Vintage Zenith AM/FM shirt-pocket transistor radio -

Radio collectors know that there are many different radio bands. The classic transistor radio had just one band, the most common one at the time, known as AM. If an early transistor radio had TWO bands, that extra band was typically a shortwave band. By the middle 1960s, if a transistor radio had two bands, that other band wouldn’t be shortwave, it would be what? FM, of course. FM radio came into its own in the 1960s, providing alternative programming to those tired of typical AM fare. FM sounded better, and so was especially suited for music. It had been the place where classical music lovers went in the ’40s and ’50s. With the rise of alternative rock and Easy Listening formats in the ’60s and ’70s, FM’s popularity grew, until finally overtaking AM as the most popular radio band in the USA in 1978. But in the 1960s, a radio with FM would still cost you a premium price. You might think this little Zenith--from the mid-1960s--looks like an inexpensive transistor radio f