I Bought a Radio in Turkey. Here’s What Happened. The Future of AM/FM, Digital Radio & Streaming.

The saleslady says there’s no AM radio in Turkey and there never has been. Is that true? Well, not quite. While our Turkish friend may have never heard AM radio in Turkey before, it does exist, or at least it did.
In fact, the first radio broadcast in Turkey was way back in 1927 and that, of course was AM as FM wasn’t even invented until 1933. The first FM broadcast in Turkey didn’t come until 1978 and that was mono! Stereo? Well that didn’t arrive until 1984! For an American like me, that’s hard to believe since we’ve had widespread stereo FM broadcasting since the sixties.
But, of course, that’s the advantage of a free market versus a largely state run media. Without competition, there sometimes isn’t much incentive to improve.
In Turkey, radio flourished in the early years not for commercial reasons, but as a means for populist Republican leaders like Ataturk to promote nationalism through speeches and political discussions.
When the Democrat party came into power in the fifties, it demanded that radio broadcasts reflect party views. And with all the coups, one in 1960, one in 1971 and another in 1980, stations lost more and more autonomy.
So, is there AM radio today in Turkey? As far as I can tell, no. In fact it seems as though the US is one of the few places where AM radio still thrives. I mean, it sucks but it’s still very much alive. In Europe, and most of the world though, more and more transmitters are shutting down on AM medium and long wave bands.
But even in America, people are starting to question just how long AM and even FM radio will survive. The most popular time and place to listen to radio is in when driving in a car. And we’re just doing less and less of that due to COVID and the transition to working from home.
Some fear broadcast radio will go all digital making vintage radios obsolete. And since streaming is getting easier and more reliable, others are questioning the need for broadcast radio altogether.
What do you think the future of holds for radio? And what’s it like where you live? Let me know in the comments. I hope to see you there where we can all have a good discussion about it. And stay tuned for new videos. I’ll see you soon.
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#amradio #radio #antalya #turkey

[@g0hjq]

We still have AM stations in Great Britain. I just had a quick look around the Medium Wave band in Manchester and found 8 fairly strong signals, plus one on Long wave. There's a mix of music and talk stations - Government owned (BBC) and independent.

[@FluxCondenser]

So glad to hear that. Thanks for the report.

[@thomaskendall452]

AM radio in the U.S. still thrives in some rural areas, where the "info-tainment" format lends itself perfectly to local community communications needs. These stations aren't the 50 kilowatt multi-state blowtorches, but rather the little 500- or 1,000-watters.

[@1mctous]

Here in Anchorage we have a mix of the corporate giants and independent locals on a full FM band (over 20 listenable stations). AM is much more sparse (6 stations).

[@FluxCondenser]

“Anchored down in Anchorage.” Now I’ve got the song stuck in my head.

[@Egam]

Plenty of AM radios here in South America. Regards from Uruguay.

[@cameronl62]

Sadly it's getting tougher and tougher for radio to attract listeners. My kids don't listen to the radio. I work in radio, and I don't even listen much. Mostly while at my desk at work. News and baseball games are just about the only things worth tuning in.

[@FluxCondenser]

What do you do in the field of radio?

[@cameronl62]

@@FluxCondenser I'm on the business side. I'm in fundraising for public radio.

[@FluxCondenser]

Very nice. I’m a huge fan of public radio and support my local stations WBUR, WICN and WGBH.

[@ralphups7782]

I have just, parked my analogue radio. for my digital radio and its tuned to Blomberg UK and now I am hearing the truth about what is going on.

[@janicehopkins4432]

Bloomburg may be partially owned by china.

[@frostycanada6404]

Hey Flux, AM radio alive and well in Canada. I don’t think AM or FM will be going away anytime soon as the dial is full of great stations in the Montreal area. Take care, Brian

[@FluxCondenser]

Glad to hear that!

[@janicehopkins4432]

While I mostly listen to FM, I also frequently listen to shortwave and am.

[@phonatic]

No AM radio here in Germany since 2015, LW went out a year earlier, but FM is still active aside DAB+. Personally, I always regarded listening to radio to be a stress factor due to the overload of mainstream garbage. But I do have a working one from the 1930's that can be used with an AM transmitter to play period music.

[@KeritechElectronics]

AM is alive and still kicking around the world, but the ubiquitous switch-mode power supplies and converters emit so much RFI that it makes listening to those transmissions a nuissance. By the way, somewhere in another country... The Polish broadcasting council is considering phasing out all FM broadcasting by the end of 2026, going over to DAB, which I've not seen contrary to the good old analog radio or internet streaming. Hope they don't do that, it would be a blow to lots of small local radio stations.

[@FluxCondenser]

Spent so many hours and days tracking down the sources of noise in my home, but even with a big yard I seem to pick up the neighbors’ WRFI stations.

[@1mctous]

If you're a sports junkie, AM is still an option.

[@darthbubba866]

Hmmm. No AM radio? How do people expect to get emergency broadcasts during disasters when all the FM (short range) and internet stations are off-line?

[@FluxCondenser]

Good point.

[@scottkeefe3969]

I hate commercial broadcast radio. Here in Maine, we are blessed with a great college radio, WMPG, and a public radio station that has a very good station dedicated to classical. Without them, my tuner would never get used.

[@FluxCondenser]

Thank goodness for public and independent radio.

[@IsmaelMartinezPR]

Radio is needed to keep simple easy ways of communicating to the public during emergencies. Other than that for me I hardly use it

[@marka1986]

We need more local broadcasting. Not the same few guys droning on for hours on end on nearly every am station now. No matter what your views are, would most would rather hear about something else sometimes.

[@FluxCondenser]

Yeah, a good use for AM could be to open it up for small transmitters in communities for different voices to be heard. Then again, what would be the point? It’s far easier, more powerful and efficient to accomplish that using digital media.

[@87mini]

Our local AM offering are sparse - with talk radio, evangelical radio and Spanish speaking stations. We had an oldies station but it shut down several years ago. The AM band is also polluted with all kinds of electronic device radiation that wasn’t there before. As a kid, I used to love to turn on my little Hallicrafters AM-SW radio late at night, and listen to the European stations, Russian and Chinese propaganda, and distant clear channel AM stations of the US. Sometimes I’d pick up the broadcast of a distant high school football game, and wonder what their lives were like. I recently was given a solid state multiband receiver, but was disappointed to hear how empty the airwaves were. Gone were the strangely drifting signals, the British comedy radio, the jazz from Belgium, the tick tock of Universal time from Colorado…we have lost the immediacy of a broadcast signal for digital presentations that are unmoored from the clock. And children can no longer craft their own receivers from crystal detectors, foil and wire. I built a POW designed crystal set which didn’t work well, but worked well enough to hear my local AM station, and I imagined what it must have been like to be huddled in a prison building like my uncle had been, trying to hear friendly broadcasts from home. Makes me wonder what young people stimulate their minds with today… it’s not their fault - it’s just the “evolution” of our culture with technology.

[@dublegi-hr8kq]

Technology has moved from knowing how to do to ignorant use unfortunately. Nice memories, btw. During WW2 local ham operators in Eastern Europe used their radios to listen in on the American plane pilots bombing above head. Many pilots have been saved when they crashed by locals who rushed to get them out and hide them from the Germans and it was all because of radio. Some of these pilots are still alive and you can watch them tell their stories on youtube.

[@theoloutlaw]

We still have AM radio here in Australia, although, the stations are very few and and far between now. It's a dying art form and sad here, because it's still the only frequency band where we have talk back radio, and where people can call up and have opinions, and we have quiz shows, and informative news. If your lucky, you can find a great station on a weekend night playing 'golden oldies' whether it be Rock n Roll 50's/60's, or Country/Hillbilly/Rock where where I live. It's slowly becoming a thing of the past however, as community radio stations disappear and all the major stations become more 'woke' and too hard to listen to. AM Radio is slowly becoming more a dictatorship, leaving people out in the cold in my opinion.

[@memstuff4634]

AM radio is alive and well. It’s demise has been spoken of occasionally for many years but so far has not happened.

[@user-sd1cd9vs4h]

I listen to am radio every day for info.

[@TNitroH]

Am doesn't suck. AM radios suck. AM signals work 100 miles at night. 50 miles during the day. FM fades out about 30 miles night and day

[@turgaypatlak2323]

Am radio was avaible

[@turgaypatlak2323]

İn Turkey

[@FluxCondenser]

Yes, thank you. I’ve had others report this to me as well. Can you provide a list of AM stations in Turkey?

[@johnstone7697]

AM radio is still hanging on in the US, but for how much longer? As you mention, the programming is absolutely terrible, aimed mostly at right wing talk, religious talk, and ethnic talk. Most kids today have no clue what an AM radio even is, and get all their media off of their smartphones. After the demise of Rush L., it wouldn't surprise me if the listener base for AM dropped by a substantial percentage. Some stations have even resorted to turning off their analog signal and transmitting only a full strength IBOQ HD digital signal, figuring that the vast majority of listening comes from people in cars...most of which have an HD tuner. I know that virtually all of Scandinavia no longer broadcasts on the AM band, and in fact, Norway has even switched off their FM band. I don't even know if the AM tuner in my 7 year old car even works. I don't think I've ever switched to it. All my listening is either Sirius XM or streamed off my phone via Apple Carplay. And I spent the first 50 or so years of my life as an avid radio listener.

[@FluxCondenser]

You speak the truth.

[@waynepollard6879]

You lost me at covid !

[@ABC-rh7zc]

Sorry, I don't see any future for radio at all. Streaming will take over and leave so few potential listeners that it will just not be economically viable to continue.

[@janicehopkins4432]

Radio use is anonymous. All your streaming and downloads can be tracked. Convenient for NWO. Yes, I am adjusting my lead foil hat (lead blocks more than tin or aluminum).

[@FluxCondenser]

Over time, no doubt this will slowly become the reality.

[@Puttertorium]

I watch videos like these to hopefully learn something I didn’t know before, not for politics. As soon as I hear backhanded political comments, I’m gone. Bye.

[@FluxCondenser]

Which backhanded political comment?