Analog

During the school year, my drive home usually occurs around dusk. This means that the AM side of my radio becomes a blur of 1,000 voices speaking at once. I'm somewhat addicted to my local NPR station, AM-580 and have a need to hear what's being said on " All Things Considered " so rather than turn away from the crowded drone of the AM frequencies, I turn it up, hoping that something will make sense. AM long ago fell out of favor. In 1997, I was told I could buy a local AM frequency for as little as $50. The price may actually have gone down. For anyone who has listened to AM radio for an extended period of time, you know how a blender or microwave can create noise in the signal. A lawnmower engine, a passing plane, and especially lightning cause a crackle that drowns out everything being said. Not being able to broadcast 24 hours a day was the biggest problem for AM ... not to mention that unlike FM, it wasn't in stereo. Now, my favorite AM station is a