Maine lawmakers push bill to preserve AM car radio, now nearing extinction

If you haven't heard the news yet about AM radio, soon you might never — at least not in your car.

Automotive manufacturers including BMW, Mazda, Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen and Volvo have stopped supplying many vehicles with AM radio. And Ford plans to phase out the technology in all its cars and trucks this year.

The companies say the AM band can create problems with other onboard electronics, and claim customers are tuning in less anyway. Many electric vehicles also don't carry AM radio because it can interfere with their motors.

But U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, have signed onto bipartisan legislation that would ensure manufacturers continue to provide AM radio service in every new car and truck. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would direct federal regulators to require automakers to include the service at no additional charge.

AM radio is especially important for rural communities, the lawmakers said in a news release Monday.

They cite a National Association of Farm Broadcasters survey that found two-thirds of farmers listen to AM for weather forecasts and other information vitally needed for business.

The association says AM radio reaches an estimated 82 million listeners monthly through more than 4,400 stations across the U.S.

"AM radio delivers highway safety information to drivers and critical storm and weather updates to farmers in Maine and across the country,” Collins said. “This bipartisan bill would ensure the accessibility of AM service in every vehicle, safeguarding essential communication tools that are critical to our rural communities.”

King added, “Many Maine people, and especially our farmers, rely on AM radio for weather and business news they need, along with emergency updates that are essential for their safety ... I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that our rural communities, in Maine and across America, have the tools to succeed.”

If passed, the act would:

Direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rule that requires automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate or additional payment, fee, or surcharge, while providing extra compliance time for small manufacturers;
Require any automaker that sells vehicles without access to AM broadcast radio before the effective date of the NHTSA regulation to clearly disclose to consumers that the vehicle lacks access to AM broadcast radio; and,
Direct the Government Accountability Office to study the importance of AM radio as a communication technology during emergencies.

The AM for Every Vehicle Act is endorsed by the National Association of Broadcasters, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Farm Broadcasters and AARP.