News item: Some carmakers are dropping AM radios from their new models because electric cars interfere with the signal. Your reaction: Gosh, what's next to go? Ashtrays?
Maybe you dip into AM now and then for sports or talk, or because there's a big storm and some ancient Minnesota DNA lights up and commands your hand to switch to the Good Neighbor. AM is still alive, but it doesn't feel as necessary as it once did.
In the old days, you went to AM for the jangly impromptu daily conversation. Local ads and network news at the top of the hour. Now, we prefer Spotify and podcasts.
The end of AM in cars is the end of a 90-year-old tradition. Car radios become popular in the early '30s, and they cost $39. Adjusted for inflation, that's over $9,000 today. Eventually they were integrated into the dashboard and became quite stylish. Push-button control for Jet Age motorists.
I remember squinting at the dial in our Mercury, wondering what those little triangles meant. Good thing no one told me. The answer was COMMUNIST HELLFIRE. In case of nuclear attack, you were supposed to turn your radio to the special marks (640 and 1240, if you're curious), where you'd receive instructions, like go to your basement. Thanks! Never would've thought of that.
This was CONELRAD, designed to fool the Russkies, to keep them from zeroing in on a signal and flying their bombers to the transmitting tower. Different stations would broadcast on 640 and 1240 to bamboozle Ivan. I think maybe the Reds had maps and a rough idea, but it seemed like a good plan at the time.
The marks were removed in 1963, so you were no longer reminded of imminent incineration when you turned the dial to find your favorite song.
We have nostalgia for listening to songs on AM, but that's just a sign of one's age. FM was much better for tunes, but AM was better for voices.