Way in the past, one did not talk about AM radio. It was just radio when families gathered around at night, often in the kitchen, to listen to the day's top entertainers, the singers, and comics and famed newscasters.

AM was radio back in the 1950s, when tail fins were cool and cars cruised Main Street, their radios blasting out hits like Fats Domino's “Blueberry Hill." Even into the 70s, well after the advent of the better-sounding FM, folks still tuned to the big AM stations for the top 40 hits.

But now AM radio's audience has shrunk so much in the UK that there's talk of simply phasing it out. Ofcom, Britain’s communications regulator, is set to launch a debate on the fate of analogue radio broadcasting, particularly AM, and whether it should be discontinued.

What's doing in AM is digital radio, which is growing rapidly in the UK. As of last June, 16 percent of all commercial radio listening was via digital platforms, with digital radio accounting for 13.6 percent. AM held 3.8 percent of listening by local stations. FM accounted for the bulk of listening.

But that's changing quite quickly. Within a decade, digital platforms are expected to account for 90 percent of all commercial radio listening in the UK.

Sales for digital radio sets are rising as their costs come down, and these days it's actually harder to find the old-style analogue boxes.

“We know that AM particularly is declining. Should we be looking for alternative uses for the spectrum?” asks a spokesperson for Ofcom. “It is all about making the most efficient use of the spectrum.”

In the U.S., digital radio is growing but at not nearly the pace, and analogue radio is expected to be around a lot longer. "AM/FM radio is going to be here for a long, long time," observes Ken Dardis at audiographics.com, a web site that reports on how the internet affects broadcasting.

If AM is phased out in the UK, which seems likely, its bandwidth could be used for Digital Radio Mondial, a digital transmission technology, or perhaps even some form of small local community-based service.

Ofcom has already written a document outlining the challenges facing radio generally, such as the difficulties attracting advertising, and it has been talking to the radio industry on just how to proceed. It presented some ideas before Christmas and got back responses. It could come to some decisions later this year.

The idea of switching off AM elicits strong feelings. Most UK radio executives see it as inevitable. Virgin Radio’s chief executive, Fru Hazlitt, for one is ready to see AM go. Virgin is set to end AM broadcasting on its own by 2010 because it's no longer cost-efficient, once the licensing fees are added to the expense of maintaining the service. And of course there is the lower quality of AM broadcasts, a turnoff to advertisers.

But AM radio will still be remembered fondly, as a symbolic juncture in the history of communications, observes Dr. Jim Bennett, director of the Museum of History of Science at the University of Oxford. “AM radio played a pivotal role in shaping the history of the twentieth century. Wireless communication meant that for the first time truly global, instant communication became possible.”

The next to go after AM, with the further rise of digital radio, will be FM radio. But at least for now that's still off in the distance. Says a spokesperson for Virgin: “People are resigned to the fact that AM will eventually be switched off, but there is a big debate about whether FM ever will. That’s not an issue for us.”

Meanwhile, in other popcult, Ben Stiller’s film “Night at the Museum,” from 20th Century Fox, remained in the top spot at the box office, beating out fellow family fare “The Pursuit of Happiness.” “Children of Men” leapt up to third place from 22nd, and Paramount’s “Freedom Writers” debuted in fourth place. “Dreamgirls,” also from Paramount, rounded out the top five.

In DVD rentals for the week ended Dec. 31, according to imdb.com, “The Devil Wears Prada” held onto the top spot while “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” last week’s No. 4, rose to second place. “Little Miss Sunshine” was in third and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” was fourth. “Jackass Number Two,” the only new title on the list, came in fifth.

On iTunes for the week ended yesterday, Beyonce maintained her No. 1 spot with “Irreplaceable,” and Fergie stayed in second with “Fergalicious.” “Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado was in third, The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” was fourth and in fifth were The All-American Rejects with “It Ends Tonight.”

In books, Mitch Albom’s “For One More Day” was the top book on the New York Times hardcover fiction list but third on the USA Today top 150 list. The top book on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list was Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” seventh on the USA Today list. The top of the Times’ paperback fiction list, Kim Edward’s “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” was fourth on the USA Today list, and the Times’ paperback nonfiction No. 1, Chris Gardner’s “The Pursuit of Happyness,” took 20th on the USA Today list. USA Today’s top book was “You: On A Diet” by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz.