AM Radio Continues to Disappear

Almost daily we learn about another radio station biting the dust. Mostly AM stations, but a few FMers get caught in the no audience, no cash crunch.

In the last few days two historically important stations died. What was the original radio station that went on-air in 1919 as XWA (experimental wireless apparatus), owned by the Canadian Marconi Company went off air Friday January 29th, 2010. XWA became CFCF AM600 was a powerhouse in Montreal, but now deemed forever unprofitable. In later years the frequency of the station became AM940.

The other station, also owned by Chorus Entertainment is CINF AM690. Originally the call letters were CKVL and the station opened in 1946.

I remeber sitting with the applicant of a new AM radio station in Winnipeg in the mid-80's as a consultant. During the hearing the CRTC panel asked why an AM station in a world fast changing to FM. I had the opportunity to talk about AM and FM and made the comment that someday, sooner than later, there two frequencies would either merge or one would disappear. The merging would be satellite (the Internet for the public was nearly a decade away) or some other form of digital delivery. It was inevitable because the computer was moving at such a rapid pace and the information age was upon us.

Having said all that, I was one of the lucky ones, entering radio broadcasting in its infancy (mid 50's) and enjoying the fun, excitement and fleeting stardom of the medium. Riding elephants for promotions, sitting on flagpoles, playing the awful rock 'n' roll (that what our parents called it) and eventually running some of the largest stations in Canada and the States. Life moves on and so does the media.