Last October, The SoCal Sound (KCSN/KSBR, 88.5 FM), ruffled some feathers by moving specialty programming out of “prime” hours, described as 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

General Manager Patrick Osburn stated emphatically at the time that all hosts had been offered new slots and no shows had been outright canceled, adding that not everyone wanted to make the move and some hosts decided to hang it up.

This prompted numerous emails and letters, and some observers wondered if it made a difference in support and donations to the stations, with the thinking being that listeners of specialty programming are more likely to financially support a public radio station.

So I reached out to Osburn and asked directly: Was there any fallout? His response is that it was basically a wash.

“For several weeks, I got a lot of hate mail and resentful notes that missed the Beatles show and others,” he explained. “I made a big effort to explain, placate them, and even compromise. In the end, I generally stuck to the plan for the good of the future of the station.

“Over a few weeks, the number of letters decreased. Nothing for a few weeks, then back to notes and donations.”

Osburn insists that the move was needed to help ensure the long-term viability of the station, explaining, “Our goal to evolve for the next 10 years is working, and the previous donations are being replaced by the new. In short, it’s a push, but we are well set up for the future.”

The real threat

Radio engineering newspaper Radio World recently ran a story on what the writer of the piece feels is the real threat to radio long-term: subscriptions. Not to the stations or content providers, but to auto manufacturers who want to expand monthly payments to include in-dash entertainment services.

A couple of lines in the story written by InsideMusicMedia.Com’s Jerry Del Colianno — namely, that electromagnetic fields in electric cars make AM radio virtually unlistenable and that manufacturers claim that AM radio drains batteries in electric vehicles — prompted a reply from a Radio World reader that succinctly states what I have been saying for years: Those companies using interference as an excuse for removing AM are basically just being lazy.

Writes broadcast engineer Jeremy Burnham (bit.ly/3HSHkgu), “The article states, ‘Fact: electromagnetic fields generated in non-gasoline engines make AM virtually unlistenable.’ Apparently, Chrysler found a way around this issue because my 2021 Pacifica EV has a radio that receives AM just fine. I can even do some DXing (long-distance listening) with it at night. If Chrysler can build a necessary filter, so could other automakers.

“The article goes on saying that manufacturers claim: ‘AM radio drains the batteries of their electric vehicles.’ Really? Quick, get me an ammeter; I need to see for myself that the radio draws excessive current while tuned to 570 AM but not for 102.7 FM or Willy’s Roadhouse on satellite radio.”

Could they both be right? Yes, absolutely. It would not surprise me one bit if automakers wanted to expand a subscription base launched with in-car internet services, or going back further, services like On-Star. And if the companies can use the excuse that it is “too hard” for regular radio reception as a way to remove AM and/or FM from the dash of future models, then subscriptions will — perhaps — increase.

But it is true that with correct shielding and a good antenna, reception of both AM and FM in electric vehicles is absolutely possible. GM, Toyota, Chrysler and others have proven it. And if the electronics and motors produced so much interference that it negatively affected reception in the car, it is likely the cars themselves are interfering with others on the road, or even homes and businesses nearby. This means, in my opinion, the cars themselves could be operating illegally because it is up to the manufacturer to eliminate the interference of the products they build. Has been that way for decades.

Oh, and the claim about draining the battery? That is just bull.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com