WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM uses FM radio. Courtesy | Scot Bertram

Community weighs in on efforts to keep AM radio in vehicles

A bill in the U.S. Congress could keep AM radio alive in small communities like Hillsdale.

Auto manufacturers — especially makers of electric vehicles — like Ford, Tesla, and Volvo, have begun removing AM radio from their new models. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 requires the Department of Transportation to issue a rule mandating auto manufacturers include AM radio access in all new vehicles.

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act states that AM broadcast stations deliver emergency alerts, news, and entertainment, with more than 82 million Americans tuning in to AM radio each month.

According to the National Association of Broadcasters, electric vehicle manufacturers are particularly worried about mandates to include AM radio in EVs due to electromagnetic interference from EV parts, which distorts AM radio signals and is expensive to fix. 

Scot Bertram, general manager of WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM, said at its core, eliminating AM radio in vehicles is a public safety issue.

“If we are serious about the Emergency Alert System operating as intended, the availability of AM radio in all vehicles is critical,” Bertram said. “No other medium has the reach of AM radio, which covers at least 90% of the American population.”

It will cost as much as $3.8 billion to maintain AM radio in vehicles, with some of that cost transferring to consumers, reported the online magazine Radio World. Additionally, the auto industry said passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act could force some automakers to eliminate other safety features in their vehicles. 

According to the Radio+ Television Business Report, automakers are spending millions of dollars on lobbyists in an effort to kill the legislation. 

AM radio uses amplitude modulation to send carrier waves, while FM radio uses frequency modulation, according to Radio Active Media. As a result, AM radio waves can travel a farther distance, have worse audio quality, and are more vulnerable to electronic interference than FM. AM is generally preferred for newscasting, while FM is preferred for music and entertainment. AM can also cover more areas and better serve rural populations, while FM functions better in urban centers with more technology that might disrupt AM signals.

In some rural areas of the country, AM stations are the only available options for potentially life-saving information, Bertram said.

“Many of us in Hillsdale remember the ice storm of 2023. Mobile phones were little more than paperweights for days at a time,” Bertram said. “However, a battery-powered radio continued to provide free news and information via AM and FM stations.”

Jeff Hess, new vehicle manager at Stillwell Ford in Hillsdale, said he thinks it’s important to keep AM radios available in vehicles, adding that with today’s technology, he thinks EV manufacturers could figure out how to solve the problem of electromagnetic interference from EV parts on AM radio. 

“They could figure it out if they really wanted to,” Hess said.

Hillsdale’s country music station, 99-5 The Dale, broadcasts on both 1340 AM and 99.5 FM. Juli Hays, station and sales manager at WCSR and 99-5 The Dale, said it’s vital to continue to include AM radio in vehicles.

“Our society is so dependent on technology, and that could make us vulnerable to being totally cut off from information in the event that cell or internet service goes down,” Hays said. “The U.S. has experienced bouts of this in recent years, causing major chaos.”

If we are operating under an emergency situation with no cell, internet services, or FM signals, then the AM radio in someone’s vehicle becomes a vital asset that relays invaluable updates, Hays said.

A July 31 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other House leaders urged them to bring the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the House floor as soon as possible.

The legislation has bipartisan support from 256 House members and 62 senators, the American Principles Project, a right-leaning think tank, stated in the letter it sent to Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.