The Ongoing Troubles of AM Radio
AM radio is in trouble. Yes, there are still plenty of individual AM stations doing well in places like Toronto, San Francisco, Washington and LA, but overall, the band is dying.
AM has served us very well for about a hundred years. Even when FM was introduced in the 1930s, it refused to lay down and die. But with the advent of other radio media–satellite, streaming, etc.–it has become more and more marginalized as listeners expect a more full-frequency and static-free experience.
If you want proof, BMW recently released an electric car that came with an infotainment stack completely devoid of any way to received AM radio signals. Some automotive analyst think it’s just a matter of time before AM radios go the way of in-dash cassette players.
The LA Time has this look at the state of the band.