I was a huge listener to am, but over the years it has declined to basically none. I grew tired of right wing angry white man talk, right wing Jesus talk or sports talk mostly about teams and issues I have limited interest in
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Which AM stations do you still listen to on a regular (or every day) basis?
- Thread starter fordranger797
- Start date
When I go to Chicago I keep WBBM on 780 so I don't have to fish for it among all the FM stations. At home in St. Louis I still have a preset for KMOX 1120, although most of the time I listen to it on 104.1.
On Sunday mornings I'll listen to The Yacht Club on WNAV 1430 Annapolis. On the occasions I'm out at night I'll tune in CFZM 740 Toronto. But right now I'm not listening to any radio on a daily basis. There are a few moderately interesting stations on the band within an hour of me but the signal is pretty rough by the time it gets to me. (WKDI 840 Denton, MD with southern gospel out of NC, WNCL 930 Milford, DE with classic hits, WKHZ 1460 Easton, MD just went back to oldies.)
Hartland, VT (Hanover/Lebanon/White River Junction market)
No AM listening at all. Other than an occasional band scan to see what's out there around sunset, I haven't listened to a single AM station for content since moving here from Connecticut four years ago.
No AM listening at all. Other than an occasional band scan to see what's out there around sunset, I haven't listened to a single AM station for content since moving here from Connecticut four years ago.
KNX 1070, because I refuse to waste an FM preset on 97.1. Lol
Why would you have to "fish for it" on an FM radio made in the last 35 years? Analog tuning with AFC went out with the Reagan administration.
KCBS, mostly. Sometimes KNX because despite being so much farther away, it often has a clearer signal than KCBS, I think because it's nondirectional.
When I get bored of the news and it's after dark, I'll listen to some noce oldies on KYNO 940. There's another oldies station out of Eureka (KEJB 1480) that filters in sometimes, so I'll check out if KYNO is in a commercial break or I'm not interested in a particular song to se if KEJB is in. Usually all I get is either static or vestiges of KVNR, though.
I check out KXBX 1270 once in awhile, and I'd listen more, but a solid 90% of the time, they don't really play anything particularly interesting.
Beyond that, there isn't really anything else worth listening to, on either AM or FM.
c
When I get bored of the news and it's after dark, I'll listen to some noce oldies on KYNO 940. There's another oldies station out of Eureka (KEJB 1480) that filters in sometimes, so I'll check out if KYNO is in a commercial break or I'm not interested in a particular song to se if KEJB is in. Usually all I get is either static or vestiges of KVNR, though.
I check out KXBX 1270 once in awhile, and I'd listen more, but a solid 90% of the time, they don't really play anything particularly interesting.
Beyond that, there isn't really anything else worth listening to, on either AM or FM.
c
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I bought a new (to me) car last summer, and I can count on one finger the times I've used the FM tuner. I switch between satellite and Spotify, and I'm getting a bit tired of Sirius/XM if I'm being honest. As the Bruce Springsteen song goes, "57 Channels and nothing on."
AM radio? I think the last time I had a preset on my car radio for an AM station was around the time when "AM Radio" by Everclear was a current.
My daily station here in the Southwest part of Nova Scotia is 1370 WDEA in Ellsworth Maine. It's always on when I am in my workshop. I much prefer their music than what's on the local station here. It comes in quite clear daytimes. They also broadcast the Red Sox games too, which I rather enjoy while puttering in my workshop.
Being originally from the Boston area, I do sometimes try some night listening to see if I can catch any stations from that area as well.
Being originally from the Boston area, I do sometimes try some night listening to see if I can catch any stations from that area as well.
*My local, WLIP, has a couple decent "live and local" talk shows (and no translator)
*WRJN is an OK, if predictable, oldies station, but they have a local translator
*WGN occasionally for John Landecker or Rollye James
*WSSP has about the best Packers coverage around (but not the games)
*CFZM has Saturday Night Bandstand. Interesting music mix, with a lot of CanCon not heard here
*WRJN is an OK, if predictable, oldies station, but they have a local translator
*WGN occasionally for John Landecker or Rollye James
*WSSP has about the best Packers coverage around (but not the games)
*CFZM has Saturday Night Bandstand. Interesting music mix, with a lot of CanCon not heard here
AM 950 KTNF, afternoon drive. Liberal Talk.
620 WKHB - Irwin, PA
770 WKFB - Jeanette, PA
810 WEDO - McKeesport, PA
Basically because they all play music that holds nostalgia value for me and they're lite on the commercials.
770 WKFB - Jeanette, PA
810 WEDO - McKeesport, PA
Basically because they all play music that holds nostalgia value for me and they're lite on the commercials.
Charlotte NC area:
63 Big WAYS, 50s-60s oldies, owned by a man whose classic rock leaning FM does well 12-plus. There are advertisers, and each hour has a sponsor for the entire hour in addition to others.
WZKY 1580 plays oldies from the late 50s through the 80s but sometimes I get lucky and most of the songs are good while I am in the car. Lots of local advertising, and local news, both of which are also on a co-owned AM with mostly syndicated conservative talkers.
WBT 1110 Smooth jazz, but the same few songs over and over until they figure out what to do now that they've moved conservative talk and news to their FM. When Rush was still alive, I had more reason to listen, and until the current "format", I had no reason to even have a button.
WAME 550 Classic country, but I don't even think about it unless I'm on my way to the mountains.
WSAT 1280 was 60-80s but now 70s-80s and even 90s and I just don't even want to bother these days.
Once a year, WMNC 1430 even better classic country on the way to the mountains, and WBRM 1250 east of Asheville where there are fewer classics but at least there are some. Last year it was also on WZGM 1350 but I hear that station is off the air. Don't know what I'll end up with if I go this year.
Once a year on the way to the beach, WIOZ 550 which is America's Best Music, where all the songs seem to be oldies rather than standards but I might get lucky and hear one standard.
At the beach there was WWHK Hank FM, classic country, at 1450 but I hear that's off the air.
63 Big WAYS, 50s-60s oldies, owned by a man whose classic rock leaning FM does well 12-plus. There are advertisers, and each hour has a sponsor for the entire hour in addition to others.
WZKY 1580 plays oldies from the late 50s through the 80s but sometimes I get lucky and most of the songs are good while I am in the car. Lots of local advertising, and local news, both of which are also on a co-owned AM with mostly syndicated conservative talkers.
WBT 1110 Smooth jazz, but the same few songs over and over until they figure out what to do now that they've moved conservative talk and news to their FM. When Rush was still alive, I had more reason to listen, and until the current "format", I had no reason to even have a button.
WAME 550 Classic country, but I don't even think about it unless I'm on my way to the mountains.
WSAT 1280 was 60-80s but now 70s-80s and even 90s and I just don't even want to bother these days.
Once a year, WMNC 1430 even better classic country on the way to the mountains, and WBRM 1250 east of Asheville where there are fewer classics but at least there are some. Last year it was also on WZGM 1350 but I hear that station is off the air. Don't know what I'll end up with if I go this year.
Once a year on the way to the beach, WIOZ 550 which is America's Best Music, where all the songs seem to be oldies rather than standards but I might get lucky and hear one standard.
At the beach there was WWHK Hank FM, classic country, at 1450 but I hear that's off the air.
If anyone wonders why an AM is playing smooth jazz
1110 New Format This has been going on since January and so has discussion.
1110 New Format This has been going on since January and so has discussion.
I wonder if they could simply switch the two frequencies. 1440 still has excellent range during the daytime at least. Either that, or Mother Hubbard could try to apply for a construction permit to increase KAZG's nighttime power to 500 watts or something (which they could easily do if they wanted imo).
Since another fellow Phoenician has already responded, I'll (try to) keep my response brief:
I almost entirely listen to AM radio. Lucky for us over in Phoenix, we actually have a somewhat decent amount of diversity aside from the typical talk station.
My go-to stations are:
I almost entirely listen to AM radio. Lucky for us over in Phoenix, we actually have a somewhat decent amount of diversity aside from the typical talk station.
My go-to stations are:
- 550 - KFYI: On rare occasions, I might tune in to get some perspective on current events, but the hard Right chatter gets old really quick these days.
- 830 - KDRI: I keep this station saved as a preset, but I mainly only listen when KAZG 1440 is serving as an overflow for KDUS 1060 (typically only on weekends).
- 1260 - KBSZ: Out of Apache Junction, this station started airing a mostly Jazz format back in September. Although they don't quite make it into Phoenix at night, they offer a unique playlist that no other station seems to touch these days.
- 1280 - KXEG: I first discovered this station when they were a soft oldies station called "MeTV FM" and later a nameless KAZG-type oldies station, but they since have moved on to play a Spanish AC format like their sister station KNNR 1400 in Reno, NV called "Radio Xtasis". Ironically, KNNR appears to be going by the wayside according to the rumor mill over on Facebook, although the official reason for going silent is listed as "technical issues". Honestly, I'm not sure why I like this station as much as I do. Their programming director just seems to have the playlist on-point (although they were better back when they were only in Reno).
- 1440 - KAZG: Easily the best oldies station in the Phoenix area and the reason I found myself interested in AM radio in the first place.
- And, for a bit of shameless self-promotion, I have a couple of Part 15 stations: one on 1540 and another on 1690. You can faintly pick these up within a 2-3 mile radius during daytime, although skywave propagation from distant licensed stations cripple their signals to just my block at night. Currently, 1540 plays a KAZG-inspired oldies format and 1690 plays an 80s/90s alternative format. The goal is to build a playlist inspired by the original Radio Xtasis to play on 1690, but it's still in the works.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channelâ„¢
Any two stations co-owned in a market can swap call letters and formats whenever they think it will result in an improvement in ad sales. It happens on FM from time to time, so why not on AM?
Not knowing what the protected night contours are for KAZG, I will not comment. But I bet @fybush will.