Is AM dead?

[johntherogger]

Seems to me like AM stations, even powerhouses are moving toward some type of FM simulcast. Does this mean it's the official end of the AM Band?

And if it does, what becomes of the AM band?

Will it just be a home for Christian organizations trying to reach people, burnt out comedy formats, 50's and 60's rock and roll, standards and classic country? Or is it just "done" and will vanish in thin air?

Would love to see what you all think.

I personally see AM sticking around on lower stations for local talk/news (specifically in small communities) and larger powerhouse stations giving music a try again...like smooth jazz, standards and old time country/rock and roll.

I mean...could you imagine? "This is NewsRadio 98.1 KMBC Kansas City vs Classic Country 980 KMBC?" as an example?

 

[K6JHU]

This is a long running thread that surfaces on a regular basis. let em see if I can summarize

The 50kw blow torches still have a commanding market share in the major cities. While they may have an FM simulcast, their AM signal is not going to go away. Nor is the AM band about to be regulated out of existence.

Lower power stations will be killed by the increase in noise caused by power lines, computers, light bulbs, etc. And that is not counting the AM IBOC (which is also considered to be dead or dying).

Music is dead on AM except for ethnic, oldies, and MOYL and the occasional format dump.

Any other from previous threads that I have missed?

 

[KeithE4]

This is a long running thread that surfaces on a regular basis. let em see if I can summarize

The 50kw blow torches still have a commanding market share in the major cities. While they may have an FM simulcast, their AM signal is not going to go away.

If an Ancient Modulation station can cover 100% of its metro clearly, 24 hours a day (read: 5 to 50 kW, depending on the size of the metro and dial position, and a non-directional antenna), it has a better chance of surviving. Few can do that. The metro areas got bigger, while station coverage did not.

Nor is the AM band about to be regulated out of existence.

It may fall into relative disuse, but the Medium Wave broadcast band ain't goin' nowhere. For starters, it would take an act of the ITU to do this. Plus the fact that frequencies below 88 MHz, let alone 1.7 MHz, have little-to-no commercial value anymore (we're seeing what a disaster DTV is at low-VHF). The only folks that would want it would be hams - and we'll take anything that's available. ;D

Lower power stations will be killed by the increase in noise caused by power lines, computers, light bulbs, etc. And that is not counting the AM IBOC (which is also considered to be dead or dying).

That's been the case ever since TVs with their horizontal sweep oscillators' harmonics became common in the 1950s. New devices just make matters even worse.

Music is dead on AM except for ethnic, oldies, and MOYL and the occasional format dump.

Music sounds lousy on AM, other than pre-1975 oldies that were designed to be played on cheap record players and AM radios. FM took rock away from AM starting in the late '60s. Jazz, classical, and elevator music (the mainstays of pre-'70s FM) never sounded good on AM.

Any other from previous threads that I have missed?

Yes. Nobody younger than 50 listens to AM other than for sports. Nobody listens to AM at night other than for games - and even that's going away since the four major leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) stream all their games with no blackouts. The NBA and NHL are free, and the others are cheap. College sports, on the other hand, is still being gouged by CBS too expensive.

 

[TheBigA]

I've posted before that I feel AM, as a commercial medium, is largely dead or dying. It certainly isn't growing. But the band could see a revival if there was interest in using it for community radio. The problem is that promoters of community radio would rather be where the traffic is, and cram into an already over-crowded FM band, than have more power an freedom on AM. The FCC could take some leadership here, and come up with some plan to revive interest in AM. But that's not what the FCC does any more.

 

[secondchoice]

But that's not what the FCC does any more.

Unless there are "fees" for the commission. If the FCC could get a bunch of filing fees, then you can bet there would be some action.

 

[TheBigA]

Unless there are "fees" for the commission.

There already are.

 

[secondchoice]

I am talking about lots of "extra" fees.

 

[TheBigA]

That's how you kill the golden goose, and the FCC has already done that. If they want to fix AM, they need to be thinking in the other direction. The money has already been sucked out of that portion of the spectrum.

The real cash cow in the spectrum business is telecom. That's the FCC's main profit center, and that's also where you see most of the lobbying and "manipulation." AM isn't part of that action, which is why it's dying. And why no one in the FCC is even considering giving portions of channels 6 & 7 to AM broadcasters.

 

[secondchoice]

And why no one in the FCC is even considering giving portions of channels 6 & 7 to AM broadcasters.

True, but the old "analog" VHF channels 2 - 6 are not super digital friendly frequencies. The cell / telecom companies are not "breaking down the doors" to get it. Some of the old VHF stations that went digital on their old frequencies are jumping up to the UHF frequencies that most of the OTA went to during the digital jump (Channel 5 in Nashville for example). There are engineering heavies posting on this site that are ten times more qualified to explain, so I will leave it to them to explain. IMHO except for Channel 6 (87.7) this will be RF waste land soon.

 

[semoochie]

It looks like we're down to just a handful of truly successful money-making AMs. There aren't that many KFIs and WINSes out there. The plethora of small town AMs that control their markets will probably continue into the distant future. Even so, I'm beginning to see some fairly small market stations switch their focus to FM.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Don't expect the Telcoms or FCC to give up squat. Ever heard of White Space Networking?

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/knows/

If they would simply stop screwing up AM, go back to the bandwidth limits that made it sound good, allow AM Stereo, and promote decent receivers, AM would live on long past the usability of the bandwidth for data. It may not be a great band for music, but it sure works for voice.

 

[davideduardo]

It may not be a great band for music, but it sure works for voice.

With noise levels in most larger metros requiring a 10 to 15 mV/m signal for at home and at work listening, AM does not really work for anything unless you have a monster signal day and night over nearly one hundred percent of the market.

 

[TomZ]

AM will become a 'hit' after we are hit with EMP.

Get out the blue blade razor, a safety pin, some wire and a headphone. Find a buried pipe close to a tree and listen to the feds... oh wait; no FEMA, they'll be digging their own latrines, too.

 

[w9wi]

And why no one in the FCC is even considering giving portions of channels 6 & 7 to AM broadcasters.

True, but the old "analog" VHF channels 2 - 6 are not super digital friendly frequencies. The cell / telecom companies are not "breaking down the doors" to get it. Some of the old VHF stations that went digital on their old frequencies are jumping up to the UHF frequencies that most of the OTA went to during the digital jump (Channel 5 in Nashville for example). There are engineering heavies posting on this site that are ten times more qualified to explain, so I will leave it to them to explain. IMHO except for Channel 6 (87.7) this will be RF waste land soon.

I think the biggest problem with channels 2-6 are woefully inadequate receiving antennas. The FCC ran some tests on available indoor antennas last year. They found they were MUCH less effective on channels 7-13 than on UHF. They didn't even bother testing them on 2-6 as it was apparent they were going to be nearly useless. (many models don't even claim to work below channel 7)

Add to that:
- Noise from electric motors/bad insulators on power lines/etc.., which is worse on lower channels.
- Interference from computers & other electronic equipment, which is also worse on lower channels.
- Sporadic-E interference this time of year, ("skip") which is worse on lower channels. (this isn't nearly as bad as it was before digital transition, but there are still plenty of analog stations on 2-6 in Canada & Mexico.)
- And in some cases, badly inadequate authorized power levels.

_________________________________________________

Now, most of these reasons are *not* good reasons to not use that spectrum for FM radio. A lot of the interference won't cause nearly as much trouble for FM as it does for TV.

Probably the biggest reason for not using it for FM is that there are still TV stations there; in some cases there's nowhere else for them to go; and as the FCC tries to repack UHF to sell more of it for wireless, channels 2-6 may be the only thing that keeps many LPTV stations from being driven out of business altogether -- it may be the only place they can go.

IMHO the oft-suggested idea of reassigning channel 6 for FM is a non-starter as it cannot be used in the two largest markets (NYC and Los Angeles), nor in several other large markets including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Birmingham, and San Diego.

 

[GeneSavage]

I finally saw the slightest glimmer of hope for AM radio today. It's an extreme long shot for numerous reasons which I'll get into below, but here's the page that turned me (a little) around:

http://onlinetonegenerator.com/hearingtest.html

I'm 42, and I seem to only be hearing up to about 13,700 Hz. I'm HOPING it's my computer / speakers / headphones / amp / allergy medication... but here's the thing: many older listeners are reporting limited high-end capabilities:

...13000 50yo...

...4987 L 6483 R
59 yrs
Tinnitus doesn't help either....

...mom 43 stopped around 13500...

...12k right 13k left 42...

...11-12 KHz (and I sort-of think I may be kidding myself that I'm hearing anything for the last 500 Hz). 40 years old...

...14185 - 46 YEARS...

...I am 70 yo and have marked loss starting at 2000. I can hear this tone out to about 3500....

...OK up to 10 kHz apart from a narrow notch at 8 kHz. Age 67. I also have tinnitus at 8 kHz, following accidental exposure to very loud high frequency noise about 30 years ago....

...49. Used headphones. Right ear 12000 with a fade out between 5500-6500. Left ear 3000. Uh oh....

If you look at these (admittedly unscientific) posts, you can see that those over about 40 are doing good to get over 10K.

What that says to me (and I can already hear your objections, but hold on), is that clean broadband AM shouldn't sound much different to an older audience from FM... if any different at all.

Yes, there are two problems:

#1, the advertisers aren't looking for anyone over 45. However, if ONE station had almost ALL the listeners over 45 in a large market, wouldn't there be SOME advertisers who could keep it afloat?

#2, "clean" and "broadband" AM. I agree; unless you have 50 KW, and unless your listeners are using GE SuperRadios or something similar, this isn't happening.

Assuming you had the coverage... would it be in a station's best interest to partner with any company making broadband AM radios and give away dozens, hundreds if possible, of these broadband radios in their listening area?

A strong signal, targeted at an audience over 45, giving away broadband AM radios constantly... a long shot, yes... but I have to wonder if it MIGHT be enough to make an AM (music?) station not just survive, but possibly thrive.

...OK, feel free to start shooting holes in my theory. ;D

 

[jhguthlac]

In my market, Wilmington, Delaware, the AM share of the audience is down to 7-percent. And that is shared by 3 in-market stationsand 3 from nearby Philadelphia.

One station recently turned in its license to allow a DC station to expand on the same frequency. Another was bought by the state as a traffic station.

In short, its practically over in this market. But In Philadelphia and NYC, there is still a heart beat.

AM is not going anywhere soon nation-wide. But in some markets, the end is near.

 

[radioboy]

Tallahassee may be one of those markets where the end is near. AM listenership is less than 2 percent.

Here's what a recent visitor from Pensacola, who is also a poster on Radio-Info, had to say after a recent trip through the area:

"For a couple of decades now I've been expecting most of the 5 or 6 AM radio stations in Tally to start shutting down as their equipment falls apart. Several of them aren't worth as much as the real estate required... toss in the costs to build towers and a physical plant... just enough equipment to simulcast something off the bird... I don't think any AM in Tallahassee is worth that much money.
I wouldn't be surprised if Tallahassee became the first rated market in the country with no AM radio stations left."



I made my living in Tallahassee AM radio from 1979 to 2004 and it hasn't always been like this.
At my first radio job, the station had over a 4 share, and it was on the 1450 graveyard channel with only 250 watts at night. I worked 13 years at another back when you could take requests, etc., from listeners, and get a lot of calls from listeners. So I'm sad to see it had come to this.
Especially in the capital of Florida.

 

[joebob]

I have been reading this thread with great interest. I have a 35 year history of radio sales, managment, and on air experience. I'm currently involved with a couple of partners in the potential purchase of a stand alone AM station. I have faith in our abilities. But I do know that it will be a challenge to make it a go. The station currently breaks even with very little local effort in programming and sales. Opinions? feedback? I can't go into a lot of details on the station and market at this point. Thanks!

 

[TheBigA]

My advice is the same I give to all investors, regardless of the business:

1) Minimize your risk. Only devote as much personal money as you're willing to lose. Don't sell the house.

2) Instead, offer sweat equity. You provide your time and knowledge for a share of the profits.

3) Have a sense of humor. If you want a serious investment, this isn't it. Have fun with it, and find ways to use it to accomplish things you've never done before.

 

[radioboy]

Joebob,

In addition to what Big A said, which I think is good advice, if the station does not own its
transmitter/tower site, make sure you can find an alternative. I'm noticing that an awful lot of AM stations are going silent because they lose their tower site. I think this is more critical to AM
stations.