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On 11 Dec 2013, at 4:01 pm, Norma A. Boge <[email protected]> wrote: > > For years, sports broadcasts were a staple of AM radio. But now, AM seems to > be mostly a mix of talk shows and infomercials, and the Federal > Communications Commission wants the band to be relevant again. > AM radio once played a central role in American life. The family would > gather around the Philco to hear the latest Western or detective drama. The > transistor radio was where baby boomers first heard the Beatles and other > Top 40 hits. And, of course, there's no better way to take in a ballgame. > But the AM band is not what it used to be. Now, it's mostly a mix of talk > shows and infomercials. According to the Federal Communications Commission, > in the mid-1980s, AM radio still claimed 30 percent of the nation's radio > listening hours. By 2010, that had dwindled to 17 percent. And among younger > listeners, the number is just 4 percent. Part of the problem, says FCC > Commissioner Ajit Pai, is that the AM signal is getting increasingly hard to > hear. > "Whether you're outside and you're getting interference from a power line, > or you're inside and everything from the bulbs in your house to the cable > box on top of your TV send out signals that conflict with the AM radio > signal, and so for broadcasters trying to reach an audience, it's more and > more difficult for them to do that," Pai says. > Pai and other commissioners are proposing a number of fixes for the > interference problem, including making it easier for AM stations to move > their signal to the FM band. They've also proposed modifying the rules that > require many AM stations to power down at night. > Pai says AM radio is an important source of information, especially during > an emergency like a natural disaster. Keeping the medium thriving is also > important for minority broadcasters, two-thirds of whom broadcast on AM. > Pai also admits to some nostalgia of his own. > "I still remember almost 25 years ago listening to the KLKC 1540 broadcast > of my high school basketball championship game in 1987, when my mom wouldn't > allow me to go to the game in person so I had to go into my room, sulking a > little bit, and tune it to 1540, and I listened to the broadcast that way," > Pai says. > That station, KLKC, in Parsons, Kan., still broadcasts high school sports, > says Brandon Nivens, the general manager. He says his station is taking > other steps to increase its listening audience, including streaming its > signal on the Internet. > "Getting into the online aspect of it really helps a lot. We actually stream > our AM station online, so that kind of helps reach into the digital realm > and kind of get a younger demographic that way," he says. > KLKC, like many in rural America, is tied to its community through local > news. The station provides services that includes a swap show called The > Trading Post, where on a recent day listeners offered everything from > fresh-picked pecans to a used guitar amplifier for sale. > It's this kind of intimate connection AM broadcasters have with their > listeners, Pai says, that makes revitalizing the AM band important. > "Whether it's the long-haul trucker who got used to listening to a station > as he or she drove across the country to kids who listen to baseball games > on warm summer nights, there is something about AM radio that's really > embedded in our national culture, and so long as I have a perch here at the > FCC I hope to advocate for that to continue," Pai says. > Not all of AM radio is struggling. In fact, five of the top 10 > revenue-producing stations are on the AM dial. That's one reason Dennis > Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters is optimistic and > supportive of the FCC's proposals. > "There's a lot to be said for AM radio, and the challenges are purely > related to interference, and [if] we get those resolved, the industry is > going to boom," Wharton says. > The FCC is gathering public comments on the proposed rule changes and may > vote on them by next spring. > ### > > > ********** Dane Trethowan Skype: grtdane12 Phone US (213) 438-9741 Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 Mobile: +61400494862 Fax +61397437954
