The AM Loopstick

I second that! The tuneable loop also.

 I have a loops tick antenna and even on a poor quality  radio, loops tick antenna turns it into a DX machine.  My antenna has a place to hook in a long wire ....Incredible difference.   Several more AM stations have gone silent in this area....The band is getting very quiet during the day ti e hours .  DJ Troy , someone I know said the only way to save the AM band would be to bring back AM stereo. ....I agree with that ....Having FM translators has accomplished almost nothing in saving the AM band .  Stereo would of been a better solution. 

Right on, Diablo. I just counted five AM stations in my area that are no longer on the dial and their frequency spots are now vacant. Is it fair to suspect that the FCC is indifferent or even worse, planning on seeing the AM service fade away? Can we think that the NAB is complicit in aiding the downfall of AM by taking no real stance to save it? Yes, the FM translators are an insult to intelligence since they are nothing more than a notch above part 15 weakness receivable by only a few listeners who happen to be near the right tower. Never mind sending cargo planes full of money to Israel, instead let's restore AM radio and fix a few other problems in our own back yard!

I'm not convinced that saving AM is a technological issue.  I don't even know that AM needs saving in rural areas, as there are still plenty of independently owned stations that are servicing their local communities. 

I believe the issue is content.  Huge, corporate conglomerates that provide generic programming with little to no significance to their audience.  Generic programming, in other words.

If you give people what they want to listen to, they will come.  And while sometimes there's a place for generic content, I can find that anywhere, particularly on the web.  So why would I listen to a radio station?

I want a reason to listen.  Local content would be nice.  But also interesting people to listen to.  Not the bubble-headed, brain dead DJ's that you usually find (on both AM and FM).  Real personalities.

Local ownership.  Local content.  Personalities.  And doing it, not with the expectation of huge profit, but for the love and enjoyment.  That's the ticket.

I have never understood how a translator can revive AM. What does moving them to a local FM have to do with saving the AM band?. I don't know about stereo as if a normal radio it has one speaker anyway. I don't think that would do it. Maybe better receivers with wide band settings would help, as Sangean does and Eaton with their higher end models. And, the FCC doing something about the interference caused by everything including the A/C power grid which when it goes out, the noise is gone. Back before the 80s you could plug in your tabletop tube radio and get noise free reception in your home. So, why is it like it is now? Where are you FCC?
Also programming has something to do with it. Put on something that someone wants to listen to and they will listen. But the smartphone addiction has a lot to do with terrestrial radio loosing audience, and the hatred for endless strings of commercials after 6 minutes of talk or 3 songs. People just pair the phone to a speaker and they don't listen to radio.
I believe it ... the smartphone killed radio. Not too many people care that a tuneable loop can make a radio into a DX machine with a smartphone in their hand...sad but true. Programming like old radio dramas and oldies 40s 50s 60s 70s rock and roll and do wop with DJs like Wolfman Jack may bring back the Boomer audience and this is what made AM great. But the problem is advertisers don't want an old audience so you will hear the same synthesized pop called adult contemporary...so it's up to us hobbyists! We have to concentrate more on over the air radio and not streaming to save radio.

This thread is loaded with nuggets of truth about AM radio, and I would like to add another criticism of the FCC. In my opinion the FCC has handed out licenses to companies that have no competency to serve a radio audience. There should be a complete re-think about who is qualified to program and operate a radio station. The present licensees in this market are generally either religious or sports oriented. How many Christian stations does it take to screw in a lightbulb? And the sports stations all mimic the one station that carries major-league baseball. But the mimics don't have big teams, they just yack about scores and players and rain delays and sports sports sports. Half a dozen stations doing the same thing is a waste of electricity.

There are lots of good ideas here.  Too bad the almighty dollar will dictate the way things go.

One thing, though.  Even sports programming can be interesting, with the right hosts.  The one radio station I do listen to here is AM and sports talk.  Their morning show hosts, Halford & Brough, make the show.  Half the time, they're not even talking sports but it's funny, and locally meaningful.  They would be a success and I would listen no matter what they were doing.  That's the kind of content that needs to be proliferated throughout the band.

These hosts used to be on AM TSN1040.  But Bell Media closed up the locally focused sports radio station there, and put on generic comedy.  It lasted for 2 years (I'm surprised that it lasted that long) and then it went dark.  In fact, Bell just closed down a bunch of AM radio stations period, with no attempt at alternative programming.  They just turned out the lights.  Those licenses should just go back in the general availability pool, but apparently they're trying to sell them.  You think they'd learn, but it's what happens when you let bean counters run radio stations.

I agree with Artisan that programming is a lot to do with it. Put a rap station on AM and you will see the Generation Xers will discover AM radio.
But the real problem is commercial radio programming is dictated by the corporations that advertise. AM had a large audience till the oldies stations became "younger" or went to talk/news/sports as your audience has to be under under 54 as the advertisers want. And all the younger people with a smartphone in front of their face aren't going to trade it in for a radio.

"Local ownership. Local content. Personalities. And doing it, not with the expectation of huge profit, but for the love and enjoyment. That's the ticket"

Agree!!! But here in Ontario back in the 60s every large town...Barrie, Midland, Orillia, Huntsville, and too many to mention had a local ma and pop radio station on AM but that all went bye bye after the 70s for FM stations owned by a big corporation that has 30 other stations. And the programming wasn't local any more. The days of Wolfman Jack DJs are unfortunately gone. Sad but the local thing for the love of it will not come back.
The populations of smaller towns are retirees....people over 65 and the only thing that changes are the cottagers in the summer. So why can't a local station come along and for the love of it program for the local demographic? Because things aren't done for the love of it, unless you are rich and don't care about much revenue. There is not enough businesses locally to support it.
If I could move to...say Bogcaygen in the Kawartha Lakes, a small town, pop. 3000 and set up my hobby station there, playing what I do, it would be a hit! Even if I can't cover the whole town. Done for the love of it. And getting all the listeners I would be the reward....not money. And if a local store in town wanted to advertise I'd stick it in a few times an hour and not take one penny for it.

 Your station  would do better in a smaller area....Too many high power station in your area . They tend to drown out low power stations even on FM.  Programming on AM in the US is mostly rightwing talk , sports and religion. ...Except the Washington DC  area , mostly Spanish formats .  They seem to do well or well enough to pay the bills.