A “Sound” Idea….
Believe it or not, local radio, even on the AM band can sound GREAT! At
WION in Ionia , MI
At WION we do that
very well. So much so that we get compliments fairly regularly that we “stand
out” against even the bigger-city stations. People even hear details in their
favorite songs that they haven’t heard before!
That’s how well we pay attention to our sound!
Over a weekend in September, however, I was made painfully
aware of how many people, as they drive, may NOT know what our (AM) signal
really sounds like!
I love my Jeep. It drives well, it’s fun, gets great mileage
with its stickshift transmission, and it came with a GREAT original sound
system. Except… the original system has a weak link. The speakers in the front
doors. They are unique to the system, make replacing expensive and difficult.
So, when the second of two speakers died, it was time to upgrade. Or so I
thought: to a new stereo receiver, and new speakers.
So, I chose a Jensen in-dash, “heavy duty” receiver. Chosen
for its larger knobs and buttons, very VISIBLE display, and conveniences of
dual inputs, I had faith that the sound would be at least as good as the
price-tag which was not inexpensive.
Only two people are ever allowed to tear apart my car, and
one of them got the short straw, so Bill tore into it. He had to custom-design
new tweeter brackets, run some new wires, bypass the Jeep’s amplifier circuits
built into the doors, and install extra boxes for “high frequency adjustment.” All
of it went well, and when turned on, the FM sounded FANTASTIC. The Inputs from
the mp3 player were sounding great, and the long drive home was exciting with
tunes I choose for my personal player.
Then came the problem.
In the very town….and the very DRIVEWAY where WION radio originates, the
AM sound was not the familiar “Jeep” full, wide sound, but rather, the sound of
a phone call if patched through a small CB radio speaker. Yes, it was that
bad. FM remained beautiful, inputs from
the player were beautiful, but AM literally “HOOVERED.” The AM couldn’t be made to sound good, let alone….GREAT.
AM was at best, unlistenable.
Obviously Jensen put out a product that would turn you, my
listeners and friends completely OFF to the potential great sound that AM radio stations have to present. And,
its just not fair. I wouldn’t have even listened to TALK programming on this AM
receiver, let alone our music and “full-service” content. I believe that this is not an isolated
incident.
On WION we often invite you to switch to our AM for “longer distance listening”
and our “quality of sound” and, we mean it!
We DON’T sound like a phone call through a CB radio, and our AM is the BEST sound AM can offer! Unfortunately, (some)
manufacturers are leading you, the consumer to believe that AM radio sound
literally sucks! (If you’re offended by
that term, so be it. I mean what I say.)
Radio manufacturers have, by cutting corners and costs, tossed aside a
medium that can sound as good as FM, reach farther, and in many towns like Ionia , an (AM) station is the only LOCAL live media! It
deeply angers me that public perception of what AM “sounds” like should be “crap”
when in actuality, its potential goes far beyond what most people have ever
heard! I hope when you hear WION proudly talking about our "sound" that you realize it's your RADIO that limits the quality of what you hear, not the AM band itself!
Who enjoys good AM?
People with Chrysler/Jeeps from the mid 90’s to mid 2000’s, with the
familiar rounded corners and the 3-letter receiver codes on the front in white.
(some are even AM Stereo!!) Most NON-HD
original equipment also sounds good. But, if the “HD” logo has been hung on it,
the AM has likely been compromised. I have yet to OWN an HD capable radio that
did justice to AM broadcasters. I hope that there actually are a “few” good HD
radios in dashboards which give good (normal) AM sound.
I know that AM is not the first thing on your mind. I know
we have a local FM signal that sounds great. But, how would YOU feel if you put your heart
and soul into a product, then found it was being diminished by forces beyond
your control? Our American economy is driven
by purchases, and purchased by price, that’s a given. But, that DOESN’T mean
that a few pennies here, or a dollar per unit to improve the quality of AM sound in radios
would break the manufacturer, or the consumer.
Once you’re done reading this, please give a listen to this
clip, posted on my website. It’s taken
from a REAL tuner “off air”. It’s REAL AM broadcasting, not audio piped into
the recorder from our control room. It actually is a recording of a BROADCAST,
edited for length. THIS is what AM radio is capable-of and this is what our
local audience SHOULD be hearing, if the radio manufacturers would allow it! And yes, in Ionia County
Enjoy the link below.
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