Even as a proposed law that would force carmakers to include AM radio in their vehicles is making the rounds in the U.S., another new piece of legislation is causing those who own radio stations on that band a lot of concern.

"The Sunshine Protection Act" would force the entire country to stay on Daylight Saving Time year-round, leaving some already shaky AM stations in potential peril. For those whose power goes down at night to protect other stations and especially for those who are daytime only (like WTOR in Youngstown, N.Y) it would mean they couldn't sign on in the winter until 8 or even 9 in the morning.

"That has raised concerns of broadcasters who say the morning daypart is when most of their revenue is made. Some of the losses would be offset by the change that would give AMs more time during their afternoon drive, when some stations need to power down before 5pm during the winter months. But the National Association of Broadcasters has urged lawmakers to reject the idea."

And then there's the possible effect on Canada. If our neighbours to the south went all Daylight-all-the-time, TV schedules here would be thrown into chaos, a topic we discussed back in March when B.C. voted to stay on Daylight Time all year.

So if that bill passes - and it may be a long shot, but support is growing - it brings us back to the same conundrum. What would TV stations here do with simsub if primetime there began at 9 PM and ended at midnight? 

Would Canada be forced to follow suit just to keep things on a status quo? This will be an interesting one to watch - perhaps an hour later. 

Permanent Daylight Saving Time Bill Revived Amid Radio Industry Concerns