Fighting to Keep AM Radio in Cars
to Ensure Public Safety

AM radio delivers local news, weather updates, sports, traffic reports, talk shows, world-language programming and other critical content to 82 million listeners each month and remains a key part of the emergency communications infrastructure.

When some automakers proposed eliminating AM radio from new electric vehicles, threatening listeners' access to this lifesaving medium, NAB launched the Depend on AM Radio campaign in April to highlight the importance of radio in cars.

Local radio stations across the country took to the airwaves with #DependOnAM campaign radio spots that encouraged listeners to tell their legislators to ensure AM radio remains in all cars.
The campaign quickly rallied the support of hundreds of thousands of listeners, resulting in more than 100 members of Congress writing to the major automakers in May expressing concern over the potential removal of AM radio from automobiles.
Soon after, the bipartisan AM for Every Vehicle Act was introduced in Congress. This legislation would require the Transportation Secretary to issue a rule requiring vehicles manufactured in or imported into the U.S. to have devices installed that provide access to AM radio.
In response to public and congressional pressure, Ford Motor Company announced that it would reverse course and continue providing AM radio in its vehicles.
At the end of the year: 196 representatives and 44 senators had signaled their support for AM radio by signing on as cosponsors of this legislation.
Since its launch, the campaign has generated more than 420,000 connections to Capitol Hill via email and social media, and that number continues to grow.

Why it matters:

Keeping AM radio as a standard feature in all vehicles is vital to public safety and to the tens of millions of Americans who depend on AM radio.