AM radio- how is it where U are?

[Twitch]

Just curious but in So. Cal. AM radio remains full of talk formats and mostly low class Mexican music. I can see the same slowly happening to FM as well. How is it where you are?[huh]

 

[LizzieMaine]

Just awful here -- the local AM station, where I did news and a 30s-40s music show in the '80s, is now a loud, crass Fox Sports talk radio outlet, full of screaming halfwits. The only listenable thing on the whole station is the Red Sox broadcasts.

It's sad -- the station was a local institution for decades. We used to start the morning at 5 am with the work announcements for the fish canneries. ("First shift report to Port Clyde at 7! There is work at Stinson's at 8!"), had a full three-member news staff, covered all sorts of local functions and events, and were a true part of the community. Now it's just another interchangeable part in the great corporate Cheap Channel empire. Fooey.

 

[RetroMom]

I have a couple of nice vintage radios that I rarely listen to because I can't find a decent station!

For years several of the a.m. stations had the "Music of Your Life" format, but within the last few years they have totally disappeared around here. On Sunday's I can sometimes find a few hours of Sinatra or other "Golden Era" special programming, but during the week, forget it. I just listen to my cd's.

All the stations I can pull in now sound exactly the same. There is zero variety. Even the local stations have gone to a Jack (is that the term?) format. I miss hearing the High School football game broadcasts, annual parade broadcasts and all the little homey news, that makes a community special.

 

[RetroToday]

Not too bad here at all - a music selection for almost everybody.

Some talk radio has taken over the older music stations that were here in the 1930s, but quite a few stations playing the "oldies" remain in Toronto on the AM band. There are even a couple that play Big Band and Old Time Radio shows that I always have my vintage radios tuned to.

And there are still many AM stations that play contemporary (or semi-contemporary) music. Some play 50/50 music and talk as well.

There are some stations that broadcast in a language that I may not be able to understand, but it's music nonetheless. That's because Toronto's now one of the most multicultural cities in North America, if not the world.

The only problem with AM in Toronto I've experienced so far - Interference downtown from streetcar lines when I listen in my car.

 

[plain old dave]

We have WQBB for easy listening, majority Golden Age, on AM and WDVX for bluegrass and Americana (and a fine classic Country program, only place in town to hear Bob Wills, Webb Pierce, Roy Acuff, Carl Smith and Chet Atkins on the same show) on FM.

East TN radio's in fine shape...

 

[kpreed]

A.M. Radio

Radio (broadcast) has been poor up here for a long, long time. T.V. is, I think a joke. (I do watch TCM, but not much) I find internet radio for me fits the bill. I can transmit any kind of music or old time radio via my AMT3000 to my old radios. I feel VERY lucky to do this because I find there is not much out there for me.

 

[KittyT]

I don't know - I only listen to Red Sox broadcasts on AM and they're mostly pretty good. The only thing I touch on FM radio is NPR and a couple of traditional music broadcasts on college radio stations.

 

[Forgotten Man]

AM radio today.

Stinks!

I'd love to have my own station... sad thing is, it'd probably have to be a...

Arrrrr, be warned ye bilge rats! We're takin' over these here airwaves to proclaim a revolution in Radio! Any scurvy sea dog who says to the contrary walks yan plank!

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Awful, and is why I invested in an AM transmitter some years ago.

I guess 2009 is when it's all going digital. :rage:
I wonder if the new digital converters will last as long as this baby.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Awful, and is why I invested in an AM transmitter some years ago.

I guess 2009 is when it's all going digital. :rage:

Wait, wait, wait... hold the wire... do you know something I need to know? Digital meaning on the internet? Or satellite radio only?

Please by all means enlighten us in what you mean by 2009 it's going digital.

FM~

 

[Fatdutchman]

There basically is nothing on the radio I want to listen to anyway...AM or FM. FM stations here consist of 1. modern country 2. rap/hip-hop or 3. the aforementioned "Jack" or "Sam" stations. AM stations all sound so bad that trying to listen to music on them is futile. With the exception of 650 WSM, which still broadcasts "real" country music, after a fight a year or so ago over a format change. Some of the AM stations like WSM are so strong you can hear them on Mars. Others even 30 or 40 miles away from me are weak, staticky, and with plenty of interference.

On top of that, for every hour of airtime on your average radio station, there are 45 minutes of really irritating commercials!

I can't even find any bluegrass stations on the radio!!!:cry:

 

[kpreed]

Radio

My guess is most new stuff will not last, but in all fairness it seems most stuff I buy, is not made that way (to last) anymore. Just wish I knew that before stuff broke:rage:

One of my radios a 1937 Grunow 621.

 

[Forgotten Man]

My guess is most new stuff will not last, but in all fairness it seems most stuff I buy, is not made that way (to last) anymore. Just wish I knew that before stuff broke:rage:

One of my radios a 1937 Grunow 621.

BEAUTIFUL GRUNOW!!! I have a '37 All wave! It was the lesser set next to the Shirley Temple set.

These radio sets will out last radio! Maybe when it's gone, the air waves will be free again? Maybe a group of us could start a station... hummmmm. The possibilities!

FM~

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Wait, wait, wait... hold the wire... do you know something I need to know? Digital meaning on the internet? Or satellite radio only?

Please by all means enlighten us in what you mean by 2009 it's going digital.

FM~

It looks like the FCC is holding off converting the AM & FM band to digital at present, so you'll just have to deal with digital TV in 2009.

The greedy RIAA is hoping to establish controls on digital radio, to force you to keep buying into the dying CD format.

Of course the RIAA has your best interests at heart. lol

 

[Forgotten Man]

So, will there be radio any longer? I’m still not clear on it… if there is no more AM-FM bands, radio will be dead yes? Would it only be then internet and satellite broadcasts that aren’t vintage radio receivable by 2009? Would people with AM or FM transmitters be able to broadcast after 2009 without the FCC jumping down on them since it would be a medium that isn’t used?

Details my good man, details!

FM~

 

[Absinthe_1900]

When, and if, they change the radio bands to digital, you'll have to use a digital receiver, and an AM transmitter to send the signal to your old radio.

 

[Flivver]

Here in central Mass, AM radio gets worse by the year.

Back in the 1990s, WCRN-AM830, a 50KW station in Worcester MA, began broadcasting a wonderful big band and swing format. My old radios certainly got a workout while that lasted. Then, around 2000, they switched to ABC's True Oldies format; very heavy on 1950s rock 'n roll...not as good as big band and swing, but still enjoyable. Then, a few years ago, they went all talk. At least they *do* broadcast the Red Sox, with a strong signal that covers central New England.

Now, the only decent music station in the area is WARE-AM1250 in Ware MA. They do 50s and 60s oldies and use the old PAMS (WABC-style) jingles from the mid 1960s.

We *do* still have good old WBZ-AM1030 in Boston, which is a good, locally programmed news/talk station. But it can't hold a candle to the WBZ of my youth, which was a top 40 station with great DJs like Jefferson Kaye, Ron Landry, Bruce Bradley and Dick Summer. Does anyone remember WBZ's Friday night summertime feature in the mid-1960s...Bruce Bradley's "scavenger hunt" from Paragon Park?

 

[Twitch]

I think its a planned obsolesense. They'll allow broadcast radio to become as crappy as they can so people will pay for satellite.

 

[panamag8or]

Here in central Mass, AM radio gets worse by the year.

Back in the 1990s, WCRN-AM830, a 50KW station in Worcester MA, began broadcasting a wonderful big band and swing format. My old radios certainly got a workout while that lasted. Then, around 2000, they switched to ABC's True Oldies format; very heavy on 1950s rock 'n roll...not as good as big band and swing, but still enjoyable. Then, a few years ago, they went all talk. At least they *do* broadcast the Red Sox, with a strong signal that covers central New England.

Now, the only decent music station in the area is WARE-AM1250 in Ware MA. They do 50s and 60s oldies and use the old PAMS (WABC-style) jingles from the mid 1960s.

We *do* still have good old WBZ-AM1030 in Boston, which is a good, locally programmed news/talk station. But it can't hold a candle to the WBZ of my youth, which was a top 40 station with great DJs like Jefferson Kaye, Ron Landry, Bruce Bradley and Dick Summer. Does anyone remember WBZ's Friday night summertime feature in the mid-1960s...Bruce Bradley's "scavenger hunt" from Paragon Park?

I found 2 airchecks from WBZ... one from '63 and one from '64, on reelradio.com

 

[Flivver]

I found 2 airchecks from WBZ... one from '63 and one from '64, on reelradio.com

Thanks panamag8or! I'm always looking for recordings from WBZ.

Back when I was in High School (in the late 60s), a friend and I did quite a bit of recording from stations like WBZ, WABC, WLS, WCFL and CKLW. But we never recorded whole segments of shows. We concentrated only on the jingles which we used to create parodies of our favorite stations. Those tapes are fun to listen to today, but I sure wish we had done more aircheck style recording.