Selected excerpts from a really good article...
Industry Views
November 17, 2025
TALKERS Exclusive: Why AM Radio Still Matters – And Why Cities Must Step Up to Save It
By Frank Morano
City Councilor
New York City 51st District
Staten Island
For most of my life, the sound of an AM signal has been my constant companion. Long before I ever spoke into a microphone professionally, I was the kid hiding under the covers with a transistor radio .... ... ..
When Everything Else Fails, AM Radio Doesn’t
We don’t have to imagine what happens when modern communications collapse. We’ve lived it.
- On September 11, 2001, when cell networks jammed almost immediately, millions of New Yorkers turned to AM radio for news, instructions, and reassurance.
- In the 2003 Northeast Blackout, AM signals were among the very few communications systems still functioning across multiple states.
- During Superstorm Sandy, when much of the region lost power and internet for days, AM remained a critical lifeline for emergency updates, evacuation information, and weather alerts.
- These weren’t theoretical scenarios. They were real moments of crisis – and AM radio proved its value every single time.
When the lights go out, AM stays on. When cell networks are overwhelmed, AM cuts through. When the internet fails, AM continues broadcasting. It is the most resilient form of mass communication ever created, and FEMA and the National Weather Service still rely on AM frequencies for a reason: they reach people when nothing else can.
.....Government can’t – and shouldn’t – tell anyone what to listen to. But we absolutely can ensure that the option to listen still exists. And that, when disaster strikes, the public can rely on a system proven over nearly a century to work under the toughest circumstances imaginable.
The Signal Must Go On
AM radio isn’t a relic. It’s a lifeline. ... ... If we want the AM dial to be there for the next blackout, the next storm, or the next unthinkable moment, the time to act is now.
Because when everything else goes silent, AM radio still speaks.
And we need to make sure it always will.
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Frank Morano was recently elected City Councilor representing New York City’s 51st district. Prior to that he forged a distinguished career in talk radio at WABC and WNYM in New York.
Saw another article on the linked site that 96% say in a survey that radio is important and 89% say that would be a deal breaker and wouldn't buy that vehicle. This from Just yesterday Nov 20/2025
That was surprising. Are you listening car makers?
@mark There are some other good articles there, I had never even heard of Talkers magazine before falling upon that article. There one there that talked about the radio program “Our American Stories” gaining a lot of new affiliates, that sparked my phone interest because it sounded like an interesting show (it is), but it didn't supply a link but it was easy enough to find: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/ The first one I listened to was an inverter interview with the guy that wrote a book "The real story of Elvis and the Colonel" - or something like that, but there's lots of other episodes, Wish I could receive more programming like those over the air around here.