[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

The need for wide frequency response on AM radio is debatable, considering that most of today's AM stations do not play music. There are still a few small-town stations that do program music during at least part of their broadcast day, but in big cities like New York and Philadelphia (to name but two) with stations operated by CBS Radio or Clear Channel, which, BTW, operate some 90 percent of the AM radio stations in this country, just about all anyone will find on AM is talk-based programming. No need for wide frequency response for just voice programming, so...there you are.

The same reasoning could have been applied years ago to stereo AM radio. Who wants to listen to Rush Limbaugh, for example, in stereo? Even sports radio wouldn't benefit much, if at all, IMHO, from being broadcast in AM stereo. And who wants or needs to listen to all-news radio in stereo? The news is bad enough over mono all-news radio; to broadcast it in stereo would be a waste of what could have been a step up for AM radio. If AM stations (the large network-operated ones in particular) programmed decent music (as was the norm until talk radio took over some time in the '80s or nineties) rather than loudmouth talk, AM stereo might still be a viable broadcasting mode today.

I like to listen to WKFB on 770 kc for music here in the Pittsburgh area. My 1994 Ford Explorer (sold) had an AM stereo capable radio but my new 1999 Blazer's Bose radio does not, at least so far as I know. I guess in the late 1980's and early 1990's, AM stereo was supposed to take off, I remember many cars of that era being able to tune AM stereo. IIRC, KDKA-AM was stereo for a while, I think it was one of the early station to do so around 1982/85. I admit I'm a talkshow junkie, but there are times I need to get away and music is the way to go. I like a lot of 1950's music too so I listen to AM stations that play that.