"AM radio" redirects here. For the song by Everclear, see AM Radio (song). For the American musical group, see AM Radio (band).
AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmissions, but also on the longwave and shortwave radio bands.
The earliest experimental AM transmissions began in the early 1900s. However, widespread AM broadcasting was not established until the 1920s, following the development of vacuum tube receivers and transmitters. AM radio remained the dominant method of broadcasting for the next 30 years, a period called the "Golden Age of Radio", until television broadcasting became widespread in the 1950s and received much of the programming previously carried by radio. Later, AM radio's audiences declined greatly due to competition from FM (frequency modulation) radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), satellite radio, HD (digital) radio, Internet radio, music streaming services, and podcasting.
Compared to FM or digital transmissions, AM transmissions are more expensive to transmit due to the necessity of having to transmit a high power carrier wave to overcome ground losses, and the large antenna radiators required at the low broadcast frequencies, but can be sent over long distances via the ionosphere at night; however, they are much more susceptible to interference, and often have lower audio fidelity.[1][2] Thus, AM broadcasters tend to specialize in spoken-word formats, such as talk radio, all-news radio and sports radio, with music formats primarily for FM and digital stations.
AM and FM modulated signals for radio. AM (Amplitude Modulation) and FM (Frequency Modulation) are types of modulation (coding). The electrical signal from program material, usually coming from a studio, is mixed with a carrier wave of a specific frequency, then broadcast. In the case of AM, this mixing (modulation) is done by altering the amplitude (strength) of the carrier wave, proportional to the original signal. In contrast, in the case of FM, it is the carrier wave's frequency that is varied. A radio receiver contains a demodulator that extracts the original program material from the broadcast wave.
^"VERIFY: Why Does AM Radio Sound Worse Than FM?". wfmynews2.com. November 6, 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
^"A Science Odyssey: Radio Transmission: FM vs AM". pbs.org. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
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