NAB debating the future life or death of AM Radio

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Yet I can think of no faster way nor more convenient to get local information out to the public & it still has its own infrastructure. If the web goes down any streams are toast.

The web going down is no more likely today than is your favorite radio station going down. Streams are NOT what I see people using as a replacement for radio. They set up Google Alerts and other similar devices that "grab them by the collar and yell Read This".... it is a topic that you are following.

How many stations actually deliver "convenient local information" today? One of the most enjoyable things I ever did as a broadcaster was to be The News Department of a local station. I gave some thought to focusing on that and getting some additional formal education on the subject and making that my specialty for a lifetime career. I look back on all that fondly, but then I realize that there is a very limited career path today for doing "local information on the radio". I would rank "caring for shoes on horses" as being more financially viable.

Of course there is the humorous side of that choice: Either way you will find yourself working around horses rear-ends every day.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

At least if the web goes down you know someone will notice. If your favorite station goes down well it could take awhile before anyone notices that it's not on.

At the last station I worked for we couldn't listen to the air signal because of the 10 second delay we had on all the time (thanks to the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction). We had warning lights to tell us if the air signal or stream was down. We were told that the stream being down was just as important as the air signal! That was in 2007. I'd bet now it's more important that the air signal in their opinion.

 

[vchimpanzee]

At least if the web goes down you know someone will notice. If your favorite station goes down well it could take awhile before anyone notices that it's not on.

At the last station I worked for we couldn't listen to the air signal because of the 10 second delay we had on all the time (thanks to the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction). We had warning lights to tell us if the air signal or stream was down. We were told that the stream being down was just as important as the air signal! That was in 2007. I'd bet now it's more important that the air signal in their opinion.

My favorite pop station airs Mike Huckabee three times a day. The station owner (or someone) is usually there at 8:30, but today Jeff Rollins started his morning show early. Meaning it was automated. No Huckabee. Obituaries are read at noon so someone is there for that, assuming they are done on holidays too. At 3 they are obviously automated because the same glitch happens day after day. Today nothing happened for several minutes and then Carl Hampton or whoever came on in the middle of a sentence. You never know what will happen after that 3:00 broadcast since it's not timed according to what the Dial Global people are doing.

 

[jefflaurence]

AM stereo stations seemed to just sound better. Even in mono. Probably because there was some thought and pride put into the technical "sound" of the station. There were processors that polished the music, and really approached FM quality. Many many stations still have C-Quam exciters in their racks, and could fire them up again. Radios are still sold in Japan, and available. I bought one last year.

Here's the technical problem. The populus has been conditioned to view AM as obsolete, and not as good as FM...and of course for many that is true. They are not in the habit of even checking out AM. Manufacturers are omitting the entire band in many new units. (something I see the FCC as totally ignoring..typical)

But the overal "dissing" of technical quality hasn't been exclusive to terrestrial broadcasters. Listen to Sirius these days. The bandwidth squashing has many streams sounding worse than out of phase cassettes. Horrible.

But lack of attention to programming continuity is KILLING radio. Way too many stations have hours and hours of spots playing over spots. Music files that cut off mid-song.. Voice tracking out of sync with the program material. I heard a station in Asheville that had a hard drive "hang" repeating, "...just 99 down, and you drive!""...just 99 down, and you drive!.."...just 99 down, and you drive! For nearly 45 minutes! C'mon. Nobody will sit through that.

And the chance that "breaking news" will be aired, is a dice roll. Maybe..maybe not.

The operators don't care because they think listeners don't care. Eventually they won't

I am amused by FEMA installing all of these 5000 watt Nautel transmitters in Faraday cages all over the country supposedly to "inform the public" of an impending disaster. (look up FEMA transmitter installations).

http://www.engineeringradio.us/blog...l-with-those-fema-dhs-am-backup-transmitters/

and very few will know even how to tune in an AM station..assuming they can find a new receiver that still includes good old 530-1710. These transmitters aren't even attached to an antenna. I am sure right after a catastrophic EMP or nuclear attack.. the CE (presuming there IS one around) will run right out there right away to hook up an ATU and a heavy coax cable in the middle of flames, and rioting.

 

[TheBigA]

Too many stations, too little money.

 

[704djs]

Most station have one format and really don't focus on the market that there are in. But i have seen a lot of new born program director try to program station, with out the know how nor the knowledge of the foundation of programing.