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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29 сен 2024
