A história repete-se: o que aconteceu com o AM acontece agora ao FM...

Uma perspectiva muito  interessante, esta, que nos remete para o que aconteceu na década de 70, quando o FM ameaçou matar o AM. E se não conseguiu, deixou a Amplitude Modulada numa crise que se arrasta no tempo; agora é o satélite (e não só...) que ameaça o FM

«"It's almost frightening, the similarities between what was happening in 1970 and today," says Lee Abrams, senior vice president and chief creative officer of D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio.

He should know. He was part of the revolution that upset the long-established giant known as AM through a then-disregarded upstart known as FM. As one of the founding partners of radio research giant Burkhart/Abrams, he is credited with pioneering album rock, FM's first successful format.

In commercial radio's youth, AM was the giant. It ruled the airwaves throughout the 1950s and '60s as a money-making machine. Those in charge spent more time reaping its rewards than researching and innovating. They played too many commercials -- 18 minutes or more an hour. They refused to experiment with new ideas for fear of risking the upset of their business model. They ignored evolving technologies and a new musical revolution that was taking the nation by storm. Their success made them vulnerable.

The new upstart format sensed a weakness and exploited it. As Abrams recalls, five to 10 years later FM had jumped from 5 to 10 percent of the market to 85 percent.

Fast forward from 1970 to 2005. Abrams thinks the smart money is on the assumption that history is repeating itself. Radio is once again vulnerable. Listeners are frustrated by the number of commercials and the lack of choices. New technology, with more options, is bursting onto the scene. And FM is still working out of a playbook that was written decades ago. His plan: "To do to FM what FM did to AM."

Of course, satellite's only one of the options, and plenty of people think it's more fad than phenomenon. Its marketers have successfully touted subscriber growth. XM recently passed the 5 million mark, with competitor Sirius clocking in with just more than 2 million. That's for their entire listening universe. Local news station WTOP, for instance, can reach upward of 1 million listeners per week. »

"Radio Revolution", From the November 18, 2005 print edition, Jennifer Nycz-Conner