# 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:** 4
**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 18, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/61 "2017-03-18T17:31:58Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > It’s the industry term for speeding up the music to make room for more commercial time. This was also done to make the songs feel more upbeat. There is (or at least, was) the belief that if songs sounded “better” on your station, versus your competitor, listeners would choose your station. If you have SiriusXM, listen to “Seventies on 7” for examples of this. They don’t do this on every single song, but I suspect that they do speed up some songs in an attempt to replicate the vibe of of a 1970s Top 40 radio station (their DJs have a “low fi” filter on their microphones for the same reason). When you hear a song that they’ve sped up, if you’re familiar with the song, it’s very noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/62 "2017-03-18T17:39:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Since so many people are just expressing their own anecdotal preferences and practices, here’s mine. I do not own a “radio” in my house. There is, apparently, a radio in my car, as well is in recent cars I’ve previously owned, but I do not know if it works or not. I refuse to turn it on or allow it to be on\*\* when I’m driving\*\*. I’ve gone on two week road trips by myself, without ever turning it on even once, nor any other audio devices. > > I like music, and at home I have music on my computer maybe a half hour a day. When I find something I like, I add it to my YouTube playlists. I have a few stations I live stream, none of them American, none in English. My bold. In previous threads you have claimed to be legally blind. How are you driving? ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/63 "2017-03-18T18:12:39Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > FM music is free and I live in an area with dozens of stations that come in cleanly. Why pay for Satellite or bother with an Internet option? Actually no, the advertising costs are incorporated into the price of all the things we buy. For me there is a certain level of tolerable advertisements, per hour. Not sure what it is but they busted through it long ago. It’s difficult for me to believe anyone can tolerate that. Then, there’s the playlists. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/64 "2017-03-18T18:23:43Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I would assume most people are listening to MP3s, internet or satellite streaming music, and vinyl/CDs nowadays. Possibly, possibly not - or not exclusively. People who use those technologies might also listen to off-air broadcasting at other times. The only question is, is there enough “listenership” for FM stations (or AM for that matter) for whoever is responsible for keeping them going (advertisers or public broadcasting agencies) to feel it’s worthwhile? Obviously, the answer is still “Yes”, or they wouldn’t exist. One good reason for that might be that just listening to someone else’s playlist may not be the only thing listeners seek in their media. Discussion, analysis, introducing people to sounds and ideas they may not have encountered before, as well as all sorts of non-music broadcasting (drama, comedy, documentaries… ) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/65 "2017-03-18T20:52:07Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Since so many people are just expressing their own anecdotal preferences and practices, here’s mine. I do not own a “radio” in my house. There is, apparently, a radio in my car, as well is in recent cars I’ve previously owned, but I do not know if it works or not. I refuse to turn it on or allow it to be on when I’m driving. I’ve gone on two week road trips by myself, without ever turning it on even once, nor any other audio devices. > [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > In previous threads you have claimed to be legally blind. How are you driving? Quietly. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/66 "2017-03-18T22:53:50Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Wow, I was really sympathetic to the OP’s point of view, but wow!, a lot of you still love your radio. A heck of a lot of our customers do as well (I work in multimedia/infotainment.) It’s just too ubiquitous and always there. Plus a lot of listeners like the “local” content (morning drive talk shows, etc.) and don’t get me started on sports radio like 97.1. > [@](#): > > Me? Podcasts and audio books. I get some free satellite thing in my company cars, but as long as I have Bluetooth, no thanks. I guess all you all’s posts explain how that satellite company stays in business, too. I’ve got a couple of podcasts I listen to regularly, but I still subscribe to SXM. Couple reasons: I like hard rock/metal. we basically have three rock stations in our market, one mostly classic rock, and the other two a blend of classic and newer hard rock. But their playlists are fairly unchanging. On the other hand, SXM has 4 hard rock channels. one for new stuff (Octane,) one for classic rock/metal (Ozzy’s Boneyard,) one for hair bands (Hair Nation) and one for the really heavy stuff (Liquid Metal.) Plus it has about a half dozen comedy channels where I’ve found plenty of hilarious comedians, who I later went and saw live at Mark Ridley’s. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/67 "2017-03-18T23:03:12Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Quietly. > > 😃 Echolocation? The radio would interfere. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/68 "2017-03-18T23:15:21Z")
Speeding up – interesting. We had a thread about a year ago where some Dopers could tell if a song was being played faster than it should be (compared to original recording, for example), and other Dopers couldn’t tell at all. Recordings by The Doors were apparently a case in point. Anyway, I just had a great radio moment. Driving in a rented car near Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, and a local FM station plays a full hour of fantastic Irish music, with commentary (in Spanish). Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, including the Mexico-Ireland connection of that San Patricio brigade during the Mex-Am War of 1848. Anyway, they played fantastic stuff – The Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town,” a male voice singing “The Shamrock Shore” a capella…then discussed what we know of the real St. Patrick’s life (enslaved by non-Christian Irish, escaped, captured by the French…) Yay for FM! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/69 "2017-03-18T23:17:01Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Um, that didn’t help. True, but it’s never the wrong moment for a Mitch Hedberg quote! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/70 "2017-03-18T23:22:34Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > … a male voice singing “The Shamrock Shore” a capella… Turns out the proper name of the song is “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore.” ---
**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 18, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/71 "2017-03-18T23:36:01Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Um, that didn’t help. What does it mean to “add sugar” to music?? More “Bubblegum pop” music - especially from boy bands/heart-throbs aimed at tweens/teens. Typically mass-market stuff that’s poppy, upbeat but not particularly “meaningful”, for want of a better term. [Sugar, Sugar by the Archies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o) may be the ultimate “bubblegum pop” song, incidentally. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/72 "2017-03-19T05:29:33Z")
Radio is live, and it’s personal on some level. It’s local, from your area, you may even know or have met some of the personalities. Has Pandora ever told you about something going on in your area? No the ads are generic. Sirrius etc? Unless you happen to live next door to Howard Stern or something, there probably is not much on it relevant to your area. People like local news local sports local high school and college stuff, local traffic and weather Also look at the cost, how much does a device that can stream internet or satellite broadcasts cost? Or even one that can only play back MP3s? An AM/FM radio is cheap, you can buy a bunch of them and stick one everyplace, house garage barn etc. Can’t buy an mp3 player for 3 bucks. They work if the internet is out, some work if the electric is out. They can tell you useful things in the event of some kind of disaster. They work in a cell dead zone, they work when roaming, they work in any country in the world. A radio can last forever, i have radios older than any person here, and they still work. They have not become outdated and unable to function. (Yes the B battery etc are replaced with a DC power supply) The FM radio in my 71 dodge works just as well today as it did in 1971, the radio in my 63 ford, which gets AM and FM, works just as good also. Nothing needed to be updated, upgraded, or replaced for them to continue working. Don’t like whats on one station, tune in another, just spin the wheel and see what you get. I do not think radio will die any time in the foreseeable future ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/73 "2017-03-19T05:55:23Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Radio is live, and it’s personal on some level. Neither. Most music radio is both pre-recorded and piped in over satellite or land line from a distant location. [Minot, ND learned that the hard way one night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment): > [@](#): > > The public siren system failed during the event and the 911 telephone system became overloaded. Because it was the middle of the night, there were few people at local radio stations, all operated by Clear Channel with mostly automated programming. > [@](#): > > It’s local, from your area, you may even know or have met some of the personalities. As I said, not really. > [@](#): > > Has Pandora ever told you about something going on in your area? No the ads are generic. Again, this is almost entirely true of FM radio. > [@](#): > > Can’t buy an mp3 player for 3 bucks. A cell phone is an MP3 player, and most people have one of those regardless. > [@](#): > > They work if the internet is out, some work if the electric is out. The radio transmitters don’t work if the electricity is out. > [@](#): > > They can tell you useful things in the event of some kind of disaster. Ha. No. > [@](#): > > They work in a cell dead zone, they work when roaming, they work in any country in the world. All of these things are more true of MP3 players than radios. > [@](#): > > A radio can last forever But most don’t. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/74 "2017-03-19T06:43:32Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > I listen to an FM music station about half the time when I’m in the car. I’m not going to pay for satellite radio when I can get music for free. I very rarely buy MP3s, and I’ve never really explored the streaming service options. FM radio music is good enough for my purposes. I don’t really see any reason to do anything else. This. Also why should I pay for NPR on satellite when I can listen to my local station for free? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/75 "2017-03-19T07:12:23Z")
[Dateline Obviousland: Dopers Skew Old](http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2017/03/15/station-not-internet-youre-losing-young-listeners-big-time/): > [@](#): > > Because you risk missing a generation of listeners whose media intake is primarily online. YouTube is where they hang out the most, but online radio is also a destination. Where they’re moving away from is your AM or FM broadcast. > > That’s the big takeaway from the [2017 Infinite Dial](http://www.edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2017/) survey of American online listening habits conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital. > > The results are stark. 87% of young people aged 12 to 24 listen to online radio every month, yet only 50% say that AM/FM radio is important for keeping up with new music. > > The number one way young people keep up with new music: YouTube. Amongst the 70% of people aged 12 – 24 who say it’s somewhat or very important to keep up with new music, 80% say YouTube is their first choice, followed closely by friends and family (77%), and then Spotify (59%) and Pandora (53%). > > Radio is the fifth choice for those aged 12–24, compared to ranking third amongst all Americans who keep up with new music, ranking just behind friends and family at 68% and YouTube at 64%. So, even if YouTube isn’t beating radio with all ages, it’s neck-and-neck. The blog post suggests that your station have an Internet presence, because apparently people still need to be told that a business needs to have an Internet presence. Next they’ll be telling me that installing one of them telle-mo-phones is somewhat useful. The blog I linked to is called Radio Survivor, which about sums it up. It’s a great look at radio from the LPFM/college radio perspective, which is apparently what most people here implicitly mean when they say “radio” given all of the assumptions I’m seeing that radio is “local” with live talent and live shows, as opposed to piped in from some central office with prerecorded talent and nationally syndicated shows. ---
**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 19, 2017, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/76 "2017-03-19T07:22:39Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Neither. Most music radio is both pre-recorded and piped in over satellite or land line from a distant location. [Minot, ND learned that the hard way one night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment): This is true of commercial radio stations in small markets, especially overnight. But in larger areas you can find lots of radio stations operated locally, and during daylight hours the DJs on even the large commercial stations are local and mentioning local events. Community and college radio stations are also pretty much %100 live. One of the local college radio stations goes off the air around 1am, and is also off the air for Christmas break, the other one I listen to regularly is 24/7/365 live. And even in rural areas around here, there are tons small radio stations catering to the local market. There are so many small stations that they step on each others’ signal all the time. There’s a local country station north of Dallas that I like a lot that shares a frequency with another station south of Fort Worth that I loathe. Both are live 24/7. The station I loathe starts stepping on the station I like about 10 miles from my house. Irritates me to no end, but it shows that some markets are saturated with independent FM stations. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/77 "2017-03-19T08:45:52Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Neither. Most music radio is both pre-recorded and piped in over satellite or land line from a distant location. [Minot, ND learned that the hard way one night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minot_train_derailment): > > As I said, not really. > > Again, this is almost entirely true of FM radio. > > A cell phone is an MP3 player, and most people have one of those regardless. > > The radio transmitters don’t work if the electricity is out. > > Ha. No. > > All of these things are more true of MP3 players than radios. > > But most don’t. do you have any actual experience with any of this, or are you just saying “no, no, no” and combing for links to try to prove a point? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/78 "2017-03-19T11:17:20Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > This is true of commercial radio stations in small markets, especially overnight. But in larger areas you can find lots of radio stations operated locally, and during daylight hours the DJs on even the large commercial stations are local and mentioning local events. Community and college radio stations are also pretty much %100 live. One of the local college radio stations goes off the air around 1am, and is also off the air for Christmas break, the other one I listen to regularly is 24/7/365 live. Well, one of the value propositions of radio is that you can get it out in the hinterlands, but, as we can see, having radio and having _Radio_ are two different things. It’s a bit dishonest to say that radio works one way when there are examples, plus my own experience, telling me that it works differently. Oh, and I just have to comment on this: > [@](#): > > Community and college radio stations are also pretty much %100 live. Maybe %100 is different from 100%, but this is not true in the market I’m most familiar with, Havre, MT, where KNMC college radio is often an iMac on shuffle (not an iPod, an iMac) with nobody in the booth. I get that the context of this quote is college radio _in larger markets_, but this is just such a stark difference from something I have personal experience with I can’t _not_ point it out. Again, it’s radio versus _Radio_. > [@](#): > > And even in rural areas around here, there are tons small radio stations catering to the local market. There are so many small stations that they step on each others’ signal all the time. There’s a local country station north of Dallas that I like a lot that shares a frequency with another station south of Fort Worth that I loathe. Both are live 24/7. The station I loathe starts stepping on the station I like about 10 miles from my house. Irritates me to no end, but it shows that some markets are saturated with independent FM stations. So your definition of “rural” is within a reasonable range of the DFW Metroplex, one of the biggest conurbations in the country. Huh. Ya know, that might could explain a couple things? My experience is a lot closer to Minot, in every respect, where even the Clear Channel robo-stations shut down at night, and where most of the band, AM and FM, is as empty as the landscape. The Minot Train Derailment (which would be a great alt-country or folk band name) is definitely something I could see happening in Havre, and not just because we have a train track running through town. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/79 "2017-03-19T11:39:50Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Neither. Most music radio is both pre-recorded and piped in over satellite or land line from a distant location. Some content is, some is not. When you call in a local number, cause the guy is taking requests etc, it’s not a machine or something piped in from elsewhere/ > [@](#): > > As I said, not really. You must not actually listen to radio. I know a lot of radio people who are in fact live humans and even better, they live in their listening area, Oh and they work at clear channel stations You have not said anything at all actually. > [@](#): > > Again, this is almost entirely true of FM radio. Ok i know for sure you do not listen to radio, they run ads for everything from local car dealers to the local catholic church festival etc. > [@](#): > > A cell phone is an MP3 player, and most people have one of those regardless. Yes, it is. And it’s kaput in a few short years, either it dies or the battery dies or it gets outdated. And it costs more than 3 bucks. > [@](#): > > The radio transmitters don’t work if the electricity is out. Ever been to a radio station? Honestly have you ever even looked at one? Most commercial ones can run on their own power. Maybe google WLW, they have plenty of pictures you can look at > [@](#): > > Ha. No. I dont think so, present facts. LOTS of facts, specific cites. Because i can easily cite you millions of instances where your Ha. No is 100% false. > [@](#): > > All of these things are more true of MP3 players than radios. Really? MP3 player tells me if I71 is shut down for an accident, gives me the days weather, tells me what’s going on in town etc? Odd, mine does not, it just plays the music i have on it already > [@](#): > > But most don’t. Exactly how many radios have you actually owned, and how many broke of their own accord? dropping them etc does not count. Heck i have crystal set that i built in grade school that still works, and it does not even need electricity to work, unless you drop it, it can not possibly break. Hell i have old westinghouse and crosleys that still work, and they are near 100 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/80 "2017-03-19T13:55:33Z")
**Weisshund** : You ignored my cite, then demanded a cite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=5)