Those doggone laws of physics keep getting in the way of what would be an unpopular plan.
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Saving AM Radio
- Thread starter BruceB
- Start date
I think that was my fault. Sorry!
I'd love to hear more about AMRadioGuy's market, which seems to be caught in a time warp back to the late 70s and early 80s or something (when all the things he mentions were still somewhat common on AM, at least in smaller markets (SF had Beautiful Music (then variations on adult standards and Big Band/Swing) via KABL 960 AM as recently as 2004).
I see. That makes sense.
It's been around longer than that. I discovered it sometime during late 2020 or early 2021, and while I don't *think* there are any signs on 24, there are signs for it along Mount Diablo Blvd.
I haven't tried to see if it's receivable in Oakland, as I don't get over there very often, but if you're near the top of the hills within sight of Orinda, I'm sure you could get it with a good radio and antenna.
c
I'm pretty sure AMRadioGuy is talking about Pittsburgh.
The jazz station, WZUM 1550, exists on AM only to feed its translator at 101.1.
The beautiful music station, KQV 1410, is a passion project for an unusual solo owner, Bob Stevens, who saved that license from dying completely. It simulcasts with a non-commercial FM he runs to the east on 88.1, and it's basically a hobby supported by the leased time foreign language, religion and medical quackery programming he sells on his other AMs and translators.
It's neat that they exist, but I wouldn't nominate either AM as an example of a "thriving AM station," per se. I'm quite certain WZUM would turn off the AM tomorrow if they could.
The jazz station, WZUM 1550, exists on AM only to feed its translator at 101.1.
The beautiful music station, KQV 1410, is a passion project for an unusual solo owner, Bob Stevens, who saved that license from dying completely. It simulcasts with a non-commercial FM he runs to the east on 88.1, and it's basically a hobby supported by the leased time foreign language, religion and medical quackery programming he sells on his other AMs and translators.
It's neat that they exist, but I wouldn't nominate either AM as an example of a "thriving AM station," per se. I'm quite certain WZUM would turn off the AM tomorrow if they could.
There is indeed but all I hear is buzzing. Didn't happen on the strongest stations on FM, though where I put it eventually, I don't get the station I wanted. I figure only a talk station won't be annoying when I wake up.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Sounds like that electrical interference we've been talking about over and over (and over) in this thread.
The other thing is that satellite transmissions are on frequencies where the wavelength is shorter than the height or width of the device. The problem with FM is that it required an external antenna as nothing useful would fit inside the case. So those phones that were FM compatible used the headphone wire as the antenna. When apple made earbuds wireless, that option disappeared.Because you can do things with satellite that you can't with FM:
Connect to a satellite with your iPhone - Apple Support
With iPhone 14 or later (all models), you can connect your iPhone to a satellite to text emergency services, request roadside assistance, message friends and family, and share your location — all while you're off the grid with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.support.apple.com
Such as GPS and that kind of thing
As the former owner of a Beautiful Music syndicator I can say "amen" to your point. The format died at the end of the 80's and there is no way to make it work now.
And I get it; a few participants on this site are fans of long-departed (with good reason) formats like BM and Smooth Jazz. But hijacking a thread about the future of AM then taking it to another discussion about BM? I can't help but call it what it is; hijacking the thread.
Of course, they are....wait for it....outliers.
What's the worst penalty possible? Right now, it's license revocation, assuming the station has been on the air and is paid up on its fees with the commission. Aside from revocation being unlikely, how much of a penalty is it, really, in an era where licenses are being turned in voluntarily?
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Two possible explanations come to mind: Either they know that a thread started specifically about those formats would not attract the kind of post totals that an existing and hijackable thread already has ... or they know already that there won't be any support for their cherished dead formats, and are gluttons for punishment by bringing them up.
You are correct! The market is indeed Pittsburgh. Stevens is an unusual owner for sure, but I'd venture to guess (and I seem to recall Clarke Ingram who worked for him saying) that he does make a modest living running his stations. They are certainly an interesting and very enjoyable listen.
I also wouldn't nominate WZUM or KQV as an example of a thriving AM station, but then again, there aren't many of those left hence this thread.
Though WZUM's AM doesn't come in great where I reside, the FM doesn't come in at all.
The AM dial in Pittsburgh is certainly more interesting than most places I've been (though perhaps not more lucrative, not sure).
Agreed. Hence KQV's non-commercial status. There would be no way to make that work as a commercial operation.
No need to apologize. Pittsburgh is the market. PM me for more detail if you're curious.
In all fairness, this thread has been all over the place. See earlier on this page, a discussion about a clock radio... Or Kinescopes. Or broadband internet. The OP designated the thread to be about what a person would do if on a task force assigned by the FCC and the recommendations they would make. Thread's not been there in a while.
My intent was not to create a discussion about beautiful music (nor was I suggesting that it is a viable format in 2024). I was illustrating that in some places, there are still a lot of AM stations worth listening to, on a thread about saving AM radio.
BM & SJ are dead? Well... so is AM radio according to a lot of folks on this thread and forum😂
As far as my recommendation, as was asked by the OP: as many have said here, interference is a huge problem. Unfortunately, the ship has probably largely sailed there. The FCC actually enforcing the rules against interference would be a step, though. Allowing stations more daytime bandwidth, as was the case before the 90s, would help increase audio quality, too.
That CP has been on the books for around 15 years and no movement. If I remember the application correctly, it requires removing 2 existing towers to then add 3 towers to make the new 4 tower setup. So it’s not just adding a 4th tower, much more work. Birach owns WDMV, I don’t see it happening.
All true, but when a majority long-forgotten format like BM comes into the discussion, it usually spirals into a Metamucil-fueled trip down memory lane that has nothing to do with the OP. Before it made that sudden swerve into the guard rail off the road into a swamp, I thought it would be prudent to call attention that BM wasn't a thing anymore and certainly not as a savior to AM stations.
But here's the thing.. Increasing bandwidth, trying to resurrect failed AM stereo, or even going full digital MA-3, isn't going to help inherent problems with Amplitude Modulation in the Medium Wave band. Noise from everything including modern consumer devices, EV speed controls, to public transportation, and Faraday Cage effects won't be solved by modulation tricks. Nor will audiences under 55 be returning in the future due to lack of compelling programming combined with competitive audio quality.
In other words, AM broadcasting has a finite future, just like it's listeners.
Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what long discarded formats and technology actually is...
I believe the same could be said for KHTS Canyon Country (Santa Clarita), CA on 1220. I think now at least 90% of listeners are tuned in to their translator on 98.1 (K251CF). We can even hear that here in the far southwest portion of the SFV.
That Birach even exists as an owner of these forgotten, forlorn AMs just shows how far gone much of the AM band truly is.
Increasing bandwidth will not help as today's typical AM radios with digital tuning in both cars and portables have a fixed narrow I.F. bandpass (typically + or - 2.5 to 3 kHz. If it were allowed, a station that you think sounds awful could increase their audio response to + or - 20 kHz and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The fidelity problem is almost entirely due to your radio's tuner design.
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How about a 6 dB boost at 3kHz in the AM broadcast with a sharp cutoff at 4kHz (also would help to limit interference with nearby [frequency wise] AM signals)?
Kirk Bayne
Just a clarification…Apple has never provided FM radio capabilities in any of the iPhone models. The Broadcom chip in iPhones includes FM radio support but Apple never enabled this feature.
I used a Google Nexus Android phone about a decade ago that included FM radio support. If I attempted to use the FM tuner app without wired headphones, I would receive an error message prompting me to plug in the headphones. If I attempted to use the FM radio app when my wireless earbuds were paired, I would receive an error message prompting me to unpair them. There’s nothing preventing Apple from implementing this logic in an FM app on the iPhone similar to the FM app on the iPod Nano.
Except they removed the headphone jack about 8 years ago with the iPhone 7, so there's no way to use that as an antenna anymore. I suppose the charger cord could be somehow used instead, but it'd probably be more trouble than it's worth.
Incidentally, I have an old iPod Nano that has an FM radio. I've never used it as there was never any need, but it's good to know it's there, I guess?
c