There are fewer and fewer 0 km cars that come with a radio as standard equipment. The appearance of streaming broadcasts, satellite radio and other options has caused the audience to decrease considerably.
Beyond this, FM radio still has a place within the automotive industry, something that does not happen with the radio AMincreasingly less visible in the equipment catalogs of 0 km cars and directly absent in hybrids and electric.
For the latter, brands have an explanation: their frequencies can produce a electromagnetic interference in the propulsion systemsomething that does not happen with FM radio or digital audio broadcasting (DAB).
The solution to prevent this from happening is for manufacturers to incorporate protection systems and other components in their vehicles so that AM radios work, however, the Automotive Innovation Alliance explains that their cost is high, and that is why they directly decide to eliminate them. .
In the United States there is resistance to this happening. Especially because the alert system from that country is broadcast on that frequency.
The need for AM radio
A report from Nielsen, a company in charge of measuring ratings in the United States, indicated that in 2016 the 4,500 AM radio stations reached 107 million month by month, but only 78 million in 2023.
Due to declining viewership and the cost of installing functional AM radios in cars, more and more manufacturers are choosing to abandon AM radios altogether.
Although for US federal officials that is something inconceivable, arguing that AM remains an important means of transmit alerts and emergency information.
“AM radio is irreplaceable. It is a fundamental bastion for democracy,” says Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who together with Democrat Ed Markey promoted a bill that has just been approved and that requires 0 km cars to incorporate AM radio. factory.
The Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives approved the text last Wednesday and the final step is for Congress to do so.
If approved, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will require brands to equip their vehicles with AM radio. “unpaid, charge the additional top-up or as an optional extra”.
AM (Amplitude Modulated) radio frequency operates at lower frequencies and longer wavelengths. This allows it to pass through solid objects and travel further than FM frequencies; which is why it is used to send alerts to the public.
Although the industry will have to absorb many more costs, the voices in favor of passing the law are replicated.
“It’s a ‘life-saving communication tool,'” Markey argues, while Josh Gottheimer, Democratic senator from New Jersey, goes a little further: “I think if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets into space, he can afford to include AM radio in their Teslas.
