Automakers Are Starting to Drop AM Radio in New Cars. Here's Why

[jeffandnicole]

From Car and Driver:

Don't Touch That Dial: AM Car Radio Is Not Dead Yet
Not if the U.S. Congress has anything to say about it. The lawmakers want it mandated in all vehicles so it can be used for emergency and safety notifications.

• The AM For Every Vehicle Act is close to passing, making broadcast AM capability a requirement in new cars sold in the United States.
• The Act has wide support in both Senate and Congress, on both sides of the aisle.
• Proponents say passing the Act is about providing emergency services or free speech. But there is a cost to manufacturers.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

As far as I know, radios and audio equipment aren't mandated in cars currently. And there's no mandate AM stations must be aired and transmitted, nor that they must reach all areas of the country, nor that they must air emergency announcements.

[1995hoo]

Plus, even if they do air an emergency announcement, there's no guarantee the driver will have the radio turned on at any given time.

[ZLoth]

And there's no mandate AM stations must be aired and transmitted, nor that they must reach all areas of the country, nor that they must air emergency announcements.

See https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-11 . If you listen to the EAS alerts, you will often hear the term "voluntary cooperation", and the FCC does come down HARD on stations who do not have proper EAS equipment.

Of course, if they are mandating carriage of AM stations on car radios, why not also mandate the carriage of the NWS frequencies? They are just slightly higher in the FM band, but the National Association of Broadcasters may disagree with that suggested mandate.

[vdeane]

Mandating the NWS frequencies would probably be more useful, especially with the states discontinuing Highway Advisory Radio.  Couldn't repeaters be used in areas where FM is sparse?

[Life in Paradise]

And there's no mandate AM stations must be aired and transmitted, nor that they must reach all areas of the country, nor that they must air emergency announcements.

See https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-11 . If you listen to the EAS alerts, you will often hear the term "voluntary cooperation", and the FCC does come down HARD on stations who do not have proper EAS equipment.

Of course, if they are mandating carriage of AM stations on car radios, why not also mandate the carriage of the NWS frequencies? They are just slightly higher in the FM band, but the National Association of Broadcasters may disagree with that suggested mandate.

One would think with today's technology a car radio could be set up to automatically come one if an EAS signal was received and go to the strongest signal (either AM or FM) to broadcast the message.  Weather radios are set up to go off for warnings.