The AM radio band shriveled when FM became the preferred music radio venue. Even “AM stereo” failed to catch fire. Then Rush Limbaugh breathed new life into the original low-fi band with his broadsword wit and forked tongue. Nevertheless, AM didn’t develop any other tricks, even though the many original news and talk stations have done well. Now the radio trades are buzzing about AM again, and not in a good way. (Do-it-yourself links available in the right column of this page, under “Radio Trades.”) Not only is the new “HD” technology hardly working on AM stations at night — interference with other stations, thus less nighttime coverage, is so bad at least one major group (the ABC stations, now owned by Citadel) turned the new digital transmission system off at night. And, major AM talk stations are moving their programming to sister FM stations — WIBC Indianapolis will do it in January. Bonneville Broadcasting did it with WTOP Washington DC, no less, as well as KTAR Phoenix. More will surely follow. AM isn’t growing new listeners. And, you could say, FM isn’t in as much trouble from the onslaught of new media choices, since it’s still what people think of when you say “radio.” How much do you listen to AM stations? Outside of usually-the-best local news stations, the anger-management-challenged talk world, and wall-to-wall evangelical tent-meeting radio, what would draw you there?

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