fm reception

I've heard that NYC may have the most congested radio bands in the world so some suggestions may help your situation but may not cure it. If you are not trying to pick up stations from over 50 miles away, I would suggest a high quality dipole antenna such as the Fanfare FM-2G or the Magnum Dynalab ST-2. Either one can be mounted inside or in the attic, or if possible, mount it outside. An outside mount will increase the antennas effectiveness by 10-15%. Also, if there is any way to do this, before you decide on mounting it at the most convenient spot, move it to various locations in the room, checking your signal strength meter to see which area is best. You can purchase additional antenna cabling if you find the best position to be greater than 25 feet from your tuner. Your tuner also plays an important roll in FM reception. A quality tuner that offers better than average selectivity and that has a 'wide' and 'narrow' band selector may also be of help. Try calling Sound by Singer, located there in NYC. They carry FM products and may be your best source of info since their reception should be similar to yours. Good luck!