Darryl Parks is the former corporate brand manager for Clear Channel talk stations and was program director for Cincinnati news/talk WLW-AM. Now independent, Parks keeps a blog where he recently has trained his sights on his old business. A couple of weeks ago he dissected the plummeting ratings across the mostly-conservative AM talk radio format. […]
Tag Archives | AM Radio
How to comment on and keep track of FCC proceedings
It has been a relatively quiet week in social media radio-land. Don’t worry, Pandora, Spotify, Last.fm . . . they’re all puttering along. Gazillions of listeners are listening and clicking “like” buttons, or not, but nothing earth shaking has happened over the last few days. So instead of the regular updates we schedule for Mondays, […]
NPR: there are still almost 80 public AM radio stations
NPR has added its voice to the Federal Communication Commission’s proceeding on revitalizing AM radio. Although the filing supports the FCC’s general recommendations for improving the service, it also functions as a vehicle for promoting one of NPR’s favorite causes: getting the Commission to license more translators for Non-commercial Educational (NCE) FM radio stations. Still, […]
Clear Channel: let AM stations go all digital on a voluntary basis
Clear Channel Communications has posted its response to the Federal Communications Commission’s proceeding on AM radio revitalization. The radio giant has many recommendations, among them the suggestion that the FCC should permit all digital AM operations “on a voluntary basis.” “As more HD receivers are installed in vehicles and more consumer digital receivers are purchased, […]
Want to revitalize AM radio? Start with better receivers
Comments continue to slowly flow into the Federal Communications Commissions’ proceeding on revitalizing AM radio. The latest emphasize the importance of improving the quality of AM radio receivers. “It has come to my attention that the vast majority of AM receivers on the market are designed with ‘Good Enough’ mentality and quite frankly make anything […]
Counterpoint: all-digital HD Radio on AM still on the table at FCC
My friend John Anderson wrote his dissertation on the complex policy machinations behind HD Radio becoming the digital radio standard, and now he has a book coming out telling the story. He knows more about the topic than just about anyone else. So when he says that the all-digital option for AM revitalization is very […]
FCC makes official proposals for AM revitalization, but nothing on the all-digital question
It looks like Commissioner Ajit Pai got a special Halloween treat from his fellow FCC commissioners with the adoption Thursday of a proposed rule making to revitalize the AM radio band (PDF). This looks like a parting gift of sorts from Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn as she gets ready to pass the gavel to new […]
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai’s AM radio revitalization agenda
Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai spoke at the National Association of Broadcaster’s Radio Show gathering on Friday. He talked up AM radio “revitalization,” a topic suddenly hot now that The New York Times explored it earlier this month. Here are some of Pai’s ideas (some firm; others more tentative): 1. Repeal the FCC’s “ratchet rule” […]
Will the Gray Lady’s attention energize AM radio revitalization?
This week the New York Times moved AM Radio into the mainstream consciousness with a story about FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai’s ambition to save the oft-forgotten broadcast band. There’s nothing new in the story that we haven’t covered here at Radio Survivor. But the attention of the Old Gray Lady may add a little steam […]
Sydney Australia’s AM radio revival
An interesting item from the Sydney Morning Herald: as the Australian political scene heats up, Sydney radio listeners are massively setting their ears to AM signals. “In a clear victory for the older spectrum in times of political upheaval, all of the commercial AM stations except 2UE recorded gains in their audience,” notes Herald entertainment […]