Our Channel with the Reader

Many of the website’s readers are frequent visitors, and a good number of them would like to share their opinions and engage with our ideas, wherever they are, without barriers. That’s why I created a Facebook group to bring together readers who, in general, become regulars due to their affinity with the topics we cover.

With the group, it will be possible to stay up to date whenever a new post is published and to know what it’s about. In addition, new discussions may emerge right there in the group, and even inspire future posts.

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The group also has a practical function: notifying members of new publications. And of course, we want it to become a lively space for exchange, where current and relevant topics about radio and the market can be discussed.

Some of the recurring themes at www.blogdoRG.com.br:

• Reoccupation of the AM band

• Debates on digital standards for radio

• Digital AM

• Digital shortwave

• Digital radio functionalities beyond audio

• Programmatic and economic reorganization of radio stations

• Radio technologies, old and new

• And other satellite topics orbiting this universe

Why start by talking about reoccupying the AM band?

To me, the reoccupation of the AM band is an urgent necessity, but not in analog format. Every year, signal degradation becomes more severe. It was precisely this problem that motivated many stations to fight (successfully) for FM migration, a band less prone to interference and more effective for economically viable reach, especially for low-power stations focused on local communities.

I remember trying to listen to stations from the countryside of Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba — sometimes I could tune in briefly, but the signal would soon vanish.

A viable reoccupation: only with clean, high-quality sound

Digital reception on AM is like listening to a stream, but without the internet. The signal is continuous and noise-free. If it’s too weak, it simply disappears, just like with digital TV under low signal conditions.

Digital AM: for short and long distances

Since 2008, the most viable format I’ve seen for the AM band is DRM. Back then, it still needed to operate in hybrid mode, which I used to criticize as "having one foot in two boats." Since my time at 98 FM Natal, I’ve been saying that I didn’t see any prospect for defining a digital standard in Brazilian radio. And look, to this day, we still don’t have one. Meanwhile, TV — much more expensive and complex, has already made a successful transition to digital. And the population hardly noticed: they just started using it. That’s exactly what AM needs to reach the public simply and naturally.

Some stations have content with national reach

FM radio stations, by nature, have regional or metropolitan coverage. But there is an important part of radio that depends on interstate or national reach. One of the solutions has been forming networks. I remember in Natal, when we were about to choose a network affiliation, the options were mostly all-news formats like BandNews, Bandeirantes, and Jovem Pan. Mix was already off the table, since it operated on 103.9 MHz. The choice of Jovem Pan was quick, as the station owner already had a good relationship with the network. In less than a month, the station was on the air.

Expanding reach without relying on a network

Forming a network requires maintaining the health of all affiliates, with a delicate balance between autonomy and standardization. Sometimes it works; other times, it doesn’t. High-power AM stations can cover much of Brazil at night — but that’s outside of radio’s prime time, which is still in the morning.

Even so, with adequate power, an AM station in Recife could cover cities like João Pessoa, Campina Grande, and Caruaru, and even reach Natal with acceptable signal, far surpassing FM stations in coverage.

Going even further

Stations in São Paulo, Rio, and Minas Gerais can realistically dream of national coverage. With the DRM standard, it’s possible to operate on shortwave with clean audio quality — something unthinkable in the past. Bandeirantes, Tupi, Globo, among others, could once again be heard all over Brazil, including during the day.

My grandfather had a Transglobe radio, that “big black box” with multiple bands. He was fascinated by hearing stations he didn’t even know the origin of. The signal crackled, faded, came back — but it brought the world into our home.

Now imagine turning on a modern radio and tuning in to Rádio Tupi from Natal, listening to a Flamengo match, all without the internet. That could become an everyday thing, and brands would gain renewed strength. Shortwave, which has never had a commercial tradition in Brazil, could open the doors to a whole new world.

We have no shortage of topics to talk about!

I’d like to thank the first friends who’ve already joined our Facebook group. We’re just getting started, and growth will come naturally with time.

Just yesterday, for instance, I had long conversations with two group members, both from Paraíba.

Lenildo, from the Cajazeiras region, told me that yesterday afternoon, while driving along the highway far from any power grid, he managed to pick up an AM station from his hometown. The sound had that classic AM profile, narrow bandwidth but intelligible for speech. He should have recorded it... maybe next time.

Lenildo has several radios dedicated to signal reception (the so-called DXers) and is active in specialized groups, with incredible logs of receptions, including digital transmissions from European stations.

I had the chance to talk with him about some stations in Natal where I’ve worked. I even sent him photos from a visit during the recording of the show Missão Impossível. Wow — back then, Evandro was still part of the team, and honestly, I think that was the show’s best phase. Lígia Mendes and Evandro welcomed us warmly, and the hospitality was excellent.

I also shared an amazing experience I had in the Andes Mountains, when I managed to pick up a station from Santiago. Yesterday, I forgot to mention the station’s name it was Concierto, a radio focused on the ’80s with a mix of current hits and other decades. Without a doubt, it was my favorite during all my trips to Santiago.

I also commented on the impressive NRJ Paris, which operates not only in France but has branches in several other European countries and beyond. I even sent him a link to listen to their streaming. That stream, by the way, is the same one sent via fiber optics to their DAB+ transmitter in Paris. NRJ is part of the capital’s DAB+ multiplex.

There was no shortage of topics. We talked late into the night. I sleep very little and in fact, late at night is when I usually write, as that’s when the process flows best for me.

Peter Shelton, despite the foreign-sounding name, is also from Paraíba. He shared his family’s rich history with radio, which deeply influenced him. His profession is directly connected to AM, FM, and shortwave broadcasting. He told me his mother regularly listened to the BBC from London — just imagine the educational reach of that! And his grandfather, with electronic skills, would solve technical problems for major stations.

Of course, we talked about current challenges, the adaptations needed for radio to stay competitive, and yes, that involves digitalization.

With Peter, I even started discussing a research project that I think fits his profile perfectly, and I believe he would be interested in joining. We also talked about how many radio stations, in their quest for more audience, end up adopting formulas that do the exact opposite.

We also discussed the resistance many still have toward the digitalization process, which hasn’t yet been seen as a real opportunity to revitalize the AM band. It’s that old denial process and the longer this adaptation is delayed, the further away a viable solution gets. Of course, none of this is simple, but the conversation continues, one way or another.

This is the kind of interaction we want to promote in the group. And who knows — maybe some of these conversations will become future blog posts?

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