As automakers move to strip traditional broadcast radio from new vehicles, Salem Media Vice President of Government Affairs Nic Anderson is the latest to publicly defend the medium that’s long connected Americans in moments of crisis and community.
In an op-ed for Townhall, Anderson urged legislative and consumer action as concern grows around Tesla’s removal of FM radio from its base Model 3 and Model Y vehicles and General Motors’ decision to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. “Lawmakers need to pass the [AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act]. And the public needs to push back.”
Anderson argues that the removal of AM and FM tuners from dashboards marks more than just a technological transition; it’s an erosion of public access. “For generations, the car radio has been the great equalizer: free, local, and open to all,” he wrote. “But as vehicles become software platforms, automakers are rewriting the rules.”
The risk, Anderson said, isn’t only commercial, as the AM band “remains the backbone of America’s Emergency Alert System – reaching 272 million listeners every week.” Current and former FEMA administrators and first responders across America have already echoed that call, urging Congress to protect AM radio as a matter of national safety.
In Q3, automaker lobbying against the AM Act intensified, with General Motors spending $4.96 million, Toyota $1.6 million, Honda $910,000, and Tesla $340,000. Yet, Tesla’s decision to drop FM from its base models appears to have sparked renewed momentum in Washington, where a new wave of lawmakers has agreed to co-sponsor the bill.
Yet, Anderson’s argument reaches beyond emergency use. He describes AM and FM radio as democracy’s “most accessible platform,” one that provides local news, faith-based programming, language diversity, agricultural reports, and community coverage that streaming platforms don’t replicate.
“These aren’t premium features available to subscribers,” Anderson wrote. “They’re free, open, and available to anyone with a radio – until automakers decide they’re not.”
He also warns that the growing influence of technology companies in the automotive space risks turning the dashboard into a “walled garden,” where automakers and their digital partners dictate what content can and cannot be accessed. “This isn’t about innovation,” he said. “It’s about revenue and control.”
“Call your representatives and tell them to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and make your voice heard before automakers take it away,” he wrote in closing.
The NAB has released PSAs in English and Spanish asking radio listeners to contact their members of Congress by texting AM to 39179, urging them to support legislation that ensures AM radio remains in cars. Get them for your station here.
More reason NOT to buy a new vehicle. I won’t for sure!
Let’s be honest here. The auto makers won’t be happy until they drive everything that’s been free to consumers out of their cars. Radio is the last free audio service out there. It drives them crazy. They want you to pay for everything (even heated seats). Recurring revenue, pulling money out of your pocket every month it the wave of the future…if you don’t push back.
But who pays? Maybe a tax on AM radio station revenues to offset the car manufacturer costs of keeping AM in the cars? Virtually no one under 60 years old listens to AM anymore. FM, different story. And Salem AM stations are right wing AM syndicated talk, and Christian infomercials seeking listener donations. That is not “public service” programming.
I agree. There should be “more” available in a car …not less.
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