After Tesla’s decision to eliminate FM radio from its new Model 3 and Model Y Standard trims, industry leaders are warning that the move puts public safety and consumer choice at risk and underscores the urgency of legislation to protect broadcast access in cars.
The change makes Tesla the first major automaker to remove over-the-air radio entirely after phasing out AM tuners beginning in 2020. The timing comes as Congress considers the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a bipartisan bill with more than 300 House co-sponsors and a Senate supermajority that would require automakers to include AM radio as a standard safety feature.
As an industry vanguard of the AM Act, the NAB is among those particularly troubled by the exclusion.
NAB Senior Manager of Communications and Social Media Grace Whaley told Radio Ink, “Free, local radio is not a luxury. It is a necessity – especially in times of emergency when internet-based services can be interrupted. Monday’s widespread internet outage underscored the exact reason why Congress must act swiftly to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.”
She added, “When digital platforms fail, AM and FM radio remain among the most reliable and resilient communication lifelines we have – no subscription, login, or data plan required. Removing broadcast radio from vehicles is a disservice to millions of drivers who rely on these stations for trusted news, community connection, and emergency alerts.”
Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs, who has advised numerous automakers on infotainment strategy, said, “It’s truly a case of an automaker not being in touch with its customer base. Yes, there are streaming ‘workarounds.’ But as we (and FEMA) both know, broadcast communication infrastructure typically outlasts cell towers during most emergencies. Given that a majority of Americans listen to FM radio while in cars, this decision is sadly misguided, bordering on arrogance.”
The news sparked outrage and concern on social media, with voices from around the industry expressing everything from resignation to calls for radio to embrace a multiplatform streaming identity.
More reason NOT to purchase an electric vehicle…
Funny how radio execs are suddenly clutching their pearls over the state of the industry(as if we didn’t dig this hole ourselves) AM can absolutely survive—just look at WABC in New York!But, in most markets, the band’s a wasteland of static and same-old shtick. George Noory’s fine, but do we really need twelve stations broadcasting the same bedtime story?
And let’s not forget FM. It’s now overstuffed with HD signals that are about as reliable as a Ford Pinto in a rear-end collision. The noise problem on AM has been around for decades, yet somehow the real noise has always come from the boardroom.
Maybe once the bigwigs finally realize the threat is real, they’ll invest in the actual product though judging by the length of their commercial breaks, their heads are still buried somewhere deep in the effort to load up the bottom line.
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