I'm a big fan of Old Time Radio and on Wednesday nights a local AM station has "Way Back Wednesday" where they run a four hour block of programs from the 1940's like The Great Gildersleeve (my personal fav) and Our Miss Brooks. I even bought a replica old time radio to listen to it on. I wish more AM stations did this. And yes I'm under 40. I have all of my favorites shows in MP3, but it's still cool hearing them broadcast and know others are listening to the same classic I am at that moment.
@connorbush you are one of the few people I've encountered who even knew the name let alone like the show. Here is how much I love it (and how crazy I am) I steadfastly refuse to listen to the the last full season and cluster of episodes that have been recovered after because as long as I don't listen it's not over and I still have new ones. Anyway it's nice to know there are still some people left out there enjoying the show!
@Superjimtendo that is exactly me with the Jack Benny program! My father, born in '45 played old time radio for me since birth. It is so magical and I feel like it is more immersive than television. I have only a handful of broadcastings left for Jack Benny but I want to hold on to them!
I'll use AM when I'm out of range of FM or streaming. Can't stand the terrible quality of satellite radio when I can stream 320kbps mp3 for the same monthly price. ($5)
I selected "No, I never listen to the radio" because it's closest to the truth. I occasionally listen to our local listener-supported FM station. For sports I use the MLB At-Bat app because there are no other sports.
AM radio seems to have better severe weather coverage in my neck of the woods, and typically the local AM stations will simulcast television weather during severe weather events longer than their FM counterparts.
Otherwise, the only time I listen to AM radio is when I'm in my '72 Cutlass - she is still 100% stock and AM is what she came with from the factory. That's how she'll stay.
@Barney Sorry sweetie, no, she's got a 350. I bought her from a "little old lady that kept it in a barn" - LITERALLY. My first car was an 1972 Olds Cutlass, which I totalled. I bought her for sentimental reasons.
AM radio is the last bastion of regional originality on OTA terrestrial broadcasts. If they don't fill ALL of their time with national political make me cheese my shorts shows. But I like Clark Howard, America's consumer advocate, and home improvement shows, like Gary Sullivan on Cincinnati's WLW or loudmouth dbags like Mike Trivisonno on Cleveland's WTAM.
@irishbyblood I listen to the WTAM because of the other guys on the Triv show (and Camino). Sometimes I wish Triv would stop flapping his gums and let the other guys move the show along. Plus, it's baseball season and Hammie is the king of baseball announcers. Edit: Also, I just realized you must be from Ohio. Represent!
@Willijs3 Indeed I am a native buckeye, now living in Indiana. Triv is such an ass. I think I like him because he makes me feel smarter. So many great baseball play by play and color guys in the big C's. Nuxall (sp?) Brenaman, Hamilton and Herb Score come to mind. I used to see Herb in old Municipal back in the day when I had credentials.
Way back when, it was WABC for Cousin Brucie, WPOP (Hartford) for Joey Reynolds, and WCFL (Chicago) for Chicken Man. Then I got into AOR long-format FM. "Inna-Gada-Da-Vida" was like 11 minutes long, and Yes' "Tales from Topographic Oceans" was four tracks, each track was about 20 minutes long. No way that would be on AM. Never went back.
The really weird thing. You know how you have very specific memories from your childhood still in your brain. I have one of waking up one morning and hearing this on my clock/radio - AM.
@mfladd I heard this (Disco Inferno) on FM. . I still kinda love this song. It came out when I was 12 (now--if you care--you know how old I am) and was big during my disco phase: 8th grade through freshman year of high school.
@mfladd I was all badass with my John Travolta moves is how. Seriously, I would win dance contests, which is quite ironic. If it helps, I don't think it lasted the whole year.
@mfladd Ha. You know it. For about 9 months of my life, I was confident on the dance floor. I wasn't quite as fluid as Johnny (and there are some of those moves I never even dared), but I was pretty slick for a 13-year-old. Funny thing too is that I never saw the movie until much later. A couple of girls I knew taught me.
When shame took over deeper into adolescence, it's like I totally forgot and/or lost the chutzpah and I've never gotten it back. The wife and I keep talking about taking up ballroom and I know in my heart that I can own that space again.
She can grind with the best of 'em, btw (she's several years younger and way less self-conscious than I). That's not so hard difficult as the guy: I just stand there and she looks good and does unmentionable things though fully clothed.
@mfladd And yaknow what, man--maybe I've said this before, but it bears repeating--people like to talk shit about disco, but I happily claim a lot of that music. And it's a helluva lot better than a lot of the autotuned crap floating around these days. Sure the styles were flamboyant, but that's not intrinsically a bad thing. It was like the last flareup of the 60s. I'd take that over the attitude that took over much of culture during the 80s and beyond.
@joelmw Ok, Ok...I have a very eclectic attitude with music. I still love the 80's one hit wonder era. But I still have love for the disco age. So a couple for you to be nostalgic about:
So when I was a very young man, I built a crystal radio in VBS or Cub Scouts or somewhere like that.
It helped me get hooked on News-Talk Radio. We had a local station that I recall (correctly or not) being 24 all news. I got hooked. Well, I was hooked for a while.
I could never stand the sound quality on AM radio (damn, especially for music), so I always listened to FM in high school, when I wasn't listening to my albums or cassettes.
But early in high school, I started listening to NPR. A lot. Actually, I had three presets set in my '72 Nova. The first was the local NPR affiliate, the second was the good local (we'd call it "classic" these days, but it was on the hard side of pop and contemporary then) rock station, the third was a Christian station (which I could only stand when they weren't playing music, but the sermons I used to put up with, oy). I used to use this as a metaphor for the tensions in my world view.
Yeah, gradually NPR took over. And for the many things wrong with Texas, KERA in Dallas is good, outstandingly so. I listen to music on the radio every now and then, always FM, because why even bother listening to music via AM radio? Ugh.
AM sounds old and flat. And a while back, I started associating it with Hate Radio, and I don't need that. No one needs that, IMO.
@joelmw I love me a crystal radio (or a foxhole radio - using a razor blade and pencil in lieu of a germanium rectifier). Something about pulling the radio waves out of the air, and listening to them by their own power still fills me with a sense of wonder.
For talk only and then specifically for the "Traffic and weather, together!" Either "on the the ones" (1010) or "on the eights" (880). And really, with my smartphone, now I pretty much don't even listen for the traffic or the weather.
One time in the middle of a thunder storm i switched to AM by accident. The channel was all static except for a loud crack every time lightning struck in the distance. I listened for the whole hour long ride home, it was a very surreal experience.
@mfladd And I just hit this thread as I work my way to the top. Took me two weeks to get here through a two month backlog. I guess it'll be another week to hit the top.
While this thread is necroed, this is slightly off topic since shortwave isn't what most people call 'AM,' but it was technically an AM signal (and not even SSB). But last night I was twiddling the dial on my radio, and somewhere in the 9mhz region, there was just so much prostate talk! It was hard to really pay attention, but like a car-crash, it was also hard to tune away. It sounded vaguely almost health-related, but I never once got the sense any of the dudes talking were doctors or even close. Anyway, the joys of shortwave: I never heard the word 'prostate' said so many times in such a short time span before!
satellite or bust
Satellite or Pandora.
I'm a big fan of Old Time Radio and on Wednesday nights a local AM station has "Way Back Wednesday" where they run a four hour block of programs from the 1940's like The Great Gildersleeve (my personal fav) and Our Miss Brooks. I even bought a replica old time radio to listen to it on. I wish more AM stations did this. And yes I'm under 40. I have all of my favorites shows in MP3, but it's still cool hearing them broadcast and know others are listening to the same classic I am at that moment.
@Superjimtendo Great Gildersleeve for the win!
@Superjimtendo I used to listen to some of the old shows too. I distinctly recall enjoying The Shadow.
@connorbush you are one of the few people I've encountered who even knew the name let alone like the show. Here is how much I love it (and how crazy I am) I steadfastly refuse to listen to the the last full season and cluster of episodes that have been recovered after because as long as I don't listen it's not over and I still have new ones. Anyway it's nice to know there are still some people left out there enjoying the show!
@Superjimtendo that is exactly me with the Jack Benny program! My father, born in '45 played old time radio for me since birth. It is so magical and I feel like it is more immersive than television. I have only a handful of broadcastings left for Jack Benny but I want to hold on to them!
@cinoclav the shadow knows... :)
@connorbush So the Shadow is a good guy. Why then does he have the evil chuckle?
Don't want to pay for satellite (or cable) just for baseball. Only option, seemingly, is AM radio.
I'll use AM when I'm out of range of FM or streaming. Can't stand the terrible quality of satellite radio when I can stream 320kbps mp3 for the same monthly price. ($5)
Music over AM makes bluetooth seem downright high quality. ;)
I selected "No, I never listen to the radio" because it's closest to the truth. I occasionally listen to our local listener-supported FM station. For sports I use the MLB At-Bat app because there are no other sports.
AM radio seems to have better severe weather coverage in my neck of the woods, and typically the local AM stations will simulcast television weather during severe weather events longer than their FM counterparts.
Otherwise, the only time I listen to AM radio is when I'm in my '72 Cutlass - she is still 100% stock and AM is what she came with from the factory. That's how she'll stay.
@Pavlov Is your Cutlass a 442?
@Barney Sorry sweetie, no, she's got a 350. I bought her from a "little old lady that kept it in a barn" - LITERALLY. My first car was an 1972 Olds Cutlass, which I totalled. I bought her for sentimental reasons.
@Pavlov Too bad. I could have loved you forever it was.
@Barney My unrequited love for you, which is unconditional, shall be my comfort.
@Pavlov Don't try to blarney Barney.
I usually listen to AM drive-time talk during my commute. News, weather, traffic, a laugh or two and no app required. But the advertisements, ugh!
The news station on AM radio is my alarm sound, I listen for about 15 minutes a day in small increments.
AM radio is the last bastion of regional originality on OTA terrestrial broadcasts. If they don't fill ALL of their time with national political make me cheese my shorts shows. But I like Clark Howard, America's consumer advocate, and home improvement shows, like Gary Sullivan on Cincinnati's WLW or loudmouth dbags like Mike Trivisonno on Cleveland's WTAM.
@irishbyblood I listen to the WTAM because of the other guys on the Triv show (and Camino). Sometimes I wish Triv would stop flapping his gums and let the other guys move the show along. Plus, it's baseball season and Hammie is the king of baseball announcers.
Edit: Also, I just realized you must be from Ohio. Represent!
@Willijs3 Indeed I am a native buckeye, now living in Indiana. Triv is such an ass. I think I like him because he makes me feel smarter. So many great baseball play by play and color guys in the big C's. Nuxall (sp?) Brenaman, Hamilton and Herb Score come to mind. I used to see Herb in old Municipal back in the day when I had credentials.
Only accidentally.
KNX 1070 News Radio.
Yes, because in my youth AM ruled (sad I know)
1060 in Philly for the travel updates. That's about it.
@cinoclav KYW...News radio...1060!
@cinoclav Do you still remember your school closing number?
@dashcloud 851 here.
@dashcloud No. I moved from DelCo to NE Philly after 9th grade. Culture shock and I don't think that school ever closed.
Way back when, it was WABC for Cousin Brucie, WPOP (Hartford) for Joey Reynolds, and WCFL (Chicago) for Chicken Man. Then I got into AOR long-format FM. "Inna-Gada-Da-Vida" was like 11 minutes long, and Yes' "Tales from Topographic Oceans" was four tracks, each track was about 20 minutes long. No way that would be on AM. Never went back.
News, the news is on AM. News, traffic and weather.
The really weird thing. You know how you have very specific memories from your childhood still in your brain. I have one of waking up one morning and hearing this on my clock/radio - AM.
and with that memory this should be added.
@mfladd I heard this (Disco Inferno) on FM. . I still kinda love this song. It came out when I was 12 (now--if you care--you know how old I am) and was big during my disco phase: 8th grade through freshman year of high school.
@joelmw Ha! we are the same age my friend. How the hell could this last until your freshman year of high school? I am more concerned now.
@mfladd I was all badass with my John Travolta moves is how. Seriously, I would win dance contests, which is quite ironic. If it helps, I don't think it lasted the whole year.
@joelmw
@mfladd Ha. You know it. For about 9 months of my life, I was confident on the dance floor. I wasn't quite as fluid as Johnny (and there are some of those moves I never even dared), but I was pretty slick for a 13-year-old. Funny thing too is that I never saw the movie until much later. A couple of girls I knew taught me.
When shame took over deeper into adolescence, it's like I totally forgot and/or lost the chutzpah and I've never gotten it back. The wife and I keep talking about taking up ballroom and I know in my heart that I can own that space again.
She can grind with the best of 'em, btw (she's several years younger and way less self-conscious than I). That's not so
harddifficult as the guy: I just stand there and she looks good and does unmentionable things though fully clothed.@mfladd And yaknow what, man--maybe I've said this before, but it bears repeating--people like to talk shit about disco, but I happily claim a lot of that music. And it's a helluva lot better than a lot of the autotuned crap floating around these days. Sure the styles were flamboyant, but that's not intrinsically a bad thing. It was like the last flareup of the 60s. I'd take that over the attitude that took over much of culture during the 80s and beyond.
@joelmw Ok, Ok...I have a very eclectic attitude with music. I still love the 80's one hit wonder era. But I still have love for the disco age. So a couple for you to be nostalgic about:
Pittsburgh Pirates anyone?
@mfladd Good stuff. Something about those horns.
So when I was a very young man, I built a crystal radio in VBS or Cub Scouts or somewhere like that.
It helped me get hooked on News-Talk Radio. We had a local station that I recall (correctly or not) being 24 all news. I got hooked. Well, I was hooked for a while.
I could never stand the sound quality on AM radio (damn, especially for music), so I always listened to FM in high school, when I wasn't listening to my albums or cassettes.
But early in high school, I started listening to NPR. A lot. Actually, I had three presets set in my '72 Nova. The first was the local NPR affiliate, the second was the good local (we'd call it "classic" these days, but it was on the hard side of pop and contemporary then) rock station, the third was a Christian station (which I could only stand when they weren't playing music, but the sermons I used to put up with, oy). I used to use this as a metaphor for the tensions in my world view.
Yeah, gradually NPR took over. And for the many things wrong with Texas, KERA in Dallas is good, outstandingly so. I listen to music on the radio every now and then, always FM, because why even bother listening to music via AM radio? Ugh.
AM sounds old and flat. And a while back, I started associating it with Hate Radio, and I don't need that. No one needs that, IMO.
@joelmw I love me a crystal radio (or a foxhole radio - using a razor blade and pencil in lieu of a germanium rectifier). Something about pulling the radio waves out of the air, and listening to them by their own power still fills me with a sense of wonder.
@brhfl With you. I need to build one of these again. Even though I can no longer stand AM radio.
For talk only and then specifically for the "Traffic and weather, together!" Either "on the the ones" (1010) or "on the eights" (880). And really, with my smartphone, now I pretty much don't even listen for the traffic or the weather.
Hmmm... maybe I should have picked "No, just FM"
One time in the middle of a thunder storm i switched to AM by accident. The channel was all static except for a loud crack every time lightning struck in the distance. I listened for the whole hour long ride home, it was a very surreal experience.
Local Giants games are on AM, so I listen to them while I am in the car. Other than that, nada.
It amazes me how these old threads just rise from the grave. Its kinda creepy (in a good way).
@mfladd I'm working my way through a two month backlog in the forum. I'll be necroing as i go.
@mfladd And I just hit this thread as I work my way to the top. Took me two weeks to get here through a two month backlog. I guess it'll be another week to hit the top.
While this thread is necroed, this is slightly off topic since shortwave isn't what most people call 'AM,' but it was technically an AM signal (and not even SSB). But last night I was twiddling the dial on my radio, and somewhere in the 9mhz region, there was just so much prostate talk! It was hard to really pay attention, but like a car-crash, it was also hard to tune away. It sounded vaguely almost health-related, but I never once got the sense any of the dudes talking were doctors or even close. Anyway, the joys of shortwave: I never heard the word 'prostate' said so many times in such a short time span before!