Scalzi

I honestly can't remember when I listened to an AM station, and also if I wanted to listen to an AM station these days I would listen to it via an app that streams AM stations, not the actual radio itself

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/13/am-radio-electric-cars/

End of a love affair: AM radio is being removed from many cars

After a century-long romance, the car and AM radio are breaking up, leaving conservative talk shows, programs aimed at immigrants and religious stations wondering how they'll connect with listeners.

The Washington Post
May 15, 2023 at 12:36amWeb
Show threadWayne DixonMay 15, 2023
@scalzi someone and I were just talking about this a half hour ago. I’d definitely just use an app ans not the radio itself.
Show threadWarren TerraMay 15, 2023
@scalzi
But, also, your carmaker probably gets money from Spotify etcetera for pre-installation of their app and its placement on the screen in your car's console. They don't get that from installing an AM radio.
Show threadKayJanesMay 15, 2023
@scalzi The only reason we use AM radio is to listen to college baseball. 
Show threadJim. From Kansas.May 15, 2023

@scalzi When I had a longer commute, I was a regular AM sports talk listener.

Now, it's the app on occasion.

Show threadtibbi ✨May 15, 2023
@scalzi That is really sad. I love my FM/AM radio in my car. Probably the only time I listen to radio is in the car on a drive. End of an era.
Show threadWilliam Kurmes DVMMay 15, 2023
@scalzi I'm pretty sure the last time I listened was in 1992 on a drive. Nothing else available in northeastern New Mexico back then. Now with downloadable music and audiobooks, there isn't the same need unless your'e a sports fan, which I'm not.
Show threadNovaSynchronMay 15, 2023
@scalzi occasionally it is a source for local live sports, but those are going to streams quick enough, and if I leave it switched to the station I get to hear the latest alt right bloviating for a minute until I change to podcasts.
Show threadJoel BergerMay 15, 2023
@NovaSynchron @scalzi And even during games, my local AM news station (used only for baseball) occasionally hits me with some ad that's so terrifyingly right-wing I end up screaming at the radio until it's over.
Show threadNovaSynchronMay 15, 2023
@teknomantik @scalzi oh yeah, definitely been there too, though usually it’s just funny
Show threadCameo WoodMay 15, 2023
@scalzi where I live in Point Reyes, we don’t get cell service, and the National park service broadcasts emergency info only on AM. My car doesn’t have an am radio anymore. So I carry around a small am radio in case of emergency.
Show threadDanMay 15, 2023
@scalzi I would much prefer that Subaru brought back the weather radio they used to include. And while I know some people like AM, I’d be happy if you could just disable it so you don’t hit it when cycling through sources.
Show threadBrentMay 15, 2023
@scalzi most are rebroadcast on FM as HD subchannels anyway. Verrrry few are AM only these days.
Show threadCoreyMay 15, 2023
@scalzi AM is used quite heavily for weather and road information broadcasts and is important in the western states like Montana. FM doesn’t travel as far in the mountains as AM.
Show threadRealGene ☣️May 15, 2023

@coreylindsey @scalzi
I live in a mountainous region, and most FM stations worth listening to have translator/repeater stations to handle the geography.

That said, my newest car came with SiriusXM satellite radio, for which I pay about $8 per month. No commercials except them promoting their other channels. Uninterrupted listening, occasional drop-outs when a mountain blocks the line of sight to the satellites.

Show threadStan Wonn 🏳️‍🌈 🌹May 15, 2023
@scalzi I still listen to AM sometimes in my car. Still have memories of tuning in AM stations from long distances at night when I was a kid. The signals from the 50,000 watt AM stations travel pretty far under the right conditions.
Show threadTexty the BardMay 15, 2023
@scalzi In the mid-'80s, one of my first jobs was weekend shifts at a 50k-watt AM country station in Northern Nevada. We actually broadcast from the transmitter building. The signal was so powerful it was one of the few stations that could be picked up in some places along the routes East and North. We even got picked up in Japan once (though that may be an apocryphal story.)
Show threadWolfie RankinMay 15, 2023
@scalzi Often in stereo on the app
Show threadJosh DonnerMay 15, 2023
@scalzi just took possession of my grandpas 68 F250 and it only has AM, going to keep it for the nostalgia 😄
Show threadDjromeroMay 15, 2023
@scalzi I have a child now and wanted to listen to radio Disney cause that was an AM station from my youth, but I couldn’t find it. Later I googled it and found out that they shut down radio Disney like 2 years ago.
Show threadJanne MorenMay 15, 2023

@scalzi
The rare times I listen to radio, I _only_ listen to AM.

Local enthusiast AM stations are full of, well-meaning garbage - but that's also where you can find small nuggets of off-beat brilliance that professional FM stations never ever provide

Show threadNormanMay 15, 2023
@scalzi The app works great in cell range. Not worth a pinch of poo when crossing the starlit desert at 2 AM with the top down and blasting Wolfman Jack from XERF in Del Rio, TX
Show threadJoris MeijerMay 15, 2023

@scalzi 2002 I seem to remember for me.

Living in the UK for a bit, I could still listen to Dutch news on the (since deprecated) AM frequency of the national radio service.

Show threadeckericMay 15, 2023
@scalzi there are definitely areas in the west where I have been able to pick up maybe 1 FM station. Even driving around town, I sometimes have to switch over to the AM broadcast for NPR because the FM signal doesn’t reach/is blocked by a hill.
Show threadTroyceMay 15, 2023
@scalzi This was an interesting story because the radio station they profile is just half a mile down the road from us.
Show threadjesse jarnowMay 15, 2023
@scalzi @Jwomack i listen to baseball on actual radio. i occasionally stream, but actual radio still sounds better/fuller/analog. crowd sounds, background sound of ball hitting bat, etc, all sound muted & dulled when streaming. plus, genuine local ads on real radio vs. profoundly dumb streaming-era tech world ads.
Show threadheatherMay 15, 2023
@scalzi I, almost exclusively, listen to AM radio in the car.
Show threadNatty BumppoMay 15, 2023
@scalzi AM radio is absolutely free. They only ask that I consider patronizing their advertisers. I don’t have to if I don’t want to. Also, AM radio does not track me or gather information about me. They only ask that I continue listening if I like what they offer. With AM radio, the consumer chooses.
Show threadPossumDarkMay 15, 2023
@scalzi In our market, AM is Spanish language and extreme right wing flamethrowers. Streaming on your phone is easy enough.
Show threadJeremy HopkinsMay 17, 2023
@scalzi honestly, I listen for traffic announcements. That's about all I have found that is either useful or desired there.
Show threadDexterMay 18, 2023

@scalzi I pretty much only use AM to check those "when light is on tune to AM 16XX for traffic information".

My understanding is the big thing for AM is if there's ever an emergency. It's a more robust signal than FM and covers a wider area.