Any thoughts or experience on the current and future of FM radio?
A bit of "thinking out loud" here. I have enjoyed and learned much from radio in my life. First AM rock and roll and then FM Jazz. My question is where do things go from here? Broadcast FM, internet music, FM stations with an internet site and anything more you can think of.
I, like most on this site, have the sound quality and as close to the original recording as possible being my pursuit. I am more on the consumer side and would have interest in hearing anyone's take on what the future may have in store. From LPs to 8-tracks and cassettes and various digital discs, redbook sacd etc, I have traveled the road most of you have and am hopeful that the future has an old term in mind "high fidelity".
I, like most on this site, have the sound quality and as close to the original recording as possible being my pursuit. I am more on the consumer side and would have interest in hearing anyone's take on what the future may have in store. From LPs to 8-tracks and cassettes and various digital discs, redbook sacd etc, I have traveled the road most of you have and am hopeful that the future has an old term in mind "high fidelity".
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erik_squires What you point out is the history/magic of radio...the ability to access music that you might learn from, like or dislike and, perhaps, purchase. |
If any of you have local, small college radio stations...I have found some to be a haven for good programing. Like most NPR/independent stations, they will need your support, but ten dollars a year from enough listeners will keep them on the air. I am lucky enough to have a small community college station that is a Jazz haven. |
I haven’t listened in years. My local station long ago became similar to MTV....talk and ads. Once I started streaming in my truck, well, I never reset the presets after a battery change. I don’t have a tuner in my main system at all, and come to think of it, don’t have a single radio in the house. The last time I pulled the blanket off the TV was to watch the Superbowl. |
The corporate consolidation of the radio industry in the US has really hurt programming quality, and the industry's steep revenue declines - a result of its digital non-broadcast competition - mean things aren't likely to get better anytime soon. But as noted, there are some bright spots and among them, some of the stations even care about SQ. I still listen to my terrific McIntosh MR-80 tuner, although not nearly as much as I did during the glory days of FM radio. |
tomic60 makes an excellent and important point. Many of the best radio stations in the U.S. are public radio, meaning public funded. Most of you have likely gone through the drag of a "funding drive", but that is the public part of public radio. If you have a station you enjoy, please make regular donations. Even ten dollars a year is meaningful. I have donated what I could when I could and peaked at a famous Danish designer chair when I owned a Scandinavin furniture store. It was such a heart warming event when the chair brought more in the auction than I sold it for in my store and rightfully so. |
a great TUBE tuner, with dedicated fm antenna (mine McIntosh mx110z): I cannot imagine streaming sound to come close. However, I only listen to WBGO Jazz, my antenna pointed directly at Newark, NJ. It get's lots of other stations, but I don't listen I have but no longer use Carver AM/FM, a terrific SS tuner, but I prefer the sound of the tube tuner. |
Radio is alive and well in my home. Long live radio? My 64 Mac gets a daily workout. I just hope it hangs on while I'm still on this planet. The public Jazz/Classical stations are likely going to be 100% public before long, since they're minimally funded by govt. I'm ashamed to say, I'm a freeloader, not donating to the cause. Something about the necessity of being "connected" turns me off with streaming. Is the SQ equal to the broadcast of the same station? R&R stations are awful. I sure do miss the AOR stations, playing an entire side, after the DJ would enlighten the listener about the music. Jeff Bezos should fund a 24 hour/commercial free record broadcast. The operational cost would be nothing to him. |
I also still love my FM tuner the (Seattle)NPR 24h Jazz station is rather good sounding better at times then streaming from tidal. Oh tidal I also like to stream and records still of course as I'm of that age group who has a large collection still. I like FM for the turn it on and forget it thing, streaming needs attention to either set up play lists of find music etc. |
