It's always interesting to read the posts from those who not only proclaim that AM is dead, but talk like everyone else should agree and turn in their licenses.
Having owned 3 of them and now engineering enough to live reasonably well as a contractor for a few smaller groups, I would respectfully disagree. I would imagine that some, with an actual dog in the hunt, might feel the same way.
It's been observed that AM sites may be more expensive to maintain, compared to many FM installations. That might not be universally true, once you factor in the recurring fees that are charged for a little piece of (insert major commercial landlord(s)) tower to hang your antenna on.
Not all AM real estate is worth more than the towers they host. Those that are just garner more attention... like occasional airplane wrecks vs daily car crashes.
While the mainstream audience may have migrated away from AM, they have been replaced by folks who might have been lucky to afford LPFM, not too long ago. For many of them, the audience doesn't care whether they're AM, FM, shortwave or 2 cans and a string. If they're looking to hear what the broadcaster has to say, the medium isn't necessarily that important (music formats aside).
Well-supported niche applications are everywhere. As a longtime drive-in theatre owner, I have some first-hand knowledge of this. Talk, news, religion and ethnic programming still find homes on AM.
With only a couple of exceptions, my clients take reasonably good care of their properties and allow me anything I need to keep their sites reliable and compliant. That's not to say I don't have a dump or two on the list, but the ratio is much lower than some here might want to believe.
Most of my clients are not talking about losing their shorts to AM. One, in fact, is in the process of picking up at least 2 or 3 of them from mainstream broadcasters who have thrown in the towel on the medium. Granted, these are not top-40 broadcasters, hoping for national ad buys.
None of my sites is operating junk in primary positions. In the past 2 years, I've installed 4 new Nautels as replacements for older rigs. In the next couple of weeks, we'll be retiring a working DAX to standby service to a new Nautel. People who have abandoned the medium might be more inclined to look for a few foreign jugs for their old Bauer. Come to think of it, I have 2 of those rigs I'd be thrilled to hand over to a ham operator around here. If the medium was so worthless and dead, I doubt I'd be seeing any new equipment rolling in the door.
Format and band crowding discussions are pointless, and only serve to highlight the personal positions of one vs another. Everyone I work for/around got their licenses by following the rules and regs applicable at the time. Moral and personal choice opinions (do we really need another one of those on the dial) are amusing since everyone is free to make use of the same pathways to broadcasting and, once there, can pretty much do whatever they want with it. The difference is that some, have... and some who haven't, content themselves by throwing rocks from a distance (yes, I know there are exceptions).
As for KIXI begging... they're not the only one soliciting for subsistence in the Seattle area. Another for-profit operator has beat them to it. They are clear that the "offerings" are not tax deductible and make no pretense as to why they're asking for help. If their audience is willing to support them in that way, more power to them, imo.
Mixed- for / non-profit incomes are nothing new, either. Kings Garden, now Crista, has done this for decades. KGDN (now KCIS) vs KBIQ (now KCMS) are good examples, as well as the income producing branches of Crista in general. Another religious broadcaster here also does both forms of fundraising and operates on AM and FM, both reserved band and above. So long as they program appropriately, and separate the income and pay taxes on the commercial side, they appear to be OK.
