While you Neros are fiddling, Rome is slowly burning
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"AM radio being dropped in Electric vehicles" -NY Times article today
- Thread starter Oldbloodandguts
- Start date
Nobody is fiddling. Most of the AMs in Buffalo have FM translators or HD-2s, and just about everyone is streaming online.
Sure it would be harder to have the same impact without AM signals. But everyone has a Plan B.
Radio companies are not in the hardware business. It's up to the FCC to protect the public airwaves.
Sure it would be harder to have the same impact without AM signals. But everyone has a Plan B.
Radio companies are not in the hardware business. It's up to the FCC to protect the public airwaves.
At least one Senator is asking car manufacturers to continue to support AM.
www.carscoops.com
U.S. Senator Calls On Automakers To Keep AM Radio In Their EVs | Carscoops
AM radio may seem old-timey, but it's listened to by millions, and remains a great way for authorities to communicate in an emergency
www.carscoops.com
It's pretty obvious that the Senator does not realize how little news is done on AM in most markets, and how ill-prepared most stations are for emergency information broadcasts. But his focus on keeping AM in car radios can have multiple benefits.
The biggest potential gain from this is to make sure that radio, both AM and FM, are not "hidden" behind lots of other options in a "connected car". One of the main points would be to make sure radio is a top level selection choice, and does not require excavating its button beneath several layers of menus.
The first thing is to "make radio first" on vehicle sound systems so that emergency information can be found easily.
The people that actually STILL LISTEN to AM Radio _ will also just expect to tune into
AM 550 for the game.
Tell someone to connect a Bluetooth that listens to AM Radio - they will most likely say I don't have the App for that.
No AM Radio - is as crazy as one of my posts being clear as well as direct and to the point !
AM 550 for the game.
Tell someone to connect a Bluetooth that listens to AM Radio - they will most likely say I don't have the App for that.
No AM Radio - is as crazy as one of my posts being clear as well as direct and to the point !
He may know that some states and state agencies use AM frequencies to get information to the public.
He may also know that there are some pretty big swaths of land in "flyover country" that have little or no FM radio coverage. There aren't a lot of people per square mile, but there are a lot of square miles with people who need some kind of relatively local information service, especially in case of emergency.
Is that a constitutional right? I mean, it would be great if everyone had access to local information, but where does it say the federal government has to make sure automakers ensure that access via AM radio continues in electric vehicles, especially since it's perfectly legal to own a vehicle with no radio at all.
It's perfectly legal for the federal government to require the means of emergency information access for all citizens. You have areas of the country with no cell service and no FM radio service, let alone internet access. There is an established Emergency Action Notification system. I guess that they could require satellite service in all vehicles, but that would be more expensive than AM/FM radios and the coverage wouldn't be as widespread. Remember, the federal government LICENSES the airwaves. They BELONG to the public. If you want to play the game, the government sets the rules.
You're exactly right. Interference is an FCC issue. It's up to them to fix it. Instead they came up with the AM revitalization program.
If it were, then the government would own radio stations all over the country. Just like Europe.
And it is interesting that, except for Canada, The Americas have very limited state broadcasting.
Mexico has never had a significant national radio presence, and it is even more limited on TV. None of the other significant "free" nations have a truly nation-wide broadcast system; some have a government station in the capital or in a couple of major cities but none have networks like the BBC or RAI or other European government radio and TV networks.
In Venzuela, Nicaragua total state control of private stations plus government networks. In Cuba, only the government can operate radio and TV.
The FCC could mandate that EV manufacturers eliminate interference from their vehicles under Part 15 regulations:
"The FCC Part 15 regulations are clear that the manufacturers of unlicensed devices must meet the appropriate conducted - or radiated-emissions requirements and that the operators of those devices are responsible for resolving any harmful interference to radio services that might occur from their use."
Once you get people searching because they can't find a station, you risk them adopting previously undiscovered channels or Spotify or Pandora. It will hurt the old school markets like Buffalo who like their AM 930, GR 550, etc.
That's why Audacy hasn't completely abandoned AM. The fact is there's absolutely nothing similar to WBEN on Spotify or Pandora.
People use Pandora and Spotify in place of their personal music collections. That's not why they listen to WBEN or WGR.
One solution for EVs may be requiring HD radio in vehicles and assigning FM HD frequencies to AM signals. Many, if not most stations, are already owned by groups who already have sufficient FM signals to accommodate AMs on HD2 bands. The FCC could also assign one or more FM frequencies as HD only and assign HD2 channels to existing AM stations. They won't get the same coverage, but at least they'd be available in the growing number of electronic vehicles.
Not likely. HD radio is a trademarked technology that requires manufacturers to pay a royalty for the chip. Requiring it in vehicles would be unfair to manufacturers and a windfall profit for the trademark owner.
We need AM radio to stay in emergencies for this reason. Not every place in this country has internet, FM, TV, cell phone reception.
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