Posted on 01/28/2024 3:10:41 AM PST by NautiNurse
Conservative talk show hosts, FEMA are fighting carmakers, tech industries in lobbying battle over drive-time radio
A motley crew of AM radio advocates, including conservative talk show hosts like Hugh Hewitt and federal emergency officials, are lobbying Congress to stop carmakers from dropping the old medium from new vehicles.
Tesla, Volvo, and BMW are among the companies that have already stopped providing AM tuners in some models. Last year Ford said it would join them—until CEO Jim Farley reversed course “after speaking with policy leaders.”
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Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Ed Markey (D., Mass.) are leading the Senate effort, and on the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson—himself a former conservative talk radio host in Louisiana—and progressive “squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan are among about 200 co-sponsors.
[Snip]
Moore said the bills’ opponents are at a disadvantage because “every member of Congress knows their local broadcaster. Those relationships are strong.”
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Automakers say the rise of electric vehicles is driving the shift away from AM, because onboard electronics create interference with AM radio signals—a phenomenon that “makes the already fuzzy analog AM radio frequency basically unlistenable,” according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a car-industry trade group. Shielding cables and components to reduce interference would cost carmakers $3.8 billion over seven years, the group estimates.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency says that more than 75 radio stations, most of which operate on the AM band and cover at least 90% of the U.S. population, are equipped with backup communications equipment and generators that allow them to continue broadcasting information to the public during and after an emergency.
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Automakers increasingly want to put radio and other car features “behind a paywall...They see this as another profit center..."
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(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Stay tuned...
Do they need AM radio bandwidth for any other reason than talk radio that is pushing the industry to abandon it?
In a natural disaster setting an AM radio is a safety feature. Cell towers and GPS go down. Radio Stations have their own power.
FWIW, I still smell a plot by leftist corporate scum to marginalize conservative talk radio. The radio interference by electric vehicle engines provides a convenient excuse. Hopefully, I’m wrong.
The auto industry is marketing lucrative subscription services for audio and GPS.
I used to listen to AM almost 20 hrs/day, or at least have it on in the background. Rush, Hannity, Soucheray, etc., all day.
Last 2 years, I don’t think I’ve used a radio for much more than a weather report.
Smartphone and Bluetooth speakers have taken its place. Much more convenient to listen to what I want, when I want, rather than when they’re broadcast.
I have Bluetooth speakers in my house, car, boats, shop, everywhere I used to listen to the radio. Won’t miss AM.
How about they design their crap so it doesn’t interfere? Isn’t that an FCC reg?
On a side note, years ago when we still had spark plug wires, the AM radio could be used to diagnose a cracked wire. I was on it one day and got an oscillating noise that changed with my use of the gas pedal. Went straight away to get new cables.
“ conservative talk radio”
Is there ANYTHING left on AM radio at all? It’s all moved to podcasts delivered over cellular data.
Here where I live talk radio is on FM. There are only about two AM stations across the whole band that will come up, and not very clear.
I bought a radio that is supposed to pull in faraway stations. No AM stations play music much anymore. I kind of prefer music on AM.
I was about to suggest that the suppression of RFI from all the electronics in the new cars that's necessary to enable decent AM reception comes with a cost, but you may be closer to the mark.
“Court rules automakers can record and intercept owner text messages”
https://therecord.media/class-action-lawsuit-cars-text-messages-privacy
Big Brother rides with you as you drive.
BMW jumped the shark with subscriptions for heated seats. $18/month to keep your bum cozy warm did not sit well with car buyers. BMW dropped the subscription for heated seats.
You are driving, and I’m texting in the passenger seat. Makes me want to hang onto the older cars.
Yes, that's a big part of the problem.
I can only listen to talk radio in my car, so it’s on AM only. I have profound hearing loss and simply cannot hear voices when there is any background ‘noise’ at all. (some call it music, I call it noise) I haven’t heard the lyrics to songs since they stopped playing Bing Crosby. Even then, for instance, when the news reports that the stock market was off, (or up), all I hear is that the stock market was ‘uh’. I wouldn’t buy a car unless it has AM radio.
Podcasts are useless in a car. The software to listen to them is generally written by some Gen X (or Y, or Q) geek sitting in his underwear in his mom’s basement. It requires constant detailed attention to actually produce sound, which cannot be done safely while driving a car, or even walking. I nearly got run over a couple of days ago fiddling with a podcast while walking on a trail.
Gov’t has no role here
If auotmakers want to drop AM, that is fine.
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
It’s not a good idea to have your stand-alone device linked into the car’s infotainment system at all for any reason. If you need to charge it on the road, do it through the cigarette lighter socket.
If I had more money, and expected to live longer than I probably will, (at 78), I’d be buying a few older cars, fixing them up and storing them against need.
3-4 years ago I had occasion to rent a car; I needed an associates’ degree in computer science just to turn on the wipers. Never mind the airconditioning!
Interesting, but not surprising as Sen. Paul is a consertive.
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