# Why do FM music stations still exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413 "2017-03-17T15:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/21 "2017-03-17T17:58:52Z")
Because it’s free and convenient. Nearly every car has at least a basic AM/FM radio. I have a built in FM radio in my phone. Active people can buy lightweight FM headsets. People buy CD players with built in radios. I wake every morning to my FM clock radio. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/22 "2017-03-17T18:05:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Bingo. If I wanted to listen over and over again to the same stuff I’ve been listening to for the past fifty years, I wouldn’t need a radio. But I really like hearing good new music, and I tend to do this while driving because it’s a good time to listen to music. And since there are a couple of good stations I can listen to, I don’t feel the need to pay for Sirius. Yep, this is the reason I listen to radio. Heck, when I venture to the AM dial (heh, a radio dial), it’s filled with music that not only do I not know already, but I don’t even understand the language it’s in. I don’t know how I’d get exposed to it otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/23 "2017-03-17T18:09:21Z")
They exist to make money. They seem to be good at it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/24 "2017-03-17T18:39:45Z")
Almost the only time I listen to any radio is in the car, and 95% of the time it’s the local classical station. In spite of owning over 2,000 CDs, all downloaded onto my computer, I’m always looking for music I don’t have… and there’s so damn much of it. It’s also a good way to keep in touch with the “arts scene” as well as new artists. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/25 "2017-03-17T18:55:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Another OP who thinks every one should be just like them because they are so damn perfect. I’d be far more willing to believe it is the result of a “bubble” effect rather than impugn the OP motivations. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/26 "2017-03-17T19:07:19Z")
I feel “connected” when I have live radio on in the car. I almost never listen to CDs or other prerecorded formats. There are news, weather, and traffic updates and occasionally, but rarely, breaking news alerts. However, I hate to break it to you, I listen to AM! I prefer talk radio. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/27 "2017-03-17T19:27:44Z")
I can’t get my local NPR station on satellite, or the local news stations for traffic updates. Even if I did have a smart phone, which I don’t, it would be illegal and stupid of me to be fussing with it trying to get traffic news while driving. With my FM radio, I just push 1 or 2 buttons, and I’m good. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/28 "2017-03-17T19:37:44Z")
Literally millions of people listen to the radio every day (mostly in cars). ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/29 "2017-03-17T20:57:28Z")
Eventually probably everything will be streamed. But for now, I still prefer FM radio for the local content. Not just local talk shows, which I do listen to, but also just little tidbits of local news between songs. Even local advertisements are sometimes entertaining or educational. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/30 "2017-03-17T20:59:21Z")
My newish car came with SiriusXM radio, and I found I didn’t like it much. There are tons of stations all broken down into very narrow genres, and what I like about listening to my digital music devices and my Pandora stations is that I can put them on shuffle and hear a real mix of music styles and genres. So I let my satellite subscription lapse. I occasionally listen to FM music in the car, but mostly I listen to NPR. My commute is less than 15 minutes, and I just don’t spend much time in the car. At home I listen to NPR in the morning and BBC at night. And music. Pandora or my huge library of MP3s are playing much of the day. I check out CDs from my library and rip them straight to digital, often without even listening to them if its an artist or genre I like. So I constantly hear music that is new to me. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/31 "2017-03-17T21:25:09Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Also, since there is so much streaming and MP3ing going on inside my house, I’m tired of it even tho I have 30,000 songs. And I’m not hearing anything new, or anything pop-classic. So hearing what’s on FM radio is a bit of freshness. I got a car with the aux jack for an iPod so I got an iPod and that’s usually the default because there are no commercials. But I did start thinking I missed the local independent music station and tuned in again now and then; I don’t know what will be coming on and it’s kind of fun that way. And it’s easy enough to hit the mute button on the steering wheel during commercials! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/32 "2017-03-17T21:44:59Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I got a car with the aux jack for an iPod so I got an iPod and that’s usually the default because there are no commercials. But I did start thinking I missed the local independent music station and tuned in again now and then; I don’t know what will be coming on and it’s kind of fun that way. And it’s easy enough to hit the mute button on the steering wheel during commercials! I used to do that, until My Beloved started screaming “Put that steering wheel back, you idiot!” edited to add: Oh-_on_ the steering wheel, not _with_ the steering wheel. Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/33 "2017-03-17T22:01:10Z")
To the best of my knowledge there’s no satellite radio in Australia and dicking around with one’s phone to stream radio in the car would likely fall afoul of our “no using a mobile phone in the car without a handsfree kit” laws. Also, as someone noted earlier, FM radio is an outstanding way to hear new music while one is driving (in particular) or just at home looking for some background sound while doing the dishes etc. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/34 "2017-03-17T23:29:12Z")
It wasn’t until I read the OP that I realized that I don’t listen to anything but news and Internet streaming. FM music is wasted on me. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/35 "2017-03-17T23:32:15Z")
Because FM radios still exist, and people listen to them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/36 "2017-03-17T23:43:52Z")
A few statistics on the topic: SiriusXM has about 32 million subscribers in the U.S.: > **[Sirius XM - number of subscribers in the U.S. 2022 | Statista](https://www.statista.com/statistics/252812/number-of-sirius-xms-subscribers/)** > > In the fourth quarter of 2022, Sirius XM had approximately 34.3 million subscribers, up from 34.03 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. As there are ~126 million households in the U.S., this means that, at most, one out of four U.S. households are satellite radio subscribers. Online radio (i.e., streaming) has a penetration of somewhere around 50% or so, depending on the measure you use: > **[Other Media - Media Facts](http://www.rab.com/whyradio/mfprofile.cfm?catId=137§ion=pr)** > > RAB's new Competitive Media section gives you complete access to the latest information profiling 10 competitive media. Each profile contains a complete whitepaper as well as the advantages, disadvantages and plus Radio for each medium. Younger listeners are more likely to be moving away from “terrestrial” radio (AM and FM), but older consumers (particularly 55+) have been slower to adopt it (as they have with most technologies). ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/37 "2017-03-17T23:54:34Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Bingo. If I wanted to listen over and over again to the same stuff I’ve been listening to for the past fifty years, I wouldn’t need a radio. But I really like hearing good new music, and I tend to do this while driving because it’s a good time to listen to music. And since there are a couple of good stations I can listen to, I don’t feel the need to pay for Sirius. Agreed. I’ve no interest in subscribing to satellite radio, ever since Sirius and XM combined, and my favorite stations were eliminated. At home, I sometimes stream radio online, since I live in a rural area without much choice. But MP3s and pandora and spotify are more of a PITA than a pleasure. In the car, I listen to radio, NPR or college stations, or recorded books. I like hearing different kinds of music, and being exposed to music outside of my established parameters of taste and interest. Radio is the best place for that. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/38 "2017-03-17T23:58:58Z")
Isn’t WiFi essentially radio anyway? Except with FM, the transmitters are comfortingly far away? ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/39 "2017-03-18T00:36:28Z")
Because Danny Bonaduce is hilarious! He’s the morning DJ for the local classic rock station. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/40 "2017-03-18T01:05:11Z")
I listen to fm radio. I have mp3s, Pandora, etc but radio has its benefits [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=3)