As the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act appears to be nearing decisive action on Capitol Hill, a former syndicated AM radio host turned New York City Councilman is proposing one of the nation’s first municipal efforts to protect AM access in automobiles.
Councilman Frank Morano intends to introduce legislation requiring AM radio receivers in all City-owned and City-contracted vehicles at the November 25 Stated Meeting of the New York City Council.
The proposal directs the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to ensure AM reception hardware, and not streaming alternatives, is installed in all new City fleet vehicles, including emergency response units, sanitation trucks, and agency cars, as well as vehicles used under City contracts. The legislation also mandates annual reporting to track compliance and enforcement.
Morano, the former host of The Other Side of Midnight at Red Apple Media’s 77WABC, said the requirement supports the reliability of the Emergency Alert System, which federal agencies continue to use for real-time warnings. He noted that while federal legislation remains pending, local action can influence automaker decisions.
Councilman Morano said, “When everything else fails, AM radio doesn’t. On 9/11, during the 2003 blackout, and throughout Superstorm Sandy, millions of New Yorkers turned to AM radio because it was the only system still working. That’s not nostalgia – that’s infrastructure. This bill ensures that New York City continues to have access to a communication tool that has saved lives time and time again.”
In February, a coalition of retired New York law enforcement leaders called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, the federal bill that would require AM receivers in all cars sold in the US. An additional letter was sent to Sen. Schumer this past December, signed by senior leaders from the FDNY, NYPD, and Buffalo Police Department.
The AM Act now has 315 bipartisan cosponsors in the US House and a Senate supermajority of support as it awaits a vote.
Morano added, “If cities and states across the country pass similar legislation, automakers will have no choice but to keep AM radio in vehicles. This is a simple, commonsense step that protects lives, respects our emergency infrastructure, and preserves one of the few truly egalitarian mediums left in American life.”
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.
