What if AM radio hadn’t said its last word?

Marginal for years, AM radio is no longer even offered on certain models of electric vehicles. Some will see this as the fatal blow given to this means of communication which enjoyed prosperous years, before being completely downgraded by FM. However, it could also be that it is still too early to bury the AM once and for all.

Pressure is growing these days in the United States to force automakers, like Tesla and Ford, to correct their situation. Instead, they argue that the AM system interferes with electric vehicle technology.

In early October, attorneys general from 12 states wrote to leaders of both parties in Congress asking them to pass a bill introduced last year that aims to make all new cars equipped with the stripe. AM.

Last week, Politico reported that the heads of the New York fire department and police made the same request to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. AM waves remain essential, according to them, for communicating with the population in emergencies, such as natural disasters.

“The advantage of AM radio is that even if the sound is much less good than that of FM radio, it can be received over huge areas, especially in the evening,” explains Michel Arpin, a former vice-president. president of CRTC. It can allow you to communicate with people who live in isolated places, unlike FM. This is why AM remains important in certain corners of the United States, but also in Canada, in the Prairies among others. »

Like vinyl?

Mr. Arpin, however, would not bet on the future of the AM band in Quebec, which has been stripped of its best attractions over the years.

Music stations were the first to migrate to FM because of the quality of the sound. Then, the talk stations all gradually followed from the 1990s. The last blow was dealt in 2004, when Paul Arcand moved to 98.5 FM.

Despite everything, AM stations still represent 10% of commercial radio revenues in the Montreal region. Among them: many radio stations of an ethnic or religious nature. We also still find CKAC, the first French-speaking radio station in North America, today Radio Circulation. CJAD, the main English-speaking talk radio station in Montreal, still occupies 800 on the AM band.

“AM is like vinyl. Yes, it may be more niche than before, but there is still a demand. And I think it will always exist. For security reasons, as has been mentioned in the United States. But also because it offers a diversity of content that you don’t find on the FM band, where everything is very formatted,” illustrates Nicolas Deslauriers, who is director of AM940.

Former Canadian coach Jean Perron and ex-minister Rémy Trudel operate on the airwaves of this small station, which Nicolas Deslauriers has operated for three years. The latter takes a close look at what is currently happening south of the border.

If the American Congress forces car manufacturers to offer the AM band on their new vehicles, Nicolas Deslauriers is hopeful that Canada will do the same.

Joined by The Pressthe Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development did not respond to our request.

“We can’t stop progress”

Even if all vehicles continue to be equipped with the AM band, its decline is inexorable, says Claude Thibodeau. This former host and owner of radio stations in Quebec is convinced that the carrots have long been cooked for AM radio. It seems even more anachronistic since the arrival of online listening services, like Spotify and Apple Music, he observes.

“When we invented the car, the blacksmiths were not happy. Have we started traveling in carriages again to please them? Of course not. We cannot stop progress,” says the man who experienced the end of the golden age of AM radio with Pierre Pascau, Gilles Proulx, André Arthur and company.