• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Ford Reconsiders, Now Keeping AM Radio

DavidEduardo

DavidEduardo

Moderator/Administrator
Staff member
Ford will have AM after all.

Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley made a lot of people happy today when he announced that the company has reconsidered removing AM radio from future vehicles in the U.S. and will now include the technology in their newer model cars.

In a Twitter post, Farley said, "After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system, we've decided to include it on all 2024 Ford & Lincoln Motor Co. vehicles. For any owners of Ford EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update. Customers can currently listen to AM radio content in a variety of ways in our vehicles – including via streaming -- and we will continue to innovate to deliver even better in-vehicle entertainment and emergency notification options in the future." In closing, Farley said, "Thanks to our product development and manufacturing teams for their quick response to make this change for our customers."

In response to Farley's announcement, NAB President & CEO Curtis LeGeyt issued the following statement:
"NAB commends Ford for committing to keep AM radio in their vehicles, which will keep Americans safe and informed, particularly in times of emergency. With tens of millions of listeners, AM radio continues to serve as a vital lifeline to the public and a critical source of community news and exchange of diverse ideas. In light of Ford’s announcement, NAB urges other automakers who have removed AM radio from their vehicles to follow Ford’s lead and restore this technology in the interest of listeners and public safety."


From RAMP

RAMP - Radio and Music Pros

Radio and Music Pros
ramp247.com
 
TheBigA said:
Mine doesn't. I turned off all notifications.
Click to expand...
Almost everyone I know has done the same in the market of nearly a half-million I live in. Much of the reasoning behind that is that we keep/kept getting notices from some bright government paper pusher about storm warnings in places well over 100 miles away in a different market and climate zone.

My sister-in-law in Whittier, rather near Disneyland, kept getting storm warnings for San Diego until I showed her how to turn that stuff off.
 
This whole situation was unnecessary, and could have been avoided if the tekkies who designed these dashboard entertainment systems would have just left AM as an option. Instead, being tekkies who probably never listened, let alone didn't think anyone else did to AM, instead should have done a little research to find out there are enough people still listening to AM to justify keeping it as a option. To me, this is a case of not thinking about the consumer, only considering their perception of AM radio. Total arrogance, not even giving vehicle buyers the option of whether they would like it or not. Apparently adding AM to the dashboard only requires a software update. And now we have a bill in Congress as a result of all of this. Unbelievable!
 
KilowattKat said:
Instead, being tekkies who probably never listened, let alone didn't think anyone else did to AM, instead should have done a little research to find out there are enough people still listening to AM to justify keeping it as a option.
Click to expand...
331 million people in the U.S. 47 million of whom listen to AM radio. That's 14% of the population. Only a fraction of those folks will be in the market for a new car in any given year. Considering the demographics involved for AM, it's likely that a significant portion of them have already bought their last car. And we can subtract those who only buy used from the total as well.

Removing AM was a business decision. Ford's flip is a political one. And likely temporary.
 
tvnut said:
This is good news, whether people like it or not.
Click to expand...
It’s meaningless pandering to government dinosaurs, but sure, let’s pretend it’s somehow meaningful a technology few utilize will happen to be sitting unused in their cars. Hooray for caving to lawmakers who really have their priorities straight and their eyes on what matters most in the country today.
 
AbrahamJSimpson said:
It’s meaningless pandering to government dinosaurs, but sure, let’s pretend it’s somehow meaningful a technology few utilize will happen to be sitting unused in their cars. Hooray for caving to lawmakers who really have their priorities straight and their eyes on what matters most in the country today.
Click to expand...
If one out of every 7 or 8 people in the US listen to AM, we can likely assume that nearly all are adults, so the likely figure is one out of every 6 adults listens to AM. Most elections are won and lost by slighter percentages.
 
I do believe there is a public safety/civil defense reason to keep AM radio.

During and immediately after Hurricane Katrina, there was basically no information source except for AM radio station WWL.

50 kw 870, WWL can be heard like a local on the Gulf Coast from Beaumont, TX to Panama City, FL. No other communication source has that kind of coverage.
 
briancraig said:
I do believe there is a public safety/civil defense reason to keep AM radio.

During and immediately after Hurricane Katrina, there was basically no information source except for AM radio station WWL.
Click to expand...
Same happened in the great Puerto Rican hurricane where only WKAQ AM 580 was left on the air.
 
To me, this is a typewriter vs. PC/printer argument. Could you write a document with a typewriter? Sure. Do many people still use a typewriter on any regular basis? No.

Only the people that think typewriters are still useful are the elderly. Same goes for AM radio stations,
 
RadioGuy1864 said:
I think it's a good decision for now, but let's face reality, within 20 yrears, AM radio will be non-existant.
Click to expand...
...and, in 15 years, there will be another group of people lamenting the fact that AM dies at age ~132, rather at age ~117.
 
briancraig said:
I do believe there is a public safety/civil defense reason to keep AM radio.

During and immediately after Hurricane Katrina, there was basically no information source except for AM radio station WWL.

50 kw 870, WWL can be heard like a local on the Gulf Coast from Beaumont, TX to Panama City, FL. No other communication source has that kind of coverage.
Click to expand...

Thus why AM needs to be kept. I'm glad the doofuses at Ford realized that after all.

I know and understand why AM needs to go because it doesn't sound that good, I get it. However, when it comes to public safety/civil defense/emergency scenarios, AM is the one true resort where you'll get that information that no other radio band or outlet can provide. Yes, there's NOAA Weather Radio as well but not every radio has that built-in.

That's why AM is the one true resort for this reason and why it should be kept.
 


Back
Top Bottom