Greg Hauprich Explains the Difference Between AM and FM Radio

Before interviewing Greg, I had a chance to look into his blog post about AM and FM radio. Before reading his blog, I was unaware of the actual difference between AM and FM radio other than the fact that I would actually listen to FM radio and I would never listen to AM radio other than the times that I am trapped in a car with my father while he is listening to this talk radio shows. In Greg's blog, he explains that AM radio sounds old and FM radio sounds better, although still not up to par with the sound of Sirius XM radio. After listening to all three, I would have to agree with his statement. A very important aspect of Greg's blog was explaining WHY there are differences in the fidelity between AM and FM radio. In the following clip he explains the difference between the two.

listen to ‘Greg interview 1’ on Audioboo

The differences in fidelity betwen AM and FM radio have resulted in different types of programs being played. AM radio typically consists of mainly news and talk stations, therefore appealing to those seeking information about news, traffic alerts or weather updates. Additionally, FM radio has a higher fidelity, thus, FM radio stations typically play only music for people to listen to. According to Greg's blog, AM listeners are willing to put up with lacking signals to get their news, yet still trust it enough to return to AM radio. Although AM radio has its disadvantages, it is still popular among people to get news. There are far more AM radio stations for news than FM, however there are almost twice as many total FM stations than AM. With the higher fidelity, it definitely attracts more listeners and produces more revenue.