AM signals can stink, esp. with interference and pattern switches. A solid FM can improve reception plus many people today are stuck on FM. Some devices (like mp3 players with radios) can only get FM
In Boston WEEI 850 dominated sports talk and had Celtics and Red Sox too. Then in 09 along came
WBZ-FM 98.5 with a solid FM signal, Bruins, and Patriots (and sports talk on both). Suddenly WEEI had
solid competition. WEEI had to kill off "Mike", a profitable "variety hits" outlet so that WEEI could simulcast
on FM, 93.7--and survive. Show by show, WEEI was losing out in key demos. Changing talent might help, but putting it on FM can't hurt. And in fact they are not even giving the AM freq out anymore and
speculation has the AM doing ESPN 24/7 exc. for spillover sports/
Where I work, and I work nights, 98.5 would come in but not 850 (a few spots maybe but LOTS of interference). Now I can get Red Sox , talk etc
on FM without interference, pattern changes (can't hear em west of town etc.) Entercom, owner of WEEI,
put the signal on some other frequencies--mostly FM--outside of Boston. But they needed solid penetration
into Boston. Now they have it.
Talk, be it sports talk, poli talk, etc. can do well on FM. AM has some advantages but signal problems
and resistance to AM are problems. Deal with it: News. talk, sports are moving to FM and for good reasons. Including making money
>>There are almost no listeners under retirement age other than for sports - and sports stations are moving to FM as well. They have to in order to survive! There is no market for AM anymore. None.
Though AM can still serve the very few, by comparison, who want ethnic music, Radio Disney, religion and very small community stations (a dying breed)