The campaign to secure AM radio’s place in the dashboard has crossed a key milestone in the US House of Representatives. With 12 new lawmakers signing on as co-sponsors late Friday, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has surpassed the simple majority threshold in the chamber.
The Act now holds 228 co-sponsors, including two non-voting delegates, out of the “magic number” of 218. The House bill, backed by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), has seen a massive addition of bipartisan support since May. The Senate version of the bill advanced out of the Commerce Committee earlier this year, where it has already reached a supermajority of 61 co-sponsors needed to invoke cloture and avoid a filibuster.
The legislation would require automakers to include AM receivers in all new passenger vehicles sold in the US as a safety feature, based around the country’s Emergency Alert System infrastructure.
The Act’s many advocates across the public and private sectors have pointed to AM radio’s integration with FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, which relies on 77 Primary Entry Point AM stations to deliver emergency alerts to more than 90% of Americans, even when internet and cellular networks fail.
Despite the growing list of sponsors, the bill’s path to the House floor remains procedural for now. The legislation still requires approval from the House Energy and Commerce Committee before it becomes eligible for full chamber consideration. It currently sits in the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
As for a summer timeline, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has yet to schedule a vote as other priorities dominate the chamber’s agenda. Budget reconciliation efforts and escalating tensions with Iran are consuming much of the legislative focus as Congress returns from the Juneteenth recess. Lawmakers are expected to be in session this week before breaking for the July 4 holiday, leaving only a brief window for action before the month-long August recess begins.
AM is worth saving. BUT…the reason few listen to the band has been coming on for 50 years. It’s ain’t programming. It’s sound quality. FM began to overtake AM in the 1960’s. The takeover was slow. But AM numbers were dropping by the mid to late 70’s. Now, AM stereo hit and “could” have been a success, but again, lack of action from the FCC and Congress took it to oblivion quickly. AM Stereo was dead in about 3 years. Not that stations weren’t using it. But manufacturers stopped making the radios. Some of you here suggest something “different”. Like WHAT? Poetry? Book readings? Interviews with authors? FM is the medium for music. And every LPFM is required to have a functioning EAS receiver as does every AM station. With 90 percent of the audience on FM, you really think most people will tune to a “generic” AM station to hear the end of the world because it’s there? Many AM stations don’t even broadcast local news. Why? There are only some who still actually hire local news people. Some will get a local TV station to do a one minute news capsule. Or hire a vendor to rewrite the local newspaper. And who made sure THAT would happen? Oh yeah, I think it was…the FCC…back around 1980. Try calling your local AM station that has a 0.4 share and, if they even answer the phone, ask for “someone in the news department”. The last person who brought a bit of life back to AM radio was a guy named Rush. And in one other city, a man named “Randy” brought a high powered AM back to life with…(gasp)…personality local talk radio. What is missing today that is sorely needed in radio? Not just more generic voice tracks dumbed down to fit across time zones. What really is needed is personality radio done by local personalities. It can still be made to happen. Invest in your talent…not your satellites.
AM radio is worth saving. It has a rich history to it and has been instrumental in providing important news, weather and sports coverage. The problem is if we save it then what? Do we allow it to continue with the programming malaise that has plagued its airwaves for so many years? Let’s be honest here. There are many legitimate reasons why AM radio has been declining for so many years. Technology which includes all that annoying static is one reason why. Competition from other newer sources like satellite and the internet have certainly contributed. But I believe the main reason why AM radio has been in decline is because the formats it still presents are boring. Practically no one is listening. Yes, there have been exceptions to this rule such as political talk and sports talk along with 24 hours of news. But even those formats have their limits and they can only take up a small portion of the dial. What are the rest of those AM stations doing? Do they present formats that anyone wants to listen to? Are these same stations doing anything that contributes to the communities that they broadcast to? Some owners just come in, press a button and carry programming from another source. They have a local studio but it’s never used. To this I say what’s the point? Why bother even being on the air to begin with? The usual excuse for not having local shows is because the station can’t afford to pay anyone. Are you kidding me? You never paid us disc jockeys or newscasters much to begin with. Now you don’t even want to do that. You want to keep it all. And if you’re still not making any money maybe it’s because your format stinks. My point concerning AM radio is this. No business can succeed if it turns out a poorly executed product or service. For AM radio to succeed it has got to put on formats that are different, presented in a professional manner and it has to be something that people want to hear. One other point. You can have the best broadcasting equipment available but if your format stinks then no one is going to listen. And please, don’t put on a format that is a carbon copy of what they are already doing on FM or Satellite radio. Think creatively. Be different. You can make money. Just put some effort into it. And “Put that coffee down. Coffee is for closers.”
Well said, Curt. Thank you.
AM radio ain’t dead people. It’s not just a relic; it could save lives when shit hits the fan. Let’s hope this goes through.
Exactly
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