S.C. Station Touts Its AM Stereo, Urges Others to Join In

The latest thing in North Myrtle Beach is … AM stereo, and Bill Norman wants other AM owners to know about it.
“I am happy to confirm WNMB as just having completed and activated C-Quam AM stereo,” Bill Norman of Norman Communications told RW Online.
“I did so just because I wanted to do it, and because it’s another step at being the best of our capabilities. It’s not about big numbers, instead it’s about serving my market and being better for those listeners who are so loyal to us.” He said he is writing to other AM owners to encourage them to do the same.
The station is using a new Delta AM stereo exciter. “Pilot lights on the AM stereo tuners came on and the channel separation was immediately evident as ‘All I Want for Christmas’ became the first song played in AM stereo,” he wrote.
Norman said the station has aired announcements about the switch and had calls from a couple of listeners pleased by the change. He also said it was not his first experience with AM stereo.
“In 1984, our station WZKY, since sold, in Albemarle, N.C., was one of the first to put the AM stereo on the air. One of my friends in broadcasting remarked to me yesterday that we could be the last to do so now.”
Norman also said he is not a fan of HD Radio. “I’ve heard IBOC and I am not impressed. My first impression is that of another inequity regarding AM radio.”
As to the AM stereo, “We’ve got some ‘tweaking’ to do before I will be satisfied with the sound, but I do believe it’s already better than what I’ve heard from IBOC in ‘aircheck’ recordings that friends have sent to me.”