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AM is simply struggling against many more choices being available. It first started to struggle in the early 70's when FM took off. Suddenly all the FM stations started playing music. And at least early on, playing very few commercials. Music people noticed there was no fade when going underground or static during a thunderstorm. By the 80's, many AM stations switched to talk. By the late 80's through the 90's a handful of HUGE companies started buying all the stations they could after de-regulation began, so they could be grandfathered in in case regualtion returned(it really hasn't). Then add the current tight economy.
The big companies who answer to stockholders realized they could cut costs by combining staff, and using technology (syndication programs, voicetracking- someone somewhere else recording the breaks). Many stations began to lose their identity and sound the same. Programs being available on the internet also has cut into the pie. Now add satellite radio. And while I have XM and enjoy it, it is FAR from perfect. But it is another option. And now all this stuff can even be heard on a cell phone. Who doesn't have that?
I know this may seem like rambling, but I worked in radio during this time for more than 25 years and have seen it all happen. It really has been a perfect storm. This is what has happened to radio. I cannot possibly imagine how AM or FM can make a comeback. It would take tremendous amounts of money to overcome the technology issues and programing problems. But the money is no longer there. The stations already employ a fraction of what they did 25 years ago . A sad situation indeed.
I don't think that AM and FM radio will drop off the air. What has happened to AM is that it has taken a large portion of the TV market for the following reasons:
a. A lot more economical to produce shows or commercials than the same on TV. It takes just a couple of people (an engineer, and a host) to run a show or play a commercial
b. Radio is the most convenient for people who are working and can't sit in front of a TV. You can listen to radio (music, voice) while going about your work routines that require keeping your eyes on the work, on the road, and so forth.
c. Radio has also branched out to the Internet
Yes, radio does not employ a lot of people simply because with the technological advances of today one person can run an entire show.
I don't think that AM and FM radio will drop off the air. What has happened to AM is that it has taken a large portion of the TV market for the following reasons:
a. A lot more economical to produce shows or commercials than the same on TV. It takes just a couple of people (an engineer, and a host) to run a show or play a commercial
b. Radio is the most convenient for people who are working and can't sit in front of a TV. You can listen to radio (music, voice) while going about your work routines that require keeping your eyes on the work, on the road, and so forth.
c. Radio has also branched out to the Internet
Yes, radio does not employ a lot of people simply because with the technological advances of today one person can run an entire show.
I certainly don't think AM and FM will drop off the air. I just think it is a mere shell of what it once was. Until about 1980, most stations, even small ones had live people on or at least someone at the station 24 hours a day. Now a group may have 4 stations in one building, but overnight have only one person there. I would estimate that all the people I had once worked with in radio during my career ( hundreds) , that more than 80% are out of the buisness. There was always many reasons for this, but today most of them are out because of downsizing. In fact, I now know only a handful that are still in it today.
Talk radio stations across the nation are they providing information or simply pumping up the propaganda and causing their listeners to hate? After a three day trip recently an attempt to listen to AM radio along the way simply provided me with an earful of talkradio hosts that seem to push a good amount of hate and propaganda instead of “news” and “information”. Is this all that’s on AM radio anymore aside from some of the local country western music stations and religious broadcasts,,,,,, there’s simply isn’t any “reasonable” radio to listen to anymore and after six days on the road with a good number of stations I had to wonder if this was just me or has the world gone nuts? Even some of the religious stations broadcasting made me wonder if they were promoting the word of God or simply pushing their own propaganda and hate. Makes me wonder!
One man's propaganda is another balanced news... Radio stations chase ratingvso they provide whatever sells, which is not balanced news. People want something they relate emotionally: either hate or love.
Large numbers of radio listeners, particularly younger listeners, are migrating to FM radio. The sort of stuff that's taking over talk radio is cheap. In my little corner of the world, we've still got a couple of low-power AM oldies station, and another AM station is playing classic country.
A few days ago I discovered the biggest local AM station as an HD station on FM. If they seem to be looking for an escape hatch from AM radio, can anyone survive?
I hate to say it, but it seems like many AM stations are going through the motions...not so much trying to put out the best programming but to put something on the air as cheaply as possible.
For the record, talk radio is credited with saving AM radio, which was all but dead as FM with it's superior quality had taken over for broadcasting of music.
There are a lot of good, informative talk radio hosts; but, just because you don't agree with a point of view doesn't make it "propaganda."
I certainly don't think AM and FM will drop off the air. I just think it is a mere shell of what it once was. Until about 1980, most stations, even small ones had live people on or at least someone at the station 24 hours a day. Now a group may have 4 stations in one building, but overnight have only one person there. I would estimate that all the people I had once worked with in radio during my career ( hundreds) , that more than 80% are out of the buisness. There was always many reasons for this, but today most of them are out because of downsizing. In fact, I now know only a handful that are still in it today.
It's not necessarily downsizing, but modernizing. Years ago radio stations required the use of a lot of people to prepare and broadcast shows, but nowadays one person (the host, for example), plus an engineer and a couple of computers can run several shows in one day. Several radio talk hosts run their shows from home, and all they need is an engineers taking care of the computers, power issues, etc.
Not to mention there are more radio stations today than there once were.
Also, a lot of Internet radio stations are pretty much controlled by computers. Yes, there has to be somebody manning the computers, but very few people are used. A whole show can be created, prerecorded, and then saved on an iPod to be played later (commercials and all).
The passage of the 1996 Telecom Act resulted in all of those conglomerates buying radio stations in droves and lots of megamergers; unfortunately for those buyers, they all purchased those tons of stations at the vert top of the market, which explains the outsized use of syndication and voicetracking, as well as why folks such as Ryan Seacrest are on 140+ radio stations, and also why Rush Limbaugh's show airs on 600+ stations.
The passage of the 1996 Telecom Act resulted in all of those conglomerates buying radio stations in droves and lots of megamergers; unfortunately for those buyers, they all purchased those tons of stations at the vert top of the market, which explains the outsized use of syndication and voicetracking, as well as why folks such as Ryan Seacrest are on 140+ radio stations, and also why Rush Limbaugh's show airs on 600+ stations.
Good post. This is just another reason why less staff is needed. Deliah also replaced hundreds on 7-midnight jobs. It is true there are more stations, but many are simply running the same programming on another station. Example- an AM station that is sports-talk may simulcast the same programming on an FM station that once played music with air-people.
Most AM radio stations the past decade have switched to political talk-radio
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