ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

FM broadcasting in the USA

Okay kiddo, let’s talk about FM broadcasting in the USA!

Do you know what radio is? It's like a special kind of machine that can pick up sound waves traveling through the air and turn them into music or talking that we can hear. There are two types of radio waves: AM and FM.

FM stands for Frequency Modulation. That may be a big word but think about it like this: Frequency is like the speed at which the waves are traveling and modulation is a fancy word for changing the waves. So FM broadcasting is a special way of changing the speed of the waves to make sure we can hear the music or talking clearly with less interference or static.

There are lots of FM radio stations across the USA where people can listen to music or talk shows. Each radio station has its own unique frequency (or channel) that they broadcast on. For example, there might be a radio station that broadcasts on 93.3FM, another on 107.1FM, and so on.

But why is FM so popular? Well, FM broadcasting offers superior sound quality compared to AM broadcasting which can sometimes sound scratchy or static-y. FM radios can also pick up signals from farther away than AM radios can.

The US government regulates who can have a radio station and what they can broadcast. To get a license to broadcast on FM radio, a person or company needs to pay a fee and follow certain rules about what they can say or play on the radio.

So next time you turn on a radio and hear the DJ talking or your favorite song playing, remember that it's all thanks to FM broadcasting!