I don’t know about you, but I haven’t listened to AM radio in a car in a long time. Nonetheless, it’s become a hot-button issue that’s reached the highest levels of government. As some automakers have looked to drop it, bills to mandate AM radio in new cars have been circulating in Congress for the past few years. One of them just cleared a major hurdle.
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week, just before the body’s early adjournment. The bill would require the federal Department of Transportation to create a rule mandating that AM radio reception be standard in all new cars. For that to happen, the bill will first have to pass the Senate and be signed by President Donald Trump. The bill appears to have true bipartisan support (Senators Ed Markey and Ted Cruz are co-sponsors of the Senate version), and Trump supports it, according to Radio World, so that seems like a good bet.
Another bill with an identical name was first proposed in 2023, but didn’t make it this far. That original bill was opposed by automakers, who cited the unnecessary cost of maintaining a feature many customers don’t actually use, as well as the potential for electrical interference in EVs. Around that time, Ford actually planned on deleting AM radio from the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, but then caved when people complained (and then stopped making the Lightning entirely).
The National Association of Broadcasters supported the bill, calling it “critical public safety legislation” in a statement. AM bands still carry the emergency broadcast system, which has been a key argument for supporters of keeping AM receivers in new cars. However, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015 directed FEMA to modernize the system and move away from total reliance on AM radio.
AARP also praised the bill’s passage, saying in a statement that around one-third of Americans age 50 and over listen to AM radio while driving. That demographic niche aside, we learned around this time last year from Robby DeGraff, manager of product and consumer insights at Auto Pacific, that “most of today’s vehicle shoppers and owners are streaming content through their phone, tuning into satellite radio, or toggling through FM stations” instead of listening to AM radio, adding that “I don’t think the absence of it is enough to steer someone away” from a particular new-car purchase.
AM listeners have a reason to celebrate, even if the majority of drivers won’t understand why they’re celebrating.
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