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Car Makes & Models with No AM Band.

Michi said:
I do feel though that there would be bipartisan support for an "All Channel Receiver Act"-type bill, however, it must be written in a way that prevents auto manufacturers from removing broadcast radio completely (AM and FM) from the dashboard. Otherwise, the legislation would backfire, horribly.
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I totally agree. This should focus on not eliminating free subscription-less, no fee audio service being required for all vehicles.
Michi said:
While it is a stretch, Congress should also look into the "sweetheart" deals between the auto manufacturers and Sirius/XM.
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I don't see any problem in making auto companies participants in the revenue in exchange for adding additional cost to the price of a car. What should be examined is whether the price of new cars includes the cost of the satellite radio functionality; I believe that is a side deal between the vehicle manufacturer and Sirius/XM. Car buyers should not pay for equipment they don't want or need.

Of course, I always find amusing when nearly every car I look at here in the Coachella Valley desert has a built in charge for heated steering wheel and heated seat features.
 
There was a lot going on behind the scenes at the NAB show, and I caught some interesting tidbits. Take all of this with at least some salt, because it's all second- or third-hand, but:

FEMA, I'm told, wants to see AM remain viable because it has so much invested in its network of 80+ hardened PEP facilities, all but a handful of them at AM stations. They've already had to move some of them as AM stations have sold off transmitter facilities and diplexed; in Vegas, they've now moved twice, from KDWN at its original Henderson plant to KDWN diplexed with Audacy in NLV and now to KXNT way up north. Moving that whole network to FM facilities would require many more FMs for the same coverage and would cost a fortune.

While the FCC doesn't have the regulatory authority on its own to mandate AM receivers in all cars, there's a possibility that the DOT does. There are different classes of mandatory safety equipment that DOT requires, and there's at least some talk of lobbying to put (AM) radio in one of those categories, which DOT could do as part of its rulemaking processes without getting Congress involved.

This all hits up hard against the reality that if Ford really does pull AM radio from its entire line without significant marketplace feedback, everyone knows other big automakers will feel more comfortable following suit, and the reality that the big automakers have much more lobbying pull in Washington these days than broadcasters do.

I left Vegas feeling like broadcasters were much more aware of how fast this is all moving, and that some of them realize it may already be too late. The Ford announcement right before the show really woke a lot of people up, and anyone who tells you they know for sure how it all will play out is blowing smoke.
 
fybush said:
While the FCC doesn't have the regulatory authority on its own to mandate AM receivers in all cars, there's a possibility that the DOT does. There are different classes of mandatory safety equipment that DOT requires, and there's at least some talk of lobbying to put (AM) radio in one of those categories, which DOT could do as part of its rulemaking processes without getting Congress involved.
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That is the best and most actionable idea of all.

Broadcasters need to come together with a consolidated and well constructed "wall of defense" for AM and FM in all radios. Right now, we have everything from safety concerns to some people beating the dead horse of "extensive AM listening".
 
fybush said:
Whereas up here, the heated seat is more important to me in the winter than brakes or a gas pedal...
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Let me add that at #127 of the reasons I left Cleveland, right after "rivers that catch fire".
 
DavidEduardo said:
Broadcasters need to come together with a consolidated and well constructed "wall of defense" for AM and FM in all radios. Right now, we have everything from safety concerns to some people beating the dead horse of "extensive AM listening".
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Exactly. Forget trying to turn back the clock when the general public can care less. If you don't want to be replaced, remain relevant.
 
They might as well include a NOAA Weather Radio band requirement as well. Automakers would have a much higher chance of agreeing to that, because now that everything is DSP-based, it'd just be a matter of adding some extra code for the frequencies and the NBFM filter.
 
kevtronics said:
Meanwhile, the average age of vehicles on the road is now 12.5 years:

www.autoblog.com

Average age of vehicles on U.S. roads hits 12.5 years, another record

America's fleet of vehicles is aging, with the average for a car or truck hitting a record 12.5 years old. It's the sixth increase in a row.
www.autoblog.com www.autoblog.com
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Meaning that even if all the manufacturers pulled AM from their new cars TODAY, it's gonna be a long, long, long time before anywhere near a majority of Americans can't listen to AM in their cars (assuming they want to).
 
Kelly A said:
The GOP has proven itself to jump into any culture war topic. 'Let's ban transgender sports and shows, but insist automakers keep AM radio in cars'. Makes perfect sense. No, not really.
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The logic might go something like this: changing bands is like changing genders. Better not tell them about shortwave.
 
Kelly A said:
The GOP has proven itself to jump into any culture war topic. 'Let's ban transgender sports and shows, but insist automakers keep AM radio in cars'. Makes perfect sense. No, not really.
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If the GQP wants it to be 1950, maybe they can lobby for AM only radios
 
fybush said:
While the FCC doesn't have the regulatory authority on its own to mandate AM receivers in all cars, there's a possibility that the DOT does. There are different classes of mandatory safety equipment that DOT requires, and there's at least some talk of lobbying to put (AM) radio in one of those categories, which DOT could do as part of its rulemaking processes without getting Congress involved.
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DavidEduardo wrote, in reply to fybush:
That is the best and most actionable idea of all.
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Which, I will point out, is exactly what Kirk described this morning.

Just because an idea is akin to buggy whips doesn't mean the NAB won't try it.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
Which, I will point out, is exactly what Kirk described this morning.

Just because an idea is akin to buggy whips doesn't mean the NAB won't try it.
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The NAB is a trade organization. Radio companies are dues-paying members. No one can logically expect the NAB to endorse or remain silent on a trend that threatens the viability -- or at least the profit margins -- of its member stations. The advancing obsolescence of AM is certainly known to its top brass and its paid lobbyists, but in this case, the logical course of action for both is to ignore that knowledge and use strong-arm tactics, straw-man arguments and shading the truth to buy AM radio a few more years.
 
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