On Feb 17, 1:39�am, "David Eduardo" wrote:
wrote in message

...

At least when FM came on the scene there were plenty of FM radios to
choose from - so that old and tired comparison from ibquity is
meaningless.

FM began prior to W.W. II, and then changed from 47 MHz to the current band
after the War. There were no radios available.

By 1950, there were over 1000 FM stations licensed (source, Broadcasting
Yearbook 1950) yet by 1960 there were only around 650 (idem, '60 edition)..
There were hardly any radios available, and the ones that were out there
cost many times that of a common AM radio. That was 20 years after FM
stations began to broadcast.

In 1977, FM surpassed AM in audience. Today, in many markets, AM has less
than 10% of all listening.

Whether HD will work during a recession is anybody's guess. And whether AM
is even worth trying is on many owner's minds. But expecting a change in a
couple of years is absurd.

Satellite is in Year 9 now, and still loses nearly $1 billion a year and may
not survive.

You know damn well that conversions to HD have stalled, and that
broadcasters will not put anymore resources in HD, especially during
the recession. Forget the 10db FM-HD power increase. FM-HD and AM-HD
is being turned off in D.C., and probably elsewhere. Stations will get
tired of the excessive HVAC bills and fees to iBiquity, with no
possible ROI, except for iBiquity.