With automakers and broadcasters increasingly at odds over ongoing concerns about signal integrity in new vehicles, a Georgia-based broadcaster is issuing a formal cease and desist order to Volkswagen AG over broadcast data interference affecting AM/FM and HD Radio.
In its letter, NIA Broadcasting and Radio Kings Bay alleges that certain Volkswagen-manufactured vehicles, particularly the Porsche Taycan GTS, are engaging in digital manipulation that undermines the integrity of licensed broadcasts and actively misleads consumers about the source and content of over-the-air transmissions.
According to NIA Broadcasting President Neal Ardman, the interference affects both analog and HD Radio signals, including RDS and Program Service Data that carry emergency alerts, song and artist metadata, commercial content, and election programming.
“The actions of Porsche to not only remove the data we transmit but to substitute in their own is a complete and total breach,” Ardman said.
“The consumer is led to believe that our stations are responsible when, in fact, Porsche has taken control. This conduct by Porsche is causing irreparable harm to our brand, as they are also transmitting the wrong logo for our stations and leading our listeners to believe we have given up on local information. As broadcasters, we simply cannot stand by and watch,” he added.
NIA Broadcasting contends this goes beyond the reception problems typically associated with electric vehicle interference and is demanding that Volkswagen AG and its subsidiaries immediately stop all interference and restore proper broadcast data feeds as transmitted by the originating stations.
The dispute underscores escalating tensions between the automotive and radio industries.
Automakers have faced mounting scrutiny for design decisions that limit or degrade AM and HD Radio reception in electric vehicles, typically citing electromagnetic interference from battery systems and electric drivetrains. Broadcasters, backed by federal lawmakers and public safety advocates, counter that these moves compromise emergency communications infrastructure and curtail public access to free, local information during crises.
