{"id":35578,"date":"2019-01-14T07:47:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T11:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=35578"},"modified":"2019-01-14T07:47:29","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T11:47:29","slug":"fred-jacobs-on-rekindling-our-fading-romance-with-am-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/fred-jacobs-on-rekindling-our-fading-romance-with-am-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"Fred Jacobs on “Rekindling Our Fading Romance With AM Radio”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article which appeared in Jacob’s Media Strategies on Dec 31, 2018. I’ve pasted an excerpt below, but you’ll want to read the entire piece by clicking here<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Rekindling Our Fading Romance With AM Radio<\/h1>\n

I know I may sound like a relic from another era, but chances are if you’re a Baby Boomer (or gasp \u2013 even older), you were inspired by AM radio as a kid growing up whether it was in a big city or a small town.\u00a0 If you’re a member of a younger generation, you may not even know that AM \u2013 or amplitude modulation \u2013 has a magic power.\u00a0 At night when the clouds are just right, AM signals have the ability to \u201cskip\u201d across geography, unlike frequency modulation (FM) which is line of sight.\u00a0 \u201cClear channel\u201d stations had an even easier time being heard beyond their metro confines \u2013 often covering many states during the nighttime hours.<\/p>\n

Many of us radio veterans remember those nights, lying in bed, where your trusty bedside AM clock radio pulled in signals from all over the U.S. As a boy in Detroit and not especially well-traveled, I learned how to pronounced Des Plaines (Des-planes) and Touhy (2E) by listening to Chicago radio stations like WBBM and WLS.\u00a0 Tuning in KYW in Philly (which came in \u201clike it was next door\u201d), I learned how to spell the quirky town of Conshohocken from listening to Phillips Ford commercials.\u00a0 It was from a jingle that got in your head (CON-SHO-HO-CKEN).\u00a0 At least, it got in mine.<\/p>\n

It didn’t matter if you lived in Dallas or Des Moines, or a small town in Delaware \u2013 you were able to pick up big AM radio stations from faraway.\u00a0 And if you talk to today’s broadcasters on the other side of 50, many will tell you their careers were likely inspired by these booming, exciting blowtorches on AM radio that provided a soundtrack for our teens.<\/p>\n

AM radio was where we first heard the Beatles, the Supremes, the Stones, Stevie Wonder, and even the Doors.\u00a0 Big AM Top 40 stations of the day \u2013 KHJ, WABC, CKLW, WLS \u2013 played all these cool rock songs, right next to Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Elvis, Bobby \u201cBoris\u201d Pickett, and the Singing Nun.\u00a0 And even though the fidelity of amplitude modulation is obviously technically inferior to that of FM, there was something very different and even romantic about hearing all those songs first on AM radio.[…]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Continue reading the full piece at Jacob’s Media Strategies.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks for the tip, Dennis! I think this piece speaks to so many of us radio listeners–especially this one who prefers the “fidelity of amplitude modulation” over so many other mediums.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article which appeared in Jacob’s Media Strategies on Dec 31, 2018. I’ve pasted an excerpt below, but you’ll want to read the entire piece by clicking here: Rekindling Our Fading Romance With AM Radio I know I may sound like a relic from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,433,3,288],"tags":[625,5875,7532,4094,1302],"class_list":["post-35578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-radio-history","tag-am-radio","tag-dennis-dura","tag-jacobs-media-strategies","tag-nostalgia","tag-radio-nostalgia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-9fQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58104,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/a-transoceanic-saves-the-day-in-the-earth-dies-screaming\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":0},"title":"A Transoceanic Saves the Day in “The Earth Dies Screaming”","author":"Thomas","date":"October 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares a link to the movie \"The Earth Dies Screaming\"--a sci-fi\/horror film from 1964. Dennis notes that a Zenith Transoceanic Saves The Day: https:\/\/youtu.be\/RmQBxf9DA9k?si=BxB18Yec0mxw56gx Click here to view on YouTube. Please note: This movie was was live on the day of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/RmQBxf9DA9k\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37051,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/the-new-jersey-antique-radio-club-youtube-channel-needs-your-help\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":1},"title":"The New Jersey Antique Radio Club YouTube channel needs your help","author":"Thomas","date":"April 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who recently shared this video where \"Radio Wild\" asks his viewers to subscribe to the New Jersey Antique Radio Club (NJARC) YouTube channel. Evidently, the NJARC has been posting live video feeds of their meetings and events for quite some time, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/NJARC-group-shot-web.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/NJARC-group-shot-web.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/NJARC-group-shot-web.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/NJARC-group-shot-web.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63994,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/nuts-and-volts-fm-radio-arrives-in-u-s-cars-in-1958\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":2},"title":"Nuts and Volts: FM Radio Arrives in U.S. Cars in 1958","author":"Thomas","date":"September 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura for sharing this fascinating Nuts & Volts article exploring the history of FM radio in American automobiles. While AM dominated dashboards for decades, FM began to make its way into U.S. cars in 1958, slowly changing how drivers listened to music and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Analog-Car-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Analog-Car-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Analog-Car-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Analog-Car-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Analog-Car-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61749,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/digital-library-of-amateur-radio-and-communications\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":3},"title":"Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications","author":"Thomas","date":"January 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares the following article on the Archiv.org Blog: https:\/\/blog.archive.org\/2025\/01\/14\/vanishing-culture-digital-library-of-amateur-radio-and-communications\/","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40449,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/when-the-world-got-its-news-from-shortwave-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":4},"title":"“When the world got its news from shortwave radio”","author":"Thomas","date":"November 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article from SwissInfo.ch. Make sure you visit SwissInfo.ch to listen to their embedded recordings: What did SWI swissinfo.ch sound like for the first seven decades of its existence? The short answer: a radio station.\u00a0 From the mid-1930s to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55577,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/video-final-minutes-of-absolute-radio-broadcast-on-1215-khz\/","url_meta":{"origin":35578,"position":5},"title":"Video: Final minutes of Absolute Radio broadcast on 1215 kHz","author":"Thomas","date":"February 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following video via YouTube: https:\/\/youtu.be\/EYPXjogQxAo Click here to view\/listen via YouTube. Wonderful recording. Thank you for the tip, Dennis!","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/EYPXjogQxAo\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35578\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}