Missouri Broadcasters, emergency officials push Congress to keep AM radio in cars

COLUMBIA Mo. KMIZ

A coalition of U.S. lawmakers, Missouri broadcasters and local emergency officials are pushing for radios that can reach AM broadcast bands to be required in every vehicle.

Senate Bill 315 would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in passenger motor vehicles, and for other purposes.

This comes as some car manufacturers have stopped adding the radio signal into newer models, particularly in electric vehicles.

In a press release from Tesla, the company claims the electromagnetic waves generated by electric vehicle drivetrains "cause severe interference" with analog AM radio signals, making traditional reception unstable.

Adding that instead of having a traditional AM radio option, Tesla identified the TuneIn app as an alternative streaming application to provide Tesla owners with access to their preferred radio stations.

The Missouri Broadcasters Association has been meeting with Missouri Lawmakers pushing for the bill.

MBA President Chand Mahoney said AM radio is essential during emergencies.

“AM radio is the backbone of the emergency alert system in the United States," Mahoney said. "So in many cases, it's those AM radio stations that are receiving the emergency alert first, and then it filters down to the rest of the stations."

He believes manufacturers are removing the radio signal to monetize the dashboard.

“So one way to do that is to offer subscription-based entertainment, music and information through the dashboard. AM radio, of course, is free and over the air and would get in the way of that model,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney said that when emergency alerts come in, they filter down to all the other stations, including FM stations.

When asked about the progress of Senate Bill 315, Mahoney claims the bill has bipartisan support, with 310 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 61 in the Senate.

Among those co-sponsors are Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Rep. Mark Alford, Rep. Wesley Bell, Rep. Jason Smith, Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Robert F. Onder, Rep. Ann Wagner and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

"We encourage people who may be watching this and are concerned about the AM radio coming out of their vehicles to reach out to their members of Congress and have them go to their leadership to take this bill to the floor for a vote," Mahoney said. "It's so popular; we know it's going to pass, but we have to get it to the floor."

When it comes to the importance of AM radio, Mahoney said that it is heavily relied on in rural communities.

"One rural Missouri AM radio is important every single day of the year. People are receiving their agriculture information, their farm markets, their weather reports. And oftentimes in rural areas, it's those am signals that are still penetrating much further than the FM signals," he said.

Trisha Rooda, of Pettis County Emergency Management, encourages everyone to always have three ways of communication in rural areas.

"I think AM radio remains a very important part of emergency management, especially for people in rural areas," she said.

Rooda added that AM radio is an essential part of communication because a lot of other types of communication do not work in their area.

"Many emergency broadcasts are on AM stations, and those stations have backup power and AM signals reach farther over tall buildings and reach longer distances," she said.

Senate Bill 315 currently is awaiting consideration and a vote by the Senate.