Do you drive a car and like listening to in-car AM radio from time to time? If you do, you might not like this news about electric car brands dropping AM radio. 

Tesla has recently decided to drop the AM radio in its newer car models. 

But Tesla is not the only car brand to come to this decision. BMW, Mazda, Volkswagen, Volvo, Polestar, and Rivian have already removed radios from their electric vehicles. 

This phasing out of AM radio comes after what these car brands believe to be a decreasing number of drivers tuning in to the radio. This is also because of the availability of more advanced technologies, such as built-in Bluetooth, music streaming, and online radio stations. 

Ford also recently reported findings presenting that less than five percent of in-car listening was done on the radio. 

But other surveys say otherwise. There is a Nielsen survey for fall 2022 that shows 82 million Americans still listen to AM radio monthly.  

Lawmakers and broadcasters are ready to fight back against this move, which they call a “betrayal.”

Broadcasters, particularly, say AM radio deserves protection since it is a linchpin of emergency information systems in the United States. Plus, they say AM radio remains vital on a daily basis for millions of listeners, including rural, foreign-language, and religious audiences.

“When the power goes out and cell networks are down, the car radio is often the only way for people to get information, sometimes for days at a time,” said Jerry Chapman, president of Woof Boom Radio, in a testimony for a U.S. House hearing yesterday. Woof Boom Radio has three AM stations in Ohio and Indiana. 

Furthermore, dozens of House members have also signed onto the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a bill that will require all new car and truck models to receive AM broadcast signals. 

“Removing AM radio receivers from vehicles means individuals may miss out on critical lifesaving updates. We must ensure that no community’s left behind, no voice is silenced and no emergency response is compromised,” Ohio representative Bob Batta, who also heads the communications panel conducting the hearing said.

Renowned senator, Ted Cruz, who is a Texas Republican also spoke about the issue. He tweeted that AM radio should be kept in cars.

“AM radio is worth keeping in our cars. It’s central to our democracy and freedom of expression,” Cruz said in his tweet. 

More so, Michael Harrison, Talkers Magazine, said the scrapping of AM radio in cars is “almost betrayal.” 

“Radio has exalted the automobile as being mythical, and gorgeous. It’s almost a betrayal on the part of these car manufacturers to say, we’re getting rid of AM radio,” Harrison said in an interview. 

Talkers Magazine publishes content related to talk radio in the United States. It also covers talk shows on broadcast and cable televisions, as well as Internet-exclusive shows and podcasts.

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