Brazilian Engineer Ricardo Gurgel: In Brazil, digital radio will start on AM

I'm Ricardo Gurgel, an engineer, and this post is a translation (post em português) for my English-speaking friends so they can get a sense of how we’re discussing digital radio technologies here in Brazil—technologies we’re still waiting to fully arrive. This could definitely turn into one of those moments where we “shoot in the dark and hit the bullseye—or aim at one thing and hit another!” (Versión en español de esta publicación )

The migration of AM stations to FM wasn’t exactly a strategic move to clear the band for a digital rebirth, but that’s exactly what we’re about to witness. I’m going to highlight some key issues that have driven—and will continue to drive—this shift.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a mass migration of AM broadcasters to FM. This change was strongly driven and demanded by the stations themselves, overwhelmed by the huge market disadvantages of operating on AM. Poor, noisy sound and reception issues in places like parking garages, buildings, houses, and apartments basically pushed AM radio into rural areas, where it could at least escape some of the urban interference.

The AM Band: A New Digital Frontier

Now, the AM band is like untouched territory. A new wave of fully digital stations could emerge without the chaos other countries faced—where analog, digital, and hybrid AM signals fought for space, creating confusion for everyone involved.

These new entrants would be AM stations broadcasting only in digital, without the need to squeeze their channels to make room for parallel analog signals. Those analog signals only ended up forcing digital ones to operate at a fraction of their full potential. I know there are still a few stations operating on AM in Brazil, but they’re usually the larger ones that have stuck it out. Common sense will eventually push them toward digital, which is clearly a much better option. So, I don’t really see them as a major obstacle to a fully digital AM band.

The Promise of Enhanced Sound

Remember when we used to talk about CD-quality sound? Well, for a generation that barely experienced that, imagine audio free from static and general imperfections. Digital radio comes with the promise of even better definition than a CD. While FM tends to show the best results with digital broadcasting, digital AM still sounds really good. But once it hits FM, it becomes excellent—truly stunning. It’s worth comparing the sound to what we hear on Spotify to understand the level of quality improvement.

Brazil’s Unique Advantage

Because Brazil is a continental-sized country, we can allow reasonable transmission power levels without causing issues for neighboring countries. Plus, our major cities are usually far from the borders, which gives us more flexibility in managing licenses. We wouldn’t waste time with dual AM (digital/analog) broadcasts. The move would be toward fully digital transmissions, avoiding the technical and financial headaches for broadcasters. Using the entire licensed channel for digital would mean even better sound quality than in countries where stations had to reduce their channels to accommodate both digital and analog.

With a clean AM band—something truly rare—stations would gradually roll out using a pure, not hybrid, system. That would drastically speed up the testing and adjustment phase, both for the regulator and the broadcasters, who’d be working with a simpler, more efficient technology.

Speeding Up Implementation

The usual bureaucratic hurdles are minimized precisely because we’re working with a clean band. Choosing the right technology becomes easier too. What really pushes the process forward is the will to move ahead. The global industry will present its options to win over the Brazilian market, and the tough competition over quality and pricing will work in our favor. We could already move into the demo and broadcaster-pitching phase without delay. ANATEL (the Brazilian telecom agency) could set goals and standards fairly quickly. Once a standard is defined, repopulating the AM band would happen naturally, step by step, market by market. It wouldn’t be instant—radio stations launch in different years and in different quantities depending on the region.

Digital AM band?

I’ve Done the Math

Even though there haven’t been any official government or agency discussions about repurposing the AM band for digital radio, I just can’t see it any other way. It’s becoming a clear opportunity to unlock our digital progress. It’s so obvious to me that I feel confident putting this hypothesis out there with a high degree of certainty: the ball’s on the penalty spot, the goalie’s already dived, and the shot is about to be taken. Here’s what we’ve got:

• Empty AM Band: The move to FM has cleared the AM band, ready for digital-only broadcasting.

• Proven Digital AM Technology: Digital systems for AM already exist, have been tested, and are in operation worldwide.

• Revenue Potential: Issuing new digital licenses for the AM band could generate significant income for the government.

• Clean Transmission: No analog signals interfering with digital ones means better overall quality.

• The Digital TV Example: Just like digital TV ended the era of "static snow," digital radio will eliminate the noise and poor sound quality that plagued AM.

All of these factors point to one thing: Brazil’s AM band could have a truly digital future.

E-mail: ricardocfg2025@gmail.com

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