It should not come as a surprise that AM radio has been slowly dying for the past few years. With podcasts, iTunes and TV talk shows, radio in general is much less popular than it once was. Among the various types of radio available, AM is also the least prevalent. Around 3 million people in the U.S. listen to AM stations. That may seem a lot until you compare with FM radio, which has around 18 million listeners. Recently, researchers have also discovered that AM radio is suffering from a new threat — interference from smart phones and other devices.
What may come as a surprise, though, is that one man, Ajit Pai, has announced that he plans to do his best to save AM broadcasting. Pai is the sole Republication on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and here are a few reasons why he so strongly supports this dated method of broadcasting.
Sentimental and Historical Values
Pai admits nostalgia is part of the reason he is so adamant about saving AM. He recalls listening to AM in Kansas while he grew up. Many baby boomers probably feel similarly about AM radio — it’s what they know, and it may provide a feeling of comfort in an increasingly technical world. It’s a symbol of small town and community values in a society that’s becoming more and more digital and urbanized. Pai also points out AM radio was the foundation of American broadcasting, so if nothing else it’s a piece of living history.
AM Works in More Places
As hard as it is to believe, there are still some places in the U.S. that don’t have clear FM or satellite radio. For these few locations, AM radio is the only option. Because AM waves are longer, broadcasts can be heard from further away than other types of radio. Sometimes, an AM station can be heard from hundreds of miles away.
It’s Still Relevant
It’s true that more listeners have tuned into FM and satellite radio over the years. In all likelihood, many other stations will follow suit, and will take more advertisers and other sources of revenue with them. From a marketing perspective it makes more sense to go where you’ll draw the most listeners.
However, two thirds of Major League Baseball networks only broadcast in AM. One reason sports networks continue to use AM is so they can reach more fans. Not all fans of a particular team live near the city where that team plays. A Pirates fan may have grown up in Pittsburgh but moved to Ohio to work on commercial valuations, or an Atlanta native might like the Rays because his family always has. When baseball broadcasts are in AM, fans can tune in from up to hundreds of miles away. Sometimes, you can even pick up a Yankee game when you’re driving through Maryland.
It’s a Safety Issue
As mentioned above, there are still a few places in the U.S. that only have AM radio. Some remote parts of Alaska, for example, can’t get a clear FM broadcast. Should power and phone service be interrupted due to a severe storm, residents have to rely on AM radio to find out what’s happening outside. If it’s not safe to leave their homes or travel to certain places, they won’t know unless they can access an AM station.
Even in the densest part of the country, AM radio continues to be a lifeline in the event of a natural disaster. Just ask the residents of lower Manhattan how they knew what was happening outside New York after Hurricane Sandy, when power and cell service were down for more than a week. Many storm broadcasts are still done in AM, and people just about anywhere have a better chance of picking up an AM than an FM station. Should there be a severe outage and local stations be knocked out, residents may be able to pick up AM broadcasts from relatively far away.