Once the dominant method of broadcasting for much of the 20th century, AM radio is in increasing danger of extinction. Already overlooked by listeners in favor of FM, Internet and satellite radio services, AM radio is now facing an additional threat in the form of rising interference from smartphones and other consumer electronics.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, only about 17 percent of listeners tune in to AM radio—a significant decrease from 50 percent in 1978. Among younger listeners, the statistics are worse: AM radio accounts for only about 4 percent of radio consumption among listeners aged 12-14 and about 9 percent among listeners aged 25-34, with the remaining 96 and 91 percent taken up by FM radio. Today, there are approximately 4,734 AM radio stations, down from 4,978 in 1990. In comparison, the amount of FM radio stations has more than doubled in the same time period.
However, Ajit Pai, the sole Republican on the FCC, says that AM radio still has a place in modern society.
In a story published this week by the New York Times, Pai said he is pushing the FCC to overhaul AM radio, which he calls “the audible core of our national culture.” Because of AM’s longer wavelength, Pai says, it can be received at greater distances and so is vital in emergencies and in rural areas. He cited the AM station in Fort Yukon, Alaska as an example; KZPA is used to notify listeners about missing hunters and transmit flood alerts during the annual spring ice breakup.
“When the power goes out, when you can’t get a good cell signal, when the Internet goes down, people turn to battery-powered AM radios to get the information they need,” Pai told the New York Times.
To save AM radio, Pai is proposing a number of changes and solutions, including the elimination of outdated regulations, such as the expensive and cumbersome one that requires AM stations to prove that any new equipment decreases or prevents interference with other stations. Pai reportedly also wants to consider possible use of HD Radio, an in-band-on-channel digital radio technology capable of transmitting audio and data using a digital signal embedded immediately above and below a station’s standard analog signal.
Another possible longer-term solution, Pai said, is for the FCC to mandate that all AM stations convert to digital transmission to reduce interference. Such a conversion, however, would prove expensive for consumers who would need to replace their AM radios that do not capture digital transmission. Pai also wants the FCC to consider wider use of FM translators, which simultaneously duplicate the signal of an AM or FM station on a different frequency and can help reduce interference. The FCC adopted an Order in 2009 revising its rules to allow the rebroadcast of AM radio stations on FM translator stations.
According to the New York Times, the FCC has indicated that it agrees with Pai, though it is a long way from the extensive overhaul he describes. The commission approved a measure in August 2013 requiring that AM stations be compensated by the builders of any new radio tower if the tower interferes with the radio station’s broadcast.
