"Bob Campbell" wrote in message
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"PocketRadio" wrote in message
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For some reason Eduardo just hates AM radio - AM radio, with its
successful programming is here to stay.

I don't think David "hates AM radio". He is merely stating that, as a
*business*, AM radio is dying. Sure there are still plenty of AM
stations on the air, but they are also moving to FM simulcasts as fast as
they can. How long do you think it will be before the AM part gets shut
down?

In my local market here, we had a new AM sports talk station come on about
2 years ago. Frankly, I was amazed. They were *heavily* advertising
that it would be a 50,000 watt station, to cover the entire (large) metro
area with a good signal. However, 2 years later they no longer advertise
50,000 watts, they are *not* 50,000 watts (I can still barely hear it) but
they *do* have a new, powerful FM simulcast that sounds fantastic.

AM radio, with its successful programming, is moving to FM. Existing
music FM stations are the ones in trouble, because no one listens to them
any longer. MP3 players rule the music market now.

FM, where music dominates by something like 25 to 1, has not had the issues
that AM has had. In fact, most of the erosion of listening is caused by AM.
Were FM only numbers to be produced, listening levels would be considerably
higher... another reason why AM is dying.

FM music stations that are at the top of their markets in ratings do very
well. None are in imminent danger of dying. It's the stations that can't
find a niche or are badly managed that are in trouble.

Anecdotally, I have a story of a station that failed with four or five music
formats in LA. Everything was blamed by the management itself. It was sold,
and form an average over 10 years of a 1 to 1.2 share, it immediately went
into the 6 share range. As I said in another post, the FMs at the bottom of
the ratings are there because they are doing a bad job (or are rimshots or
A's in a big market), not because of lack of listeners to FM.

This also explains the low interest in HD. If we accept that AM is
dying, then there is obviously no need for AM HD. If FM is becoming the
new AM - mostly news/talk/sports - then again there is no need for HD
since analog FM is more than good enough for that content.

Talk shows sound so much better in HD... I never use the analog option any
more.