AM Radio: An Endangered Species

remember this? yeah.. me neither

I stumbled upon a post this morning entitled "Can we save AM radio?"  Initially, I was shocked, because I honestly didn't even think AM radio still existed. In fact, I couldn't recall one time in my entire life that I had intently listened to AM radio.  So.. could we save AM radio? Absolutely not, I thought.  However, I continued to read the post to see what they could possibly propose.

The key to saving AM radio was Ajit Pai, an avid AM advocate and coincidentally a member of the Federal Communication Commission.  He created new legislation for the FCC that would help preserve the seemingly ancient waves of AM radio. With the interfering signals of the overwhelming presence of wi-fi signals, cell phones, and even motor vehicles, it is near impossible nowadays for  clear waves from an AM station. The policy consists of six components, with the main component allowing AM broadcasters to file for an FM translator, solving the problem of an unclear AM signal.

But.. how is this saving AM radio?  In fact, it is doing the opposite.  It is transferring AM stations to FM, therefore eliminating the need for an AM network altogether.  While Pai, I believe, is attempting to support those small AM broadcasters that he holds so dear to his heart, he may be setting them up for ultimate failure.  How will the AM stations compete with the already established FM channels.

Another point of consideration is radio listener preferences.  The face of radio has transformed over the decades.  Its main focus is undoubtedly music.  The days of turning to radio for the latest news are far gone.  The accessibility of television news networks and the internet beg the question of the plausibility of AM radio as a competitor for news.  Why would someone turn on their AM radio to patiently wait for updates on a current basketball game, when they could pull up twitter or ESPN on their cell phone and receive updates instantly? - Not to mention the personal commentary that tends to offer a humorous touch to the updates.

My point is that AM radio is an endangered species.  While a few proponents of the source, like Ajit Pai, may try to take measures to save it, I think they're efforts will fail.  If anything, FM radio will develop a more AM-like component, but I don't even predict that as probable. AM is fuzzy. It's low-defintition in a HD world.  

It won't be long until AM radio will surely enter the list of extinct media.  Until then, the article brought up an interesting point about its potential as an un-regulated medium of communication.  As it falls from endagenered to extinct, regulations will loosen and broadcasts will be given free-reign of content sharing.  The author describes it as a paralleled "wild west" that "artists and other cultural opportunists will inhabit and reinvent for their own devices."  Pai suggests that "if you care about localism, you should care about AM radio."  This revolution of AM radio before its complete downfall would be a localist movement in itself.