sowny.net | The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum


You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

May 17, 2023 11:42 am  #1


List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

Alan Cross has published a list of car makers which have announced that they either will or won't keep AM radio in their dashboards. The number of names on both sides is roughly even, but it's feared the list of non-AM will grow as others opt out. 

As some here know, I recently bought a new car and would never have considered even looking at the thing if it came without AM. It was the very first thing I checked. But as a Baby Boomer, I grew up on the band, whereas younger generations not only don't know what it is but would never deign to tune it in even if they did. 

There is a growing movement by existing radio station owners down south to save the band before it goes dark in the most important place of all - inside the car. Not only is the media increasingly picking up on this story (I see at least six of them in my feed every single day) but now the U.S. government is getting involved. 

Funny how you haven't heard very much about this in Canada. Certainly the same cars sold down there are all sold here. Yet there seems to be no urgency among the Bells, the Rogers and the Coruses (who own most of the stations in this country) to sound the alarm here to save their own properties - if, in fact, they're even interested in doing so. Since they're also ISPs, maybe they want you to listen online and use up data, so they don't really care. 

In any event, Cross lists a number of reasons why AM should be saved in your dashboard. There are still lots of drivers who listen to the band. Let's hope they also listen to the pleas of those who want it to be there when they get their next car. But so far, the Canadian silence is deafening.  

Here’s the latest list of auto manufacturers that are dumping AM radio

 

May 17, 2023 11:48 am  #2


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

Right wing talk radio lives on AM radio in the USA. Draw your conclusion from there vs Canada.

 

May 17, 2023 11:57 am  #3


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

I think that's somewhat of a canard to be honest. It's been seized on by right-wing talk radio hosts as a "they're after us again" stance that they always seem to take. But there are still a lot of other formats out there on AM down south - country, oldies, religious, all sports, etc. - that would stand to lose if their availability in the car were taken away. 

You just hear the Conservative side more because they know their listeners will turn it into yet another false conspiracy theory. 

There is simply no more room on FM for any more simulcast stations, at least in this market. So would a CFRB or a CFTR disappear if you suddenly didn't have easy access to them in your travels? Yes, a lot of people stream now. But not everyone. And some aren't even sure how to do that in their cars. I'm sure they'd miss AM if it were gone. 

My solution to all this is a simple one - add AM as an option for car buyers. Like the colour or a sun roof, you pay more if you want it. If you don't, the price is a little less. That way, those of us who like AM behind the wheel can still have it, while the rest who never listen anyway wouldn't care at all. 

It seems like the perfect solution to me. So far, there's no sign the car companies are even considering it. 

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2023 12:19 pm  #4


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

In the US, there are still a lot of medium and smaller size operators who have AM stations. In Canada, those smaller groups have FM stations exclusively.

I can count on my fingers the number of Canadian AM stations that are still viable -- at the same time most markets have more FM signals than there are viable formats, so the problem will sort itself out one way or the other.

 

May 17, 2023 3:42 pm  #5


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

This came sooner than I expected, although there's nothing to say it will pass. 

U.S. lawmakers want to bar automakers from eliminating AM radio in new vehicles

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2023 3:57 pm  #6


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

 

May 17, 2023 4:05 pm  #7


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

The Radio Ink article lists the Congress members who are cooperating on the proposed law - a mixture of both Democrats and Republicans. Not THAT'S not something you see every day down south, especially in these polarized times! Maybe this bill has a chance at passing after all. It's officially called The AM For Every Vehicle Act.

If it passes down there, it would by default likely save AM in cars in Canada, too. 

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2023 4:35 pm  #8


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

If it passes, get ready for malicious compliance and the worst AM radios you’ve ever heard.

 

May 17, 2023 5:23 pm  #9


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

I will repeat: the answer is to make it an option. If you're willing to pay, the thing will play. It seems like the easiest solution. No law required and those who don't want it will save money. Simple.

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2023 6:13 pm  #10


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

Theoretically works. I fear it would be quite an expensive option though. Demand will be very low, and from what I understand with regards to electric vehicles it's not as simple as having a better radio but also other components having to take AM reception into consideration.
 

 

May 17, 2023 7:36 pm  #11


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

And yet I've heard there are a few EV carmakers that do put AM radios in their vehicles and they seem to work just fine with the proper shielding. So it is possible. It may not be the way - it may be the will. 

     Thread Starter
 

May 17, 2023 7:46 pm  #12


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

There'd be consumer research and a cost-benefit analysis. If it were simple and cheap to keep, they wouldn't be removing it.

 

May 17, 2023 7:56 pm  #13


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

That's why an option might work. I, for one, would definitely pay for it, even at a premium for a decent radio. In my last car, a 2006 Mazda, I paid extra for a cassette player, which I'm sure is no longer available. But a lot of my radio work had been saved on cassette (since digitized, which wasn't really an option back then) and for several years, I used it frequently while driving.

As for AM not working in EVs, this is from Variety:

"AM radio is found in some electric cars, currently, like Toyota’s, with that manufacturer saying it had found a work-around for electrical interference. Yet the automaker would not tell [Sen. Ed] Markey that it planned to keep AM radio into the future. “While Toyota has addressed this problem in our current vehicles,” said Toyota VP Stephen Ciccone, “we would like to refrain from commenting on potential future business plans.”

Can AM Radio in Cars Be Saved? Bipartisan Bill in Congress Would Force Auto Makers to Keep It, Even as Ford Drops AM From All New Vehicles

     Thread Starter
 

May 18, 2023 12:00 am  #14


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

I find some of this advice to be less than convincing. But for what it's worth:

5 Ways to Turn AM Radio Around

     Thread Starter
 

May 18, 2023 2:59 am  #15


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

RadioActive wrote:

I find some of this advice to be less than convincing. But for what it's worth:

5 Ways to Turn AM Radio Around

it seems like number three is similar to what Buddy has tried to do with WECK.  Has that worked at all?  Discounting the FM translators, is there an audience attracted to the AM signal in this instance?
 


Cheers,
Jody Thornton
 
 

May 18, 2023 11:52 am  #16


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

I suppose this response from the car companies was inevitable. 

Car Companies Criticize the “Mandatory AM” Bill

     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2023 3:39 pm  #17


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

Michael Smerconish talked about this issue on his CNN program today.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2023/05/19/smr-am-radio-save-the-static.cnn

 

May 20, 2023 9:54 pm  #18


Re: List Of Car Companies That Will & Won't Keep AM Radio

The story was taken up by Corus Radio's Ben O'Hara-Byrne on his show last Tuesday. He had a guest on to discuss the removal of AM from some car radios and why it won't go over well with listeners. 

It's the first time I've heard it addressed on any radio show in Canada, backed up with an interview. 

It starts at 24:24 in, and you can hear it here

     Thread Starter