What is the future of FM

[scoloheros]

Why do we need FM if FM is becoming all talk like AM? Unfortunately, I live in a dead zone where there are only a couple of college stations but they run NPR talk. I cannot remember the last time I ever heard jazz on a radio. Someone in the BarterTown forum from the Benton Harbor, MI was getting rid of his MR80 tuner because he listened to Chicago FM and he claimed it has turned to trash. When you can't find anything to listen to in Chicago it's pretty sad.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, I wonder what he considers trash. I found this just a minute ago, https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Chicago&state=IL maybe one or two jazz stations there in Chicago. Something is seriously wrong with Chicago. I went to Zillow out of curiosity a few days ago to see how many houses for sale there are below $50K and compared the number of red dots to the Austin Zillow map Maybe there is $ to be made there if it turns around.

btw, a lot of opinions on the internet, type in "is FM radio dead" a lot of doom and gloom there.

 

[scoloheros]

If FM radio went all digital, we would need a converter box for our old receivers(?) Do you think somebody would manufacture those?

 

[amptramp]

What does it cost to run an FM station and how much do they take in for ads? That will determine what survives. I made a 350 km / 216 mile round trip from Mississauga (just west of Toronto) to London, Ontario, Canada and back today and put the radio on scan. It seemed there was never fewer than twenty stations available at any time and this was on the stock radio in my 2001 Miata (and the stock radio is very good). I don't see anything that will take over. Satellite adds $15 a month to your burn rate and for me, it's only on my Subaru and after a week you have had your fill of whatever you have been listening to. You can't get anything new on other program sources. If listenership falls, the stratospheric salaries of DJ's may come down because it is still a buyers' market for DJ talent and I don't see any more Wolfman Jack or Cousin Brucie types coming down the pike (and Cousin Brucie is on Sirius XM now). That means that as listenership drops, costs will drop too.

BTW the trip was to the London Vintage Radio Club where we had a speaker talking about Avery Fisher and the origins of the Fisher radio and tuner brands. It was interesting - he had done book cover illustrations for Putnam and Dodd, Mead and Company and his degree was in English Literature. Then we got into the silent auction of our own stashes of radios and test equipment. I am slowly getting rid of my AM radios and concentrating on FM. Also, I have a Fisher KM-60 tuner sitting beside me right now.

 

[dewdude]

I don't see anything that will take over.

I have around 40 days worth of music on the microSD card in my phone. My rental car this past summer had both the latest HDRadio and SiriusXM in it; but 99.9% of my listening was done playing music off my phone.

 

[SteevG]

One man's trash is another man's treasure, I wonder what he considers trash. I found this just a minute ago, https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Chicago&state=IL maybe one or two jazz stations there in Chicago. Something is seriously wrong with Chicago. I went to Zillow out of curiosity a few days ago to see how many houses for sale there are below $50K and compared the number of red dots to the Austin Zillow map Maybe there is $ to be made there if it turns around.

btw, a lot of opinions on the internet, type in "is FM radio dead" a lot of doom and gloom there.

Lifelong Chicagoan here:

WDCB (College of DuPage) 90.9 in the Chicago suburbs and they also broadcast on 90.7 in the city proper. Mostly jazz with a great Sunday afternoon show "The Mambo Express". Hard to pick up but worth it.

WFMT 98.7 is mostly classical and has excellent programming in the evenings. Great signal and sound.

 

[onepixel]

FM will stay. It's a community lifeline.

 

[illinoisteve]

Why do we need FM if FM is becoming all talk like AM? Unfortunately, I live in a dead zone where there are only a couple of college stations but they run NPR talk. I cannot remember the last time I ever heard jazz on a radio. Someone in the BarterTown forum from the Benton Harbor, MI was getting rid of his MR80 tuner because he listened to Chicago FM and he claimed it has turned to trash. When you can't find anything to listen to in Chicago it's pretty sad.

I think the changes in FM programming are what will kill FM in my remaining lifetime, not streaming. The only all jazz NPR station in central Illinois (Normal), went to the NPR all news-talk format a few years ago. Then one of the two all classical NPR stations (Peoria) went to NPR all news-talk! They now broadcast a classical HD radio signal, but I'm not going to pay 50 dollars or more for an HD radio that probably won't even pick up that signal (or any other HD radio signal) out where I live. Then the only other classical NPR station (Macomb) in the area went to news-talk afternoons! Since I can only ever pick up the stations in Springfield or Champaign if the wind is blowing right, I don't know what has happened to them.

I'd love to listen to some AM radio now and then, but they seem to run commercials about 50% of their air time now, and its hard to find one playing any music I would really like to listen to. When they think that oldies rock began in the mid-1980s how can take that seriously. There is a rather low-power station about twenty miles away that has a program of 40-50s pop music, but it fades out if I get out of the area driving, and never really remember when that program is on.

 

[Mystic]

Since I can only ever pick up the stations in ...or Champaign if the wind is blowing right, I don't know what has happened to them.

WILL (Urbana) still active?

 

[illinoisteve]

WILL (Urbana) still active?

I usually have to be 20-40 miles or more SW of where I live to pick it up, so I don't really know, though in strange atmospheric conditions it has come in here temporarily.

 

[Mystic]

I usually have to be 20-40 miles or more SW of where I live to pick it up, so I don't really know, though in strange atmospheric conditions it has come in here temporarily.

And you're in Normal, yes? Geeze, I thought WILL's reach was better than what you've described.

Does ISU have an FM station?

 

[illinoisteve]

And you're in Normal, yes? Geeze, I thought WILL's reach was better than what you've described.

Does ISU have an FM station?

No, I'm halfway between Peoria and Macomb. I did work for a year in Normal's attached neighbor Bloomington. Fortunately the Normal NPR station (associated with Illinois State Univ.) was going strong as a jazz station way back then. I used to be able to listen to them in eastern parts of my county, just not at home, but why bother to try to pull them in when they are news-talk now?

 

[Mystic]

...why bother to try to pull them in when they are news-talk now?

I'll second that.

 

[onepixel]

22 FM stations on Maui. Maui is 727 sq. miles and about 166K people. I think 90% is volcano, open space and or jungle.

We have everything from public, Hawaiian, contemporary, hot hits, Christian, classic rock, classical, a little jazz (mixed) and country. Plus you can get over dozen other stations from the other islands. One off my favorite station is at the Paia Youth Cultural Center, where middle/junior school kids are disc jockey. They play some really freakin' good stuff.

http://67.52.84.126:8000/listen.m3u

 

[Bob@FM]

Why do we need FM if FM is becoming all talk like AM? Unfortunately, I live in a dead zone where there are only a couple of college stations but they run NPR talk. I cannot remember the last time I ever heard jazz on a radio.

The public stations occasionally change schedules, it's good to check them once in a while.

One of my local stations, WAMC, is mostly talk, but plays music, including Jazz on the weekends (late). One of the shows is a hosted by a local jazz drummer who plays great stuff, and let's folks know who is playing where on the local jazz scene. There are 2 other local jazz shows, both on local college stations, once a week. I try to catch them if I'm home.

Maybe you need a better antenna? I see you are in NE Ohio, WCPN in Cleveland has jazz most nights after 10

 

[Pio1980]

NPR stays on during the day here, used to be able to get several different versions but that end of the dial filled up with redundant religious stations that block all but the one remaining.

 

[FauxHall]

To learn more about the business end of buying and owning a radio station check out this site:

http://www.radiobroker.com

 

[dr*audio]

Why do we need FM if FM is becoming all talk like AM? Unfortunately, I live in a dead zone where there are only a couple of college stations but they run NPR talk. I cannot remember the last time I ever heard jazz on a radio. Someone in the BarterTown forum from the Benton Harbor, MI was getting rid of his MR80 tuner because he listened to Chicago FM and he claimed it has turned to trash. When you can't find anything to listen to in Chicago it's pretty sad.

If you like classical music there's WCLV 104.9. WCSB has some good programming, especially on Friday. The Grumpy Old Man 9:00 - 11AM The Jazz Fusion Show 1PM- 3PM.

 

[jlovda]

The public stations occasionally change schedules, it's good to check them once in a while.

One of my local stations, WAMC, is mostly talk, but plays music, including Jazz on the weekends (late). One of the shows is a hosted by a local jazz drummer who plays great stuff, and let's folks know who is playing where on the local jazz scene. There are 2 other local jazz shows, both on local college stations, once a week. I try to catch them if I'm home.

Maybe you need a better antenna? I see you are in NE Ohio, WCPN in Cleveland has jazz most nights after 10

I live near North Canton, 50 miles south of CLE. I also live in a residential area that is in a large "bowl" maybe a half mile in diameter. I am also limited to an indoor antenna. Anything north of Akron (including Youngstown) is hit or miss even with my MR78. I have been slowly weaning myself off of radio. I mostly listen to YouTube videos for variety. WKSU was the station I was referring to earlier.

 

[bobschneider]

One man's trash is another man's treasure, I wonder what he considers trash. I found this just a minute ago, https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Chicago&state=IL maybe one or two jazz stations there in Chicago. Something is seriously wrong with Chicago. I went to Zillow out of curiosity a few days ago to see how many houses for sale there are below $50K and compared the number of red dots to the Austin Zillow map Maybe there is $ to be made there if it turns around.

btw, a lot of opinions on the internet, type in "is FM radio dead" a lot of doom and gloom there.

WDCB is a good full time jazz station in the western suburbs of Chicago. Non commercial, too. But the signal doesn’t really reach the Loop, so you’re not going to get it in Michigan! I get it fine in the close in northern burbs, though - I’m listening to it now.

And where do you live where $50K is a reasonable price for a house? Around here $200k is starter home territory. Heck, the starter home I bought on the north side was $105K in 1988.

 

[rob Brandt]

I listen to local NPR for classical and it's rock station. I also listen to a station that's been around for a long time--"KQRS"--92.5. The twin cities has a rich list of FM stations for it's size. Dedicated blues, jazz and classical music. "MPR"--the local NPR outlet runs live concerts on a routine basis--set up the tape deck and away we go. Beautiful stuff. I really don't see it going anywhere. all of the stations here "sideband" with digital stations and have two or three more available if you have a digita HD tuner. Dozens and dozens of stations here.