A lament about the demise of AM radio has been rising in the halls of Congress . Several automakers, most notably Tesla and Ford , have decided to stop putting AM radios in their electric vehicles. They claim their electric motors interfere with the audio quality of the signal and insist that FM and satellite radio are enough.
Given that people who listen to radio tend to primarily do so while driving , a trend like this could threaten the commercial viability of the over 4,000 AM stations currently broadcasting in the U.S. The radio industry has been fighting back, lobbying for legislation that would force carmakers to install AM radios as a matter of public interest.
These efforts led to the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act being deliberated in both houses of Congress . U.S.
Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who sponsored the bill in the Senate, described free AM radio as "an essential tool in emergencies, a crucial part of our diverse media ecosystem, and an irreplaceable source for news, weather, sports, and entertainment for tens of millions of listeners." As a media historian , I welcome hearing AM radio described as a public utility, particularly after decades of free-market orthodoxy dominating discussions of its fate.
The story of a new medium When AM – short for " amplitude modulation " – arrived at the turn of the 20th century, it was championed as a revolutionary technology that could bring a nation together in time and space. Over the next decade, engine.
