State broadcasters associations are among radio’s most valuable advocates, and this month’s AM Fly-In put that dedication on display. Radio Ink caught up with three leaders whose associations spent last week pressing Congress for a vote on the AM Act.
The bill, which would require automakers to keep AM radio accessible in new vehicles, cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a 48-1 vote in May after being folded into the larger Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. Its House companion, H.R. 979, has drawn more than 260 co-sponsors, while the Senate version, S. 315, has advanced through the Senate Commerce Committee.
Broadcasters are now pressing congressional leadership to schedule a floor vote before lawmakers turn fully to midterm campaigning.
Oklahoma: A Delegation Nearly Unanimous
Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters President and Chief Executive Officer Will Payne made his second trip to Washington since taking the association’s top seat, this time meeting one-on-one with members of Congress. Six of Oklahoma’s seven-member congressional delegation, including both senators, are co-sponsors of the bill, Payne told Radio Ink.
“I really honed in on just trying to say this is important to our Oklahoma broadcasters. There wasn’t a need to sell our membership on it. It was more of a need to say the urgency is now, that we need to push leadership. I just didn’t feel like we needed additional support. We’re good. We just need to go to the next step of pushing leadership.”
Payne said the fight now extends beyond AM. “This is existential that we get this done, because this is a threat to all of radio in the dash,” he said, pointing to automakers that have also begun removing FM radios, with Oklahomans “very, very vocal and active” on preventing over-the-air radio removal.
Payne said Oklahoma broadcasters ran a coordinated public awareness push around fly-in week. “We had a groundswell back home. I was on Channel 4, 5, 9, Oklahoma Educational TV, AM and FM stations across the state of Oklahoma…That’s something that we have not seen, if not ever, in a long, long time, showing of support of one subject.”
“We came away with continuing to raise this issue, and now we’re continuing to follow it up with additional interviews, whether that’s live, local radio and TV here in Oklahoma, or nationwide.”
Alabama: Emergency Managers Make the Case
Alabama Broadcasters Association Board Chairman Lee Perryman of RadioAlabama, Board Member Terry Barber and Association President Sharon Tinsley represented Alabama’s stations on the Hill. All of Alabama’s congressional delegation has signed onto the House and Senate bills as co-sponsors, and the delegation’s visits focused on urging leadership to schedule floor votes before the midterms shrink the legislative calendar.
Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Coker, a past president of the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers who currently serves on the group’s legislative committee, joined the Alabama delegation’s office visits to speak to AM radio’s emergency role.
According to Tinsley, Coker cited response to Hurricane Helene, which found AM radio was the only way emergency officials could reach the public for weeks after the storm knocked out power and cell service.
She told us, “The AM Fly-In was a great experience. Even though our delegation has been very supportive, we need them to help get these bills across the finish line. Seeing the Members and their staffers face to face was the best way to deliver that message. I hope they felt the sense of urgency we were trying to convey.”
The delegation also carried letters of support to each office from Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Hal Taylor and Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Smitherman. Tinsley noted a growing number of new vehicles, including those from Tesla and Rivian, now ship without AM or FM radio at all.
Massachusetts: Bipartisan Support, Partisan Frustration
Massachusetts Broadcasters Association Executive Director Jordan Walton led a delegation that included Association Chairman and Audacy Senior Vice President Craig Swimm and Boston Red Sox radio play-by-play voice Will Flemming to meet with the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation.
Walton said to Radio Ink, “Our Massachusetts delegation is generally always very supportive of local broadcasting, so our reception is friendly and supportive.” He said the delegation encountered frustration from Massachusetts’ Democratic offices that Republican leadership has not scheduled a vote despite the bill’s bipartisan support, with several meetings turning to how few legislative days remain in this Congress.
Productively, that frustration will be turned into action. “We did secure some commitments for our AM4EVA co-sponsors going to leadership and calling for a floor vote for the bill,” Walton added.
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.
