Is The FM tuner obsolete?

In the US the FCC dictates the airwaves. 

My local Jazz station KCSM, struggles to maintain a high quality signal. 

Just running the electricity to power the transmitter is costly to reach maybe 100k listeners in the area? 

Economics will eventually dictate the future. 

Well summed up ghdprentice.

Our local jazz station has fund raisers several times a year. 
I am a local subscriber and would like it to continue. 

Being able to listen in the car is my motivation to contribute. 

When home,  it's streaming all the time. 

Luckily that station is available on TuneIn.

KCSM in San Mateo is part of the community College which has a degree in broadcasting. 

I support them every year. 

Their signal only reaches the peninsula. 

Maybe 1,000,000 so a pretty small amount compared to the expense to broadcast the signal for a nonprofit. 

I think as radio stations evaluate how to distribute music,  online will be the only way. 

I don't this the FCC will eliminate the FM band anytime soon but at some point, stations will not be able to justify pumping out 100K watts into the air.

It's so much more efficient to do an internet steam and reach millions of actual listeners!

I have seen so many good local stations fade off into the abyss. Good AM/FM in the car is how I will really miss them. But then there is satellite radio to take is place, sort of.

Long live FM for as long at it's around!

This kind of reminds me of the relevance of "recievers".

A preamp or variable output DAC could take over this function too.