With the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act tantalizingly close to a floor vote, the National Association of Broadcasters has debuted a new angle for its “Depend on AM” PSA campaign: state-specific radio spots that thank legislators by name for their support.
The new spots give local stations a targeted, personalized tool to acknowledge the lawmakers from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands fighting to keep AM radio in car dashboards. Each version is tailored to a specific state’s delegation, letting listeners hear directly that their Representatives and Senators are standing behind protecting access to free, over-the-air radio.
The timing is deliberate, with the NAB State Leadership Conference set to convene in just over one week, with the AM Act as the marquee issue.
The bill carries more than 375 co-sponsors across both chambers as the legislation awaits a floor vote from House and Senate leadership. President Trump also recently re-vocalized his support for the Act during an appearance on Salem’s nationally syndicated Hugh Hewitt Show. Almost one million AM radio listeners have contacted their lawmakers in support of the bill.
The AM Act, if signed into law, would direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring all new passenger vehicles manufactured or imported into the United States to include AM radio as free, standard equipment. The push stems from decisions by several major automakers to remove AM receivers from new electric and hybrid vehicles.
Stations can download the spots through the NAB’s AM Radio Toolkit.
