Is this a sign of the future for AM Radio?

[michael hagerty]

From what I can tell, late model cars no longer have headlight dimmer switches.

They do. They are still on the turn signal stalk. Some have automatic dimming, but you can manually override that,

 

[DavidEduardo]

I dug a little deeper, and it was part of something called "The Infinite Dial," done by Edison Research. The article went on to talk about many other ways people listen to radio beyond the traditional home radio. To put it in context, the broader question is how do people listen to music? They used to buy CDs or records, bring them home, and play them on home stereos. Now, maybe 10% of the people do that. But back when they listened to CDs on home stereos, they also listened to radio. It wasn't a one-or-the-other thing. What we see is that while they don't buy CDs any more, they still listen to radio. So the real story here is the decline of the CD and the rise of streaming, with the monetization of the music business shifting from hard product to soft. All of that is happening while radio listening continues, because radio listening is a different process than listening to personal music.

Another thing that Larry Rosen's "Infinate Dial" showed was the decline, decade to decade, of rock. In many cases in these Radio Discussions threads, the ascent or descent of a particular music genre or format is being confused with the radio industry in general.

 

[anotherguyTN]

They do. They are still on the turn signal stalk. Some have automatic dimming, but you can manually override that,

He may have been joking like I was about people in my area not using turn signals.

And I'd be for requiring automatic dimmers on all new cars. The problem with some headlights is that even on dim they're very bright and some car owners will buy even brighter ones.

 

[kenglish]

He may have been joking like I was about people in my area not using turn signals.

And I'd be for requiring automatic dimmers on all new cars. The problem with some headlights is that even on dim they're very bright and some car owners will buy even brighter ones.

A few localities are starting to enforce laws on those after-market LED lights. I was driving home from the post office one afternoon, and a tricked-out pickup got behind me in the adjacent lane. I was nearly blinded for the next three blocks, due to the brief exposure to those multiple light bars. I seriously doubt he needed them, as it was 2 PM.

 

[awsherrill]

He may have been joking like I was about people in my area not using turn signals.

I was joking. I guess I forgot to include the

Yes, cars still have headlight dimmers, but there is an astonishingly large percentage of drivers that don't seem to know headlight etiquette. Or any other etiquette.

 

[vchimpanzee]

They do. They are still on the turn signal stalk.

And I didn't know that, so the driver who flashed his lights at me finally got mad and decided "See how YOU like it!"

How they got on bright I don't know but the next time I went to a full service gas station I asked how to turn them off.

 

[michael hagerty]

And I didn't know that, so the driver who flashed his lights at me finally got mad and decided "See how YOU like it!"

How they got on bright I don't know but the next time I went to a full service gas station I asked how to turn them off.

Please tell me this was a long time ago. European cars began using the turn signal stalk for dimmers in the 1960s and American cars made the switch in the 70s and early 80s. The last holdout was the full-size Ford van, which kept the floor switch until 1991.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Please tell me this was a long time ago. European cars began using the turn signal stalk for dimmers in the 1960s and American cars made the switch in the 70s and early 80s. The last holdout was the full-size Ford van, which kept the floor switch until 1991.

It was a 1984 Buick. Still, I had always used a button on the floor.

I had the Buick from 2000 to 2008 and kept it just for taking the trash to the dump until I gave up on trying to sell it for a good price. Around that time recycling in a large container became available in my community and I got a container for regular trash too.

 

[scottybk]

It was a 1984 Buick. Still, I had always used a button on the floor.

I had the Buick from 2000 to 2008 and kept it just for taking the trash to the dump until I gave up on trying to sell it for a good price. Around that time recycling in a large container became available in my community and I got a container for regular trash too.

I had a 1973 BMW that had the turn signal stalk on the right side of the steering column (and yes the car was configured otherwise in conventional US fashion). So you pushed it up for a left turn and down for a right turn. It's the only car I've ever seen sold in US with a R hand mounted turn signal. Also had a very nice Blauplunk AM/FM radio with slide rule dial and pushbuttons.

 

[Kelly A]

I'm amazed at the numbers of cars, trucks, and SUV's that drive well into night without their headlights on. Totally clueless.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I'm amazed at the numbers of cars, trucks, and SUV's that drive well into night without their headlights on. Totally clueless.

I definitely think that some people drive with their daytime running lights on instead of the regular headlights at night. My wife's car has an auto setting that turns the headlights on automatically when it gets dark but she doesn't use it.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I'm amazed at the numbers of cars, trucks, and SUV's that drive well into night without their headlights on. Totally clueless.

I've noticed the same thing, but have a theory: Years ago the illumination lights for the speedometer and other dashboard devices only came on if the headlights were turned on. When it was dark you would immediately know to turn on the headlights because you could no longer see the speedometer, etc. Nowadays lots of cars have speedometer/dashboard lights that are on all the time, so if people are driving where there is a lot of outside lighting they tend to not realize the headlights are still off.

Also the "auto" headlight switch is usually on the turn signal stick, and it is not that hard to inadvertently move it to "off" after frequently using turn signals.

 

[Dondd]

That item you quoted is wrong.

The national average of AM uses is about 30% of the population. And keep in mind, 10% of the population does not use radio at all, so about 33% of radio users do use AM.

The wrong figure comes out of the failure of some observers to understand the difference between the share of actual listeners at any given time and the total listeners during the course of a week.

AM in the best of markets gets well under a 20% share of listening. But AM stations are used regularly by a third of the total radio users. That is a big group to ignore.

Considering that all markets have many more full signal FMs than they have good signal AMs, that is a rather surprising and high number of regular AM users.

Count me as a regular AM listener.
I rarely, if at all, listen to commercial FM.
I've returned to NPR stations, which I find offer interesting programming and much more in-depth news than the local "news talks," which deliver pretty much only headlines, with soundbites from the local TV newscast, ala NewsChannel 8 (WFLA-TV).

 

[vchimpanzee]

Count me as a regular AM listener.
I rarely, if at all, listen to commercial FM.
I've returned to NPR stations, which I find offer interesting programming and much more in-depth news than the local "news talks," which deliver pretty much only headlines, with soundbites from the local TV newscast, ala NewsChannel 8 (WFLA-TV).

There's not much for me on FM either.

 

[CTListener]

There's not much for me on FM either.

Have you tried WJMJ at wjmj.org or direct link at WJMJ-FM -- a wide variety of generally softer music from midnight to 7 p.m. daily, classical music and CCM in the evenings. The station is run by the Archdiocese of Hartford, so you get three brief breaks per hour for Catholic teachings, but the music mix is unique.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Have you tried WJMJ at wjmj.org or direct link at WJMJ-FM -- a wide variety of generally softer music from midnight to 7 p.m. daily, classical music and CCM in the evenings. The station is run by the Archdiocese of Hartford, so you get three brief breaks per hour for Catholic teachings, but the music mix is unique.

I have many online options. FM is something I listen to in the house on Saturday morning, or in the car, only I rarely do unless I'm on my way to the beach or the mountains. And I won't have Rush on the way to the beach, so this year isn't looking too good.