"Doug Smith W9WI" wrote in message
...
True, though look at the rest of that list for Milwaukee. 80% of the
top-10 stations are FM. Only 53% of all radio stations (not counting
non-commercial) in the Milwaukee market are FM. There's a lot of AM
stations being left out.

A similar situation exists in other markets. In many (14 of the top 35)
markets, an AM station is #1. However, in 11 of the top 35 the
top-ranked AM station is the ONLY AM in the top 10, and in no market are
there more than three AMs in the top 10. (unless you count the AM side
of an AM/FM simulcast)

I guess the point is, an AM station can be successful but ONLY if it has
the signal to fully cover the market. The vast majority don't.

That is exactly the issue. There are markets where only one or two AMs fully
cover the Arbitron survey area, others with none.

Look at a few examples: Houston, maybe 2 AMs, 610 and 740 cover the whole
market. Washington, DC: no AM fully covers metro. Cleveland: 3 AMs cover
daytime, two at night. Miami/Ft Lauderdale... maybe 2 (560 and 610) cover
day and night.

On the other hand, markets like San Francisco have multiple good AM signals,
and 3 to 4 AMs in the top 10 consistently. NY is similar, with WABC, WINS
and WCBS among the top stations, and WFAN top or second highest biller.

Pittsburgh: one AM has fullmarket coverage. Denver: 2, maybe 3 have full day
and night coverage. Phoenix: 2 AMs truly cover the whole MSA. Dallas/Ft
Worth... except for 1080, 570 and 820, no station covers the whole metro.

It is all about the signal.