"It's the programming, stupid!"

[Mike Ward]

On Fri, May 18, 2012 at 2:36 PM, Dan.Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net>wrote:

> I suppose that the way a similar scenario might apply to AM would be
> if it could attract some unique boutique programming that would give
> the band a trendy image. Alas, that doesn't appear likely.
>

Look, I'm as much a "grew up on AM guy" as anyone, and the majority of my
career, I've been heard on AM stations - including now, where though I do
pop up from time to time on our three FMs, my primary duty is to feed news
content that's mostly heard on our AM.

"Unique, boutique programming" will not bring under 35s in large numbers to
a band many of them don't even know EXISTS, and when they get there, summer
thunderstorms make listening difficult...not to mention the lack of
building penetration (or the infamous "lose the AM signal under bridges"
phenomenon).

I have a lot of under 30, young adult relatives, and I'm willing to bet
they'd need help finding 1590 "AM", where I am heard.

The "death of AM" has been slowed by the existence of popular, successful
news/talk/sports powerhouses.

One of them, Sacramento's KFBK, where I worked for 7 years, has moved to FM
(1530 is still up).

Here in NE Ohio, we now have a major FM sports talk station (brother to
"The Sports Hub") on FM, and the main talk station down here in this part
of the area has ALWAYS been on FM.

No magic elixir of programming will "save" AM now.  It's just a matter of
when all the mainstream stations go dark, or are only there because they're
still simulcasting a new FM signal.

And I'm a guy who LOVES AM. I'm also well over 40.