I was reading about a new “bipartisan legislation” to require automakers to include AM radios in all new cars.
The release stated;
“Each day, millions of Americans turn to AM radio to stay up to date on life in their community, engage on the issues they care about, or to be simply entertained during rush hour,” Cruz said. “AM radio is a critical bulwark for democracy, providing a platform for alternative viewpoints and the ability for elected officials to share our efforts with our constituents.”
How do you feel about this act?
Do people actually use AM radios that much?
Do you think this bill is necessary?
.
46 comments
I usually do not care for useless legislation protecting a technological anachronism.
This is a very silly proposal.
Are there vehicle entertainment systems that don’t have an AM/FM button? It’s such a cheap and basic thing to include, I don’t understand why a vehicle manufacturer wouldn’t include them by default.
Maybe there’s something I’m really missing but I do not know anyone who listens to AM radio and my entire life it was never used in anyone’s car I was ever in.
Cars have had AM radio for like, a million years.
First I have heard of this. Probably, whoever is sponsoring the bill, wants to make sure that politically biased radio programs are freely available to their constituents.
AM radio is home to Conservative talk radio.
It makes sense that that conservative politicians would want to give platform for their conservative ideologies.
This was an excellent episode https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-divided-dial/
>How do you feel about this act? Do people actually use AM radios that much? Do you think this bill is necessary?
Against it. Having said that there are a few very active media empires that own most of the AM stations in the country and they are politically active. So now you know where there is pending legislation.
What, no mandated rotary phones or analog television?
That honestly sounds like right wing nonsense.
Have you ever listened to AM radio, devil-liberals and hellfire stuff. Hawking gold and prepper shit.
I’ve not heard of this until now, but it sounds like a politician has friends in the AM radio business
Agree that AM is a conservative bastion, but there are also national park, traffic, and emergency broadcasts on AM. Those things might not be considered by purchasers or manufacturers when deciding whether to install AM features or buy a car with AK.
Plus, there’s still sports on AM.
There doesn’t seem to be too much of a downside–the cost will be negligible and the benefits in case of emergency are at least moderate l.
That seems pretty silly. If going that route, why not include FM?
We should be mandating 8-track tape decks as well, and mandating rotary landlines in every home.
Are AM radios known to cause cancer by the state of California
AM radio!! I don’t even listen to FM or satellites anymore because I can control exactly what I want to hear with streaming services!
I strongly support it. AM radio is still am extremely robust technology that really still has an important place in rural America, especially as a part of the Emergency Alert System.
Driving through central Montana, no cell reception at all, no FM radio at all, for hours, but the whole time AM came in loud and clear.
And for everyone saying it’s just about conservative talk radio, my senator Ed Markey who helped introduce this act certainly doesn’t seem it that way.
AM radio is still very important during emergencies, due to its long wave length AM signals are often the only thing that will work after an area is destroyed by a natural disaster (hurricanes, tornados, wild fires, ect)
I genuinely wouldn’t notice if my new car came without FM, let alone without AM. I have been using my phone or a streaming service since I was in high school 15 years ago.
Does it come with a way to listen to Morse code too?
AM has been dying by degrees for decades. My current vehicle (VW ID4) doesn’t have it at all.
I don’t really care that much. A lot of people listen to AM radio, so I doubt car manufacturers would want to stop that feature.
It would be handy for a backup system. In the HBO series The Last of Us, radio remains as the only way to have long-distance communication.
I am an Amateur Radio operator and see that AM is important for both long range stations in case of emergency as well as micro-stations for road conditions. AM radio is still important and not an anachronism.
People are commenting on this as if it’s an up/down vote on “AM radio: good or bad?”
That’s not the question. The question is: “Should government mandate that AM radios be installed in all new cars?”
That doesn’t imply they won’t be available as an option. And, of course, there are always third-party vendors. ([Crutchfield](https://www.crutchfield.com/S-iiVAlo1oUfe/))
We don’t need a law mandating AM radios in new cars.
I can see laws protecting people’s right to have AM in their cars if they wish. I don’t see why we need everyone to have an outdated technology if they don’t plan to use it.
I listen to AM for sports radio in Charlotte. I do not think there needs to be a bill for it. I interviewed at a radio station that broadcasted online/radio and it was political and religious. I don’t think a bill is nessecary because if a person wants to listen to AM they can via the internet on their phone
I like the idea of having AM radio available because it *could* be useful in a major emergency. However, I hate governmental mandates without a significant public interest and I don’t think a case could be made that the rare, extremely unlikely possibility of losing the entire internet AND satellites AND FM radio justifies telling auto manufacturers what to do. This is not similar to safety and pollution regulations.
I use AM on my radio every time I commute. Local news and info with much more reliable coverage than FM. AM has a local hunting and fishing show. Ball games and sports talk too. I have satellite for music.
I am all for anything that gives people free access to programming.
If this is the shit congress is wasting their time on we’re in real trouble. TBH it sounds like nothing but empty political theater to me.
That said, the circuit for it is literally one diode and a couple of capacitors. Less than $0.10 in the quantities automakers build in. From the engineer’s perspective there’s no reason *not* to include it unless AM radio stops being broadcast entirely at some point.
I think it’s a good thing to protect for emergency purposes and underserved areas providing coverage for vital information transmission.
I think this is probably a good idea. AM radio is an effective way to communicate information to the masses in a pinch that wont be slowed by fucktons of people using it. It’s no great loss of resources for car manufacturers to include them.
As someone who sits in 2 hours of traffic everyday, I’ve never been so bored that I would turn on AM radio. I’d rather play the “mine or theirs” game, where I look at everyone else’s car and decide if I would take theirs over mine. It always devolves to me arguing with myself about how many miles and what options it would need for me to trade.
All cars should still have AM/FM.
AM radio is for the conservative talk-radio tin-foil hat crowd.
Unnecessary, if they want an AM radio buy a car with an AM radio.
Can’t find one, get a cheap AM radio.
Crazy that a lot of people here are against a service that is extremely useful in emergencies just cause there are people with different political opinions hosting talk shows on it that 2 party system is really beating my fellow Americans ass
AM radio still harbors emergency broadcasts and sports radio, it’s not totally obsolete yet.
Don’t care if cars have it or not, but it’s not surprising that conservatives go against their “government shouldn’t regulate businesses” ethos the second that the free market doesn’t support something they like.
This country can’t fucking let anything go. It’s a wonder we’re not all beating clothes on rocks and churning butter.
You can always buy a separate AM radio. Good for emergencies anyways
I think it’s a pretty silly thing to mandate in cars. If AM radio is so important to people they should either only buy cars that have it built in, have one installed as an after market item, or buy a stand alone radio.
I believe all vehicles *should* have AM radio functionality given how easy it is, but I see no reason why that’s the government’s business. It’s got no relation to consumer safety or environmental concerns, so the automakers should be able to do whatever the hell they want. If people don’t like it, they’re free to not buy it.
Road/weather hazard notices are broadcast on AM
AM radio is important when there’s something like a natural disaster going on. So, I would support the legislation on those grounds.
We have Amber alerts broadcast on it and I can get a signal further from the station transmitter. I live am and always have.
I think it’s a safety feature. During hurricane and tornado warning I use AM to get updates. I have also seen signs for an AM channel to listen to during road hazards.
But it sounds like the bill isn’t highlighting the safety feature so I would say I don’t care about the bill