The guy makes a good case for the technical and regulatory issues surrounding AM.
But what he doesn't deal with is, what I believe, the real issue. The programming. If there's nothing worth listening to on the AM band, who's going to be there?
Further to my previous post, here's an example.
I don't read a book because its binding is secure, or for the beauty of the front cover, or the quality of the paper used for its pages. As long as I can decipher its type, I read it for the story.
Similarly, I don't listen to a song or a program on the radio because technically it sounds great, with little to no noise. I listen because I want to hear it. Great sounding crap is still crap, whether it be music or talk or whatever. As long as the material is listenable, I'll be there.
Too much emphasis, including this article, is being placed on the technical aspects of the AM band, and not nearly enough on its contents.
@artisan-radio "Great sounding crap is still crap"
That's what I always said. Just because it is in stereo, high fidelity, noise free, whatever, if it is what I don't want to hear I'm not going to care how good quality the audio is. But that being said, that still doesn't excuse the FCC from not protecting the band from all the noise that in the majority of homes few stations can get through it, not caring about the broadcasters that give them 10s of thousands$$$ to be on the air. But that's only half of it, the other half is no one cares. Tesla's, don't have AM and the great majority of EVs are Tesla, even though the other makes have AM. If an AM station played rap it may get listeners in the generation Y and Z but if the same thing is on FM I think the choice would be FM. Or an app on a phone.
But unfortunately the way we think(Artisan and I) is not how the majority think. There's lots that won't listen to something they even want to hear if it is not stereo.
I miss AM but as I posted in the past I want listeners, or the chance at listeners. If I could get listeners with a Procaster I would do it till I am told I can't broadcast with it. Then the problem of the night skywave that kills us with our small signals. So I would loose the listeners. And now it's nighttime more of the time as Fall and Winter comes.
It's hard to tell if anyone would listen now to, say, vintage jazz, historical classical recordings, even old rock and roll or country, on AM, as no one is doing it. But I'd bet they would.
Add in a DJ who is interesting, not the vapid, talk lots but say very little ones you usually hear today, and you've got the makings of interesting radio. Regardless of where it is in the radio spectrum.
If the radio station cares about sound quality, even better. There was a sports radio station that I used to listen to here in the Vancouver region that sounded better than some FM stations. Maybe not in terms of fidelity, but just overall. They obviously cared.
AM radio is not a viable solution for concrete jungles. But for suburbia, semi-rural or rural areas, it still has potential.
For these areas, my take is opposite to that of the article writer. Community radio - low power AM and smaller/cheaper antennas which don't require huge amounts of land for towers and grounding. Set your sights smaller, don't expect to make huge amounts of money (but still make some) and it just might work.
We have entered an age in which the number of laws far exceed the ability of law enforcement agencies to respond to every alleged violation. In the limited case of interference to the AM dial the number of interference sources have become infinite and still growing. What is needed are scapegoats, but landlords can't be singled out because there are no AM pirates that can be traced to rental properties. Part i5 stations are too few and far between for the FCC to bother framing them for the massive interference.
Meanwhile, the limited locations (i.e., New York; Florida) where FM piracy flourishes, landlords find themselves singled out accused of a crime they have never heard of, and for them it's easier to evict an alleged perpetrator than it would be to file a lawsuit for defamation of character.
In general Part 15 operators tend to be an honest crop of people, not inclined to disobey bad laws, and go about their broadcast activity with needlessly weak RF signals. The FCC takes no interest in their cause because no dollars are involved and the country continues down the hell hole.
And a few added thoughts...
The national hub-bub over perceived radio piracy is founded on warped prosecution. A violation is based on the 'crime of operating without a license', while no license is available for such operation. How can you be accused of not doing something that you are not allowed to do? If there's a malfeasance it would be one of causing unauthorized interference based on the fact that the entire part 15 section of the regulations is intended to define the borderline between legal RF radiation vs. excessive radiation classed as 'interference', even when no party in particular is necessarily interfered with.
And the penalty for 'piracy' is an absurd monetary fine distorted out of all proportion amounting to vastly more than the violator will ever have in a lifetime and many times more than a legal station (if available) would cost to build and operate.
Taken altogether the only thing to admire about the FCC is that they are smart enough to land jobs in air conditioned offices with excellent benefits and handsome retirement packages.
Carl said:
"A violation is based on the 'crime of operating without a license', while no license is available for such operation. How can you be accused of not doing something that you are not allowed to do?.
Exactly! I have been saying this for years. If you are told you need a license the license should exist and be reasonably possible to get. How can you cause interference when no one was interfered with? Like the silly thing here(Canada) that you can't broadcast with a certified transmitter(Procaster) that is legal to use license free.
But the things that cause interference to the AM band that victimize the broadcasters, the listeners that can't listen to a licensed station in the stations protected area by countless devises that violate FCC rules including the A/C power grid itself, but then come down on a part 15 operator because the ground lead is 6 inches too long! Or a Canadian operator for broadcasting with a legal "license free" Procaster saying you "need a license". But as Carl points out no license exists for this.