I was a listener and supporter of WRNI. Had no problem listening to it on AM. If anything, 1290 has a competitive signal as good as any of the other players in the area. It's sound is very FM like. Even now playing music really stands out for AM. I've become a fan of their Sunday AM Jazz show. Unfortunitely, when they did what they called "the big switch", I couldn't recieve them 1/2 as good as they were before. They are on pretty much the worst signals in the state. Around the same time WGBH expanded their NPR coverage, and been hooked ever since, and have no problem listening anywhere.