produce constant interference. On top of that, I can tune to 87.7 FM, which many newer vehicles removed several years ago, though that would only be an issue for the few stations still broadcasting on that frequency.

 

[CTListener]

DJ on SiriusXM's The Highway channel -- Ashley something, didn't catch the last name -- made a joke about Ford's announcement earlier tonight. Punch line was, "I dunno, I'll kinda miss the white noise." She's 35. Wonder when the last time she listened to AM was -- probably before she could drive, sitting in the back seat of Daddy's car and rolling her eyes as Daddy listened to sports play by play or Rush.

 

[DarrenVision]

is there a hope for FM HD Radio simulcasts?

 

[Mikey Radio]

is there a hope for FM HD Radio simulcasts?

If the content is worth listening to, then perhaps - but since HD radio also had a bit of a "failure to launch" and the amount of receivers for the HD signals can be limited, FM translators are the better option. As mentioned in a different thread, there are many AMs out there with FM translators and in their positioning, they promote the FM signal first.

 

[davideduardo]

If the content is worth listening to, then perhaps - but since HD radio also had a bit of a "failure to launch" and the amount of receivers for the HD signals can be limited, FM translators are the better option. As mentioned in a different thread, there are many AMs out there with FM translators and in their positioning, they promote the FM signal first.

However, most translators are quite limited in power and coverage, while the HD of a full C or full B can be nearly as good as the "master" FM and often much better than the relayed AM, particularly at night

A translator at average 300' to 400' height in Philadelphia or Chicago will not make up for the loss of a car's ability to hear AMs like 560 or 1000 or 1200 in Chicago (to name a couple of moderate coverage AMs) but an HD of any of the Sears* or Hancock full signal stations will be very competitive.

* I know... but to me it will always be the Sears, just like the one next to Grand Central Station in NYC will be the Pan Am building.

 

[Mikey Radio]

However, most translators are quite limited in power and coverage, while the HD of a full C or full B can be nearly as good as the "master" FM and often much better than the relayed AM, particularly at night

A translator at average 300' to 400' height in Philadelphia or Chicago will not make up for the loss of a car's ability to hear AMs like 560 or 1000 or 1200 in Chicago (to name a couple of moderate coverage AMs) but an HD of any of the Sears* or Hancock full signal stations will be very competitive.

* I know... but to me it will always be the Sears, just like the one next to Grand Central Station in NYC will be the Pan Am building.

I don't disagree, but if you're concerned about car companies discontinuing AM receivers and you want something that's more universally available to receive OTA, HD can be limited. As has been discussed on this site more than a few times, "table top" radios can be difficult to find, nearly non-existent in brick and mortar big box and electronics stores, and the last 2 vehicles I purchased didn't offer HD, even as an option.

Then again, even the vehicle I bought 5 years ago has the ability to act as a WiFi hotspot and up to 5 mobile devices in and around the vehicle can connect up to it (subscription required), so before long many cars, even the cheaper models, will potentially make even FM less relevant.

 

[snowdog88]

DJ on SiriusXM's The Highway channel -- Ashley something, didn't catch the last name -- made a joke about Ford's announcement earlier tonight. Punch line was, "I dunno, I'll kinda miss the white noise." She's 35. Wonder when the last time she listened to AM was -- probably before she could drive, sitting in the back seat of Daddy's car and rolling her eyes as Daddy listened to sports play by play or Rush.

Probably grew up listening to Radio Disney, which was primarily on AM from its launch in 1996 up until 2002 when it started being carried on Sirius and XM Radio, as well as Music Choice later on. Another primary AM network targeted towards kids at that time was Radio AAHS, which lasted from 1992 to early 1998 when it shut down due to Radio Disney's competition.

Myself, being about the same age, would have never even thought about flipping to the AM band if it wasn't for Radio Disney broadcasting on AM 1260, which affiliated in June 1998, and not catching my attention until early 2000.

 

[radiofollower]

The smart operators put some of their major AMs on an FM simulcast some time ago. And not an LPFM, but a full up FM. WFAN and WINS in New York. WBBM in Chicago. KNX in L.A. KCBS in San Francisco, WSB Atlanta and others. They saw the clock ticking on AM. Electrical interference is worse than ever. Night time interference has increased. I suppose that if you really want, you can get an aftermarket AM converter (which will probably be more common if/when this goes through).

 

[davideduardo]

The smart operators put some of their major AMs on an FM simulcast some time ago. And not an LPFM, but a full up FM. WFAN and WINS in New York. WBBM in Chicago. KNX in L.A. KCBS in San Francisco, WSB Atlanta and others. They saw the clock ticking on AM. Electrical interference is worse than ever. Night time interference has increased. I suppose that if you really want, you can get an aftermarket AM converter (which will probably be more common if/when this goes through).

Several of the cases you reference are very recent (months, not years), such as WINS and KNX or relatively recent like WBBM and WSB.

 

[vchimpanzee]

They can listen to music or watch programming on the TV. Few listen to OTA radio, so hotels don't bother spending the money to buy one for each and every room in their facility.

Where do you listen to music on the TV?

Some years ago there was a station with announcements on the screen and smooth jazz at the beach.

And there was one channel with a variety of programming but if there was no need for audio, such as when they showed mug shots of wanted criminals, the channel would have Music Choice Easy Listening (much more traditional than smooth jazz). I know this from asking the cable company on the phone. What was really weird was when they'd do the real estate classifieds. Each company would have its on music as an introduction and then as someone on screen showed a property, the Music Choice music would play in the background. Yeah, real professional. I did enjoy the music.

 

[snowdog88]

The smart operators put some of their major AMs on an FM simulcast some time ago. And not an LPFM, but a full up FM. WFAN and WINS in New York. WBBM in Chicago. KNX in L.A. KCBS in San Francisco, WSB Atlanta and others. They saw the clock ticking on AM. Electrical interference is worse than ever. Night time interference has increased. I suppose that if you really want, you can get an aftermarket AM converter (which will probably be more common if/when this goes through).

So how long will it be until iHeart Radio bumps programming off of one of their full power FM stations in favor for a WTAM simulcast? (I'm aware that they have a low power FM repeater, but it's very limited to the downtown area). Could iHeart then reprogram WTAM for something else? Maybe even sell it off?

I'm also surprised that iHeart hasn't tried simulcasting WTAM on another station's HD subchannel, particularly on WMJI.

 

[Rusty Muck]

So how long will it be until iHeart Radio bumps programming off of one of their full power FM stations in favor for a WTAM simulcast? (I'm aware that they have a low power FM repeater, but it's very limited to the downtown area). Could iHeart then reprogram WTAM for something else? Maybe even sell it off?

I'm also surprised that iHeart hasn't tried simulcasting WTAM on another station's HD subchannel, particularly on WMJI.

It’s probably more likely in the coming years that WTAM—or what it left of it—becomes a relay station for a regional or national news service a la the Black Information Network on WMMS-HD2/W256BT 99.1. The talk format as-is isn’t really worth blowing up any of their existing FM stations over.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Several of the cases you reference are very recent (months, not years), such as WINS and KNX or relatively recent like WBBM and WSB.

Bonneville might have been the better example when they moved the established formats on WTOP, KIRO and KTAR onto full-power FMs in the mid-2000s, or Emmis moving WIBC onto FM. WTOP’s replacement was a talk format in a joint venture with the WaPo, while all the other stations adopted sports formats.