With more chatter bubbling up that AM radio may not have a place on the computer entertainment dashboard of the future, especially in electric vehicles, Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Markey has a message for automakers.
Markey, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, sent letters to 20 car manufacturers requesting that they maintain AM radio in their vehicles, including new EV models.
In the letter, Markey reminded the automakers about how valuable AM radio was and stressed the importance of free broadcast radio stating it’s “a critical, reliable channel for local, state, and federal government officials – including the President of the United States, governors, mayors, and emergency management and public safety officers – to communicate with the public.”
Markey also urged automakers to adopt technological solutions to address any electromagnetic interference that EVs cause with AM radio signals.
Markey wrote, “Despite innovations such as the smartphone and social media, AM/FM broadcast radio remains the most dependable, cost-free, and accessible communication mechanism for public officials to communicate with the public during times of emergency. As a result, any phase-out of broadcast AM radio could pose a significant communication problem during emergencies. Although the auto industry’s investments in electric vehicles are critical to addressing the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, automakers need not sacrifice the benefits of radio in the process.”
The letters were sent to BMW, Ford General Motors, Honda Motor, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Polestar, Rivian, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo.
Markey also requested written responses to the following questions by December 22:
- Has your company decided to discontinue access to free AM and/or FM broadcast radio in any of its vehicles?
- o If so, please provide the make, model, and manufacturing year of each vehicle that no longer will have AM and/or FM radio and explain why your company decided to omit AM and/or FM radio from those vehicles.
- o If not, please explain the type of technology, if any, that addresses electromagnetic interference with AM radio signals from EVs.
- Does your company have any plans to omit AM and/or FM broadcast radio from future vehicle models? If so, please explain why your company is planning to remove AM and/or FM broadcast radio from them.
- Does your company include free, digital broadcast radio in its vehicles? If so, please provide the make, model, and manufacturing year of each vehicle equipped with digital broadcast radio.
I am for keeping am and fm. Radios. T hey have range and good for emergencies. If your use of the spectrum interferes with am or fm ten you move to differrnt frequency or cancel your application. Am signals are easy to generate in case of emergency.
Reading the comments here, I laughed. Because most of what was posted is true. Radio has killed AM radio. Why should anyone save it by forcing it into cars where few people want it any longer? AM radio in a good share of the country is clutter. Bad programming or anything that a sales staff might be able to make a buck on. Many FM radio stations are headed in that direction now, with live broadcasting down to a few hours a day, with the rest filled by jingles, liners, generic voice tracks and satellite broadcasts. Within 20 years most of radio will be done by streaming, and you won’t need a broadcast signal to do that. I hope those that are billions in debt from buying up radio stations and ruining many of them are around to see what they’ve done to what once was one of the world’s great mediums.
From a nation security standpoint radio is vital for government to communicate to the public. In a national emergency – or even a regional emergency, smartphone won’t work, apps, won’t work, FM has more limited reach, but high powered AM will.
Sure, programming is an issue, but in Chicago you have two AM all sports (WMVP and WSCR), local and live, WGN (full service), WBBM (all news) all with solid listenership. You also have WLS, a conservative leaning news/talk which has recently invested in a new live and local morning show with a big market name personality.
Good programming on a signal that can be picked up will work but that isn’t the issue. The issue is 50kw clear channels provide the only ability to reach masses in an emergency. If they don’t have a radio they won’t hear it.
Since 2014 high end gas burning BMW’s, Audi’s and most Japanese imports have been substituting FM/SiriusXM radio’s.
My wife’s Mini electric 2021, no AM radio. However, my 2016 VW electric has an AM radio and no static.
Its not about static. Its about a deal that has been in place since 2014 with SiriusXM and various auto makers about eliminating AM radio and providing a more high end entertainment system.
SiriusXM is a paid subscription based system that appeals to high end car owners. AM radio, not so much.
With or without Sen. Markey, AM radio is worth what the land value of the transmitter site is worth. Period.
I’d rather listen to talk on a well engineered AM radio station than Sirius-XM, and I say that as a subscriber. The bit rate on their talk channels is so low that AM sounds good by comparison.
Several things here:
1. Why isn’t Congress pushing the FCC to enforce Part 15? This would clean up a lot of the crap that is trashing the AM band.
2. Has anyone given any thought to all that computer stuff on the dashboard distracting drivers, thereby causing a serious hazard? In New Jersey, a long standing provision of Title 39 (the motor vehicle code) prohibits the installation of a TV set where the driver can see it. Aren’t these dashboard displays just as bad if not worse? And, yes, cars with these displays are sold in New Jersey.
3. If the broadcasters are so concerned about AM, why are they loading it with such crappy programming? Tuning across the AM band, I hear nothing but political rants, hellfire and brimstone paid religious programs, sports betting, and infomercials for quack remedies. Since older people are more likely to listen to AM, why aren’t we getting music that appeals to us? Where are the adult standards, easy listening, and classic country formats?
4. Relevant to the programming issue, the abandonment of broadcast radio by many listeners is a self-fulfilling prophecy. In many parts of the country, even the FM stations suck…big time!
Why should the car makers protect AM when the broadcasters have given up on it? Of the five AMs with an FM translator in my area, three of the AMs have been off the air over six months with no plans to return to the air until the FCC tells them so.
The auto makers should simply ignore “Malarkey.” What a joke.