DRM AM Recife: Crystal-Clear Digital Radio Would Reach João Pessoa, Natal, Maceió, and the Heart of the Northeast

My experience in the capitals at the corner of Brazil

I am Ricardo Gurgel, an engineer, and I live near Natal, one of the capitals close to Recife. Recife is a metropolis with its vastness and, therefore, a powerful engine in the regional economy.

Purer Sound Than FM

Imagine tuning in to a radio station in your car without static, with more punch and clarity than FM—coming from a digital AM station in Recife. That’s possible with the DRM digital broadcasting standard.

Memories of Rádio Clube AM from Recife, Heard in Tabatinga (RN)

As a child, I used to listen to Rádio Clube from Recife, on 720 kHz, still in the afternoon. It was the era of the Clube do Brega show. A caretaker at our beach house in Tabatinga (RN) listened every afternoon. With just a few fluorescent lights on and little electrical interference, the signal came through clearly on a small indoor radio. Physics was already showing that the signal could travel through the daytime, even in analog.

Lower Power, Wider Reach

In digital mode, an AM station uses less energy to reach the same distance. That means regional or even national broadcasters gain a huge boost in audio quality without losing coverage—in fact, they can even expand it.

Recife: A Strategic Capital

Recife is the Brazilian metropolis closest to other state capitals: João Pessoa (about 120 km), Maceió (200 km), and Natal (270 km). This means a digital AM station in Recife could reach three capitals within a 300 km radius.

Add to that the major inland cities like Caruaru, Campina Grande, and Arapiraca, and you’ve got a massive market. A stable reception area, with clean and powerful audio. Guaranteed listenership.

From Natal to Recife on the Same Signal

With DRM, it’s possible to maintain a continuous signal from the same station for most of the drive from Natal to Recife. There may be brief dropouts, yes—but with 97% of the time delivering clear, noise-free audio, the result would be a powerful audience both on the road and at home. Perfect for news, emergency alerts, public service, and strong regional connectivity.

The Nighttime Leap of a Digital AM from Recife

By day, a digital station from Recife would already have excellent reach. At night, it could go national. And all without relying on the internet. It’s possible to hear a digital radio station clearly in remote regions, on highways, or in isolated communities—just by tuning in. No app, no data plan required.

All News or Music? Both!

Personally, I prefer stations that comment on the news rather than just repeating it. I like the direct style of commentators like William Waack, who don’t soften their language to please political parties. Sadly, today’s journalism suffers from blind passions—on all sides. Some networks are deeply compromised by activism.

A bold All News channel like that would be more than welcome. But the more stations we have, the better—and there should also be room for high-quality music stations.

A Northeast That Speaks to the Nation

Picture a Recife-based station with 25 kW or more, broadcasting in DRM. A channel that thinks, analyzes, and debates beyond the Rio–São Paulo axis. A Northeastern radio voice, in digital sound, heard across the country. With strong content, no imitations, and a voice of its own.

The Time Is Now

We’re reopening the debate on Brazil’s future digital radio standard. DRM covers AM, FM, and shortwave—it’s the most comprehensive standard out there. Broadcasters in the Northeast need to speak up, or we risk seeing the country adopt a model that is expensive, inefficient, and exclusionary.

My suggestion? Let’s organize our own events in the Northeast—Recife, Fortaleza, Salvador, Natal, João Pessoa… And let the major media groups come to us—convince us, show us feasibility. Enough of decisions made behind closed doors in the Southeast, like 15 years ago, which left us out of the digital transition process.

Why Simulate This DRM AM Station in Recife?

To show how we can bring radio into the future now—before we miss the tech train. Yes, competition is fierce. But there’s still room for innovation. We need to host events, run tests, and demonstrate how DRM works in practice. And we should also make room for DAB and HD Radio.

HD Radio Should Be Seen, Not Followed

HD Radio should be included in demonstrations. But honestly, it’s not viable: it’s expensive, inefficient, proprietary, and it has already failed in Brazilian trials. Its hybrid model holds back true digitalization. It’s clear: we need to avoid the hybrid route.

Digital and analog should not share the same frequency. It harms reception for both. A broadcaster should keep its analog signal on one frequency and its digital signal on another—well apart. That’s the only way we’ll avoid sabotaging, once again, the evolution of digital radio in Brazil.