Some car makers drop AM radios; stations react with PR campaign, citing AM's roles in communities, public safety

Retro is on at 12 noon on WLSD. (Image via WLSD website)

AM radio is being threatened with extinction. It stands for "amplitude modulation," most definitely not "automobile makers."

"As auto manufacturers expand their electric vehicle offerings, many new models will ship without AM radios," reports Matt Busse of Cardinal News in southwest Virginia. "Broadcasters and some public officials are pushing back, arguing AM radio is vital for distributing public safety information during emergencies."

Busse writes, "There are more than 130 AM radio stations in Virginia, including more than 60 operating in Southside, Southwest and the Alleghany Highlands. Now, those AM stations and others around the country face a new challenge: Some carmakers say they won't include AM radios in new vehicles, citing the availability of other listening options as well as interference between AM radio signals and the increasingly complex electronic systems such as those found in electric-only vehicles."

Radio station WLSD [named for Wise, Lee, Scott and Dickenson counties] serves as Busse's example: "Broadcasting at 1,000 watts on 1220 AM since it first signed on in 1953 [before the psychedelic drug LSD became widely known], WLSD has weathered numerous storms [including] competition such as satellite radio and digital streaming services." Adam Sturgill, the station's staff engineer and program director, told Busse, "We're providing a service still yet to the community. That's really what it's about, is doing the local ball games and being there for events in the towns and communities, so that's the one thing that helps keep it going."

"This month, the National Association of Broadcasters announced a public-relations campaign with a website, www.DependonAM.com, which features materials such as suggested scripts for radio stations to read on the air touting the importance of AM," Busse reports. "The NAB highlighted efforts by politicians such as Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., to keep AM radios in vehicles." Markey told Busse, "Although many automakers suggested that other communication tools – such as internet radio – could replace broadcast AM radio, in an emergency, drivers might not have access to the internet and could miss critical safety information."

Simultaneous broadcasting is an option. Busse reports, "Gary Burns owns 3 Daughters Media, which operates multiple AM stations. . . . he noted many AM stations, including his, already simultaneously broadcast on FM, a move encouraged by the Federal Communications Commission through its "AM Revitalization" effort." Burns told him, "The FCC, in anticipation of diminishing AM listenership, has made avenues available to the AM broadcast to see that their message can still get out."

Despite tech-savvy listeners and more options, Busse reports, "In many parts of the WLSD listening area, it can be difficult to stream anything on a phone in the car, Sturgill said. . . . Broadcast radio keeps motorists both entertained and informed, especially during situations such as severe storms that might knock out other forms of communication. . . . Sturgill, noted that the car manufacturers' recent decision is just the latest challenge AM radio has faced." Sturgill told Busse, "I don't think it's an attack on AM radio. . . . I think it's just a technical problem."