I don't have a lot of 'hotel stays' these days, but I can't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel where the radio would pick up a listenable AM signal.... even if the radio had a switch that claimed it could do so.
I can't link you to any articles on the car radio topic, but my memory is that in the last 3 or 4 years there have been some messages about auto manufacturers eliminating the AM receiving ability. This may be true (ironically) in the luxury cars. You would think they could bury the cost of having A.M. along with F.M. in the price of the car, but it becomes a service issue. If you buy a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or other car in the $75,000 to $120,000 ranged and you are out on the road and try the A.M. radio and it performs poorly, the buyer is soon back in the dealership demanding: "Fix the %&#@@ thing" and now the dealer has an unhappy customer and may spend more in technician timed that it would cost to order a top-of-the-line receiver from Crutchfield or someone and hang it in there. That is not what the customer wants. (A redneck hang-on style) and the luxury manufacturer is not going to pay warranty on fixing the A.M..... so they leave it out. Less moaning and caterwauling over a missing feature than over a feature that is included but can't be made to work right.
