The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » Radio's Own Weigh In On AM's Future

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 7:28 am

This is a very long but really good article about the future of AM radio, from Newsday, that centres on Long Island but makes some great points about the band - and why those still broadcasting on it hope it sticks around for a while. One of them is the legendary Cousin Brucie, who, at 85, is still doing a weekly oldies show on WABC.

"Why take something that has reliability and is a necessity and say it's an old horse, let's bury the bones? It's not an old horse," he says. "It still has good bones and it still reaches people and reaches them efficiently and satisfies a market. That's what counts. Just don't say, 'Go away, you're old-fashioned and we don't need you anymore.' "

AM radio's future: After more than a century, is it doomed?

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 9:37 am

In finishing this very long article, I was both disturbed but not surprised by this comment from one AM station owner and an on-air talent.

"Caracciolo insists that the radio industry "will prevail" in getting automakers to install AM tuners, but that the imbroglio really masks their ultimate goal — to charge drivers for everything that comes out of the dashboard, AM included.

"As for the future host of En Vivo, Caraballo, puts it this way: "Remember when you used to buy an airline ticket and be on your way?" she says. "Now, you need to pay for every other single thing — the additional bag, the seat upgrade, or 10 dollars if you want to board first. The auto manufacturers want to do the same thing. You want access to information? Then pay for it."

"Caraballo says that will ultimately include AM, and one day FM, too. Such a radio pay-for-play future in cars would be similar to pay-for-play on TV — to wit, a cable TV model."

If that's true - and there's little doubt carmakers would love to find a way to keep clawing money out of you long after you've already paid a small fortune for one of their new vehicles - would you pay for radio in your car, even FM? It's not a question you'll have to answer yet. But don't be surprised if that's just one more obstacle we'll all have to steer around down the road.

Jody Thornton · August 24, 2023 10:07 am

RadioActive wrote:
If that's true - and there's little doubt carmakers would love to find a way to keep clawing money out of you long after you've already paid a small fortune for one of their new vehicles - would you pay for radio in your car, even FM? It's not a question you'll have to answer yet. But don't be surprised if that's just one more obstacle we'll all have to steer around down the road.

You must mean like this article. It also charges you to read. When I access it in "reader mode", it reverses all of the words. Is there another way to access it?

PS - I was able to view it on archive.today. Thanks RA.

Last edited by Jody Thornton (August 24, 2023 10:15 am)

Lorne · August 24, 2023 10:13 am

It was paywalled for me as well, but Clear This Page got around it.
https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/am-radio-bruce-morrow-electric-vehicles-qdu5bus7">https://clearthis.page/?u=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/am-radio-bruce-morrow-electric-vehicles-qdu5bus7

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 10:14 am

Sorry to both of you. I got right in - twice - without any paywall. I wonder why you got one and I didn't. In any event, you supplied a link that does work so thanks for that.

mace · August 24, 2023 11:10 am

Lorne wrote:
It was paywalled for me as well, but Clear This Page got around it.
https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/am-radio-bruce-morrow-electric-vehicles-qdu5bus7">https://clearthis.page/?u=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/am-radio-bruce-morrow-electric-vehicles-qdu5bus7

I found it interesting that I could access this article through Google, but not through Bing and Duckduckgo. Similarly to post my response I had to access SOWNY through Bing or Duckduckgo. With Google, I can get to the site via Sowny.net but can't log in to post any comments. Any other members have this problem?

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 11:19 am

There should be a box that shows when your sign in that says something like "keep me logged in." If you check that box, you should never have to enter the info again, barring any glitches.

mic'em · August 24, 2023 3:49 pm

The answer will be don't buy a new car after 2024, I plan to make my 1994, 2010 and 2016 vehicles last as long as I do.

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 3:53 pm

After the warranty runs out, I wonder if some auto shops would be able to install an "old fashioned" radio in a new car for a price. Especially if the automakers try to start charging us for the privilege of listening to what we used to get for free.

RadioAaron · August 24, 2023 6:32 pm

Those veterans who think there's any future potential in AM are blinded by their own nostalgia.

The people who could finance the ideas to revive it have the good sense not to.

It's over.

August 24, 2023 7:48 pm

RadioActive wrote:
After the warranty runs out, I wonder if some auto shops would be able to install an "old fashioned" radio in a new car for a price

There is no reason an "old fashioned" AM radio can't be installed in a new car. The unit could be placed in the glove compartment or under the seat. Power would come from a 12-V source of which many spare plugs exist under the dash. Aerial would go on a front fender. Speakers could be installed in back, just like they are on many hot rods, today. The compromise you would have to live with is that the AM radio couldn't be operated from the steering wheel. A hand-held remote would be used to turn it on & off and to operate your favorite selections, which evidence indicates are J. Moore and Agar in the morning and Oakley on afternoon drive

It shouldn't affect your new-car warranty because it will be away from all the systems built into a new vehicle.

RadioActive · August 24, 2023 7:54 pm

I would only resort to this step if they took AM out of a future car I would buy. My new car has AM, but the radio in the damn thing is very user unfriendly. They decided to make it high tech-y and not easy to tune. A really, really, really stupid idea and on this basis alone, I will never buy another Mazda.

August 25, 2023 5:48 am

If you belong to CAA (SOWNY contributor mic'em highly recommends it) you should have rec'd their autumn glossy magazine in the past few days. It contains an excellent article at pg. 19 which states that the average age of vehicles on the road has risen dramatically. Applying their stats indicates that (unless you dispose of your new Mazda just because you're fed up with its AM radio controls) you probably won't be shopping for another new vehicle until the year 2035 or '36 at the earliest.

That one will likely have AI features including one that has sensors in the driver's seat that knows that you won't tolerate Spence Diamonds and Kars for Kids commercials. Scary eh? Probably best to service your new Mazda according to the manual's recommendations. The late Dave Redinger on Dave's Korner Garage Saturday mornings on AM 740 (there's another reference to AM radio) used to say "R.T.F.M."

Good advice.

RadioActive · August 25, 2023 7:24 am

If your timeline is accurate, by the time 2035 rolls around, only electric vehicles will be for sale in Canada, according to the current mandate. (That could change depending on who wins the next election.) And that likely means there will almost certainly be no AM radio in it. So that won't help much.

As for saving AM itself, I don't think this guy's solution in the linked article is the answer. He claims the only way to save the band is to order all stations on them to go all-digital.

"Convert all AM signals into pure digital signals. This would greatly enhance both the user experience and general perception and would help elevate AM to contemporary technology. This week an Alabama station announced it would be the third AM in America to go all-digital; clearly there is a public and industry interest into the matter."

Not only are there not enough HD radios in cars, there are almost none in most people's homes. How would anyone listen? And would they buy a new radio just for this?

Want To Save AM Radio? It’s An Investment, But Its Already Here

In Phase · August 25, 2023 7:50 am

RadioAaron wrote:
Those veterans who think there's any future potential in AM are blinded by their own nostalgia.

The people who could finance the ideas to revive it have the good sense not to.

It's over.

I couldn't agree more.

I visit this board because of my love for radio and TV. They were a medium that touched everyone.

I believe there were two "glory years" in the business. The first was the very early years when the wonders of radio and TV were first introduced to the public. The second (where most of us participated) was the 50's through the 90's. Those were great years and I am thankful to have been a part of it.

But that was then.

Technology has moved on. The audience has moved on. The business has moved on.

The very fact that we can use a personal computer, tablet or cell phone to exchange these messages, anywhere in the world, is proof.

Nostalgia is comforting, but one must move on.

Dale Patterson · August 25, 2023 5:59 pm

In Phase wrote:
RadioAaron wrote:
Those veterans who think there's any future potential in AM are blinded by their own nostalgia.

The people who could finance the ideas to revive it have the good sense not to.

It's over.
I couldn't agree more.

I visit this board because of my love for radio and TV. They were a medium that touched everyone.

I believe there were two "glory years" in the business. The first was the very early years when the wonders of radio and TV were first introduced to the public. The second (where most of us participated) was the 50's through the 90's. Those were great years and I am thankful to have been a part of it.

But that was then.

Technology has moved on. The audience has moved on. The business has moved on.

The very fact that we can use a personal computer, tablet or cell phone to exchange these messages, anywhere in the world, is proof.

Nostalgia is comforting, but one must move on.

Amen to that. For those who think AM has a future, I have a bridge you might be interested in.

Last edited by Dale Patterson (August 25, 2023 9:05 pm)

RadioActive · August 25, 2023 7:08 pm

I'll hang onto my AM as long as I can. (From my cold dead hand? Maybe not, but I find nothing worth listening to on the FM dial. Until that changes, I'll continue to strike up the Band.)

mace · August 25, 2023 7:33 pm

I am probably one of the last people on earth to adapt to new technology. I have five radios in my apartment including a Sony 2010. The only time I listen to AM/FM traditionally is in my car. At work, it is on my phone. At home, through my Sonos box with Tune-in. Granted, apartment living in Toronto isn't great for AM with all the electrical noise. My radios now are used mostly for DXing.