wrote in message
oups.com...

"Radio in the United States"

"FM radio, aided by the invention of ever smaller portable radios and
inexpensive "Walkman" headsets, dominates music programs, while AM has
shifted to "talk" and news formats. Barely in existence 25 years ago,
"talk radio," in which celebrities and experts from various fields
answer listener "call-in" questions and offer their advice on various
topics, has grown spectacularly in recent years. It has contributed to
the comeback of AM radio."

That, of course, is a crock.

The fact is that talk formats are starting to migrate to FM, as witnessed by
the list I have posted several times.

AM talk formats existed all the way back in the 60's with hosts like Joe
Pyne and Bill Ballance. KABC in LA was #1 throughout the 70's with a news
and talk format, to give one example.

What restricted the growth of the format was both the lack of talent at the
local level and the Fairness Doctrine. When the deregulation of radio under
Reagan eliminated Fairness and did not require opposing viewpoints to be
granted equal time, talents like Rush Limbaugh developed and went national
via syndication.

AM shares, however, have declined every year since the late 60's when the
FCC mandated the end of AM/FM simulcasts. In 1977, the national FM share
passed the AM share, and now FM commands about 80% of all listening (each
market is a little different... some are less, like San Francisco, and
others are more, like Allentown).

Today, per Arbitron, AM shares below age 45 are in the single digits (that's
the sum of all AM stations in each market) and the bulk of AM listeners are
over 55... which in the rated markets means you can not sell this audience
segment.

There is no comeback of AM radio. AM shares, in Arbitron, are at the lowest
level ever. And the audience is ageing every year.