A coalition of agricultural organizations is the latest to urge Congress to pass the AM for Every Vehicle Act, underscoring the medium’s essential role in disseminating vital information to rural communities. The legislation, in both the House and the Senate, would mandate the inclusion of AM radio in all vehicles manufactured or imported into the United States.
As the Act moves toward a Senate floor vote, it has 165 cosponsors in the House and 34 in the Senate.
This new coalition is comprised of the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota, National Grange, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, Latino Farmers & Ranchers International, Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, North Dakota Farmers Union, and the Rural & Agriculture Council of America.
“Whether it be the routine or the unexpected, U.S. farmers and ranchers rely on the information transmitted through AM radio to make decisions that affect their everyday lives. The undersigned organizations urge Congress to prevent rural communities from losing access to their favorite local programming by ensuring that AM radio continues to be a free, standard feature in all vehicles,” the letter reads.
The organizations’ letter emphasized AM radio’s crucial role as a respected source for local news, weather, and agricultural market reports. These stations are especially important for farmers and ranchers who rely on timely information to make daily decisions.
These groups join the diverse list of AM radio’s supporters, including AARP, the Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council, ALLvanza, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the National Urban League, and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.
Beyond everyday use, AM radio has proven its worth in emergencies. It can transmit signals over considerable distances and is a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s system for delivering critical public safety information. This is particularly crucial when other communication networks are down due to power outages or catastrophic weather events.
The full letter can be read here.
Obviously, the previous two posters are big-city dudes, who know nothing about true rural farming areas. In Nebraska, the #1 farm station is KRVN AM 880. They do have an FM translator covering the Kearney Nebraska area. In northern Kansas, the farmer’s choice is KXXX AM 790 from Colby. In southern Kansas, it’s KGNO AM 1370 from Dodge City. KXXX and KGNO don’t even have translators.
As for the question: “How many stations are actually running farm programming anymore?”… The answer is: Enough to support at least 4 major agriculture networks carried by stations in Kansas. – Kansas Agriculture Network, Mid-America Ag Network, Brownfield Ag Network, and Kansas Farm & Ranch Radio Network. There may be even more, but those are the ones I hear the most.
How many stations are actually running farm programming anymore? Farmers have been getting this information online for at least 15 years if not longer.
broadcasters have been walking away from AM for 20 years. Let a car manufacture notice and do the same and all hell breaks loose.
If AM is so important, why doesn’t WSB and WLS bother mentioning their AM signals in station liners anymore?