AARP joins groups fighting to preserve AM radio in new vehicles

The latest group to join the fight to preserve AM radio in vehicles is D.C.-based AARP, reports Inside Radio.

“AM radio plays a highly valuable role in the lives of so many Americans. Adults age 50 and above represent the largest share of AM radio listeners, but they also represent those most at risk from disaster events,” the organization writes in part. “In these situations, AM radio is a critical element of the emergency response system. Older people need all possible channels of communication available to them to ensure their safety.”

According to Inside Radio, a new blog post from the NAB “highlights this and other support to keep the legacy band in the dashboard and the growing support on Capitol Hill for proposed legislation to do just that.

““AM radio is a critical connection for our communities. It is a source of information, entertainment, and community engagement that cannot be easily replaced,” the blog post read. “Despite this, some auto manufacturers have begun discontinuing AM radio from the dashboard. Congress is considering legislation – the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act – that would ensure Americans who depend on AM radio each month for news, entertainment, and critical safety information can continue to have access to this reliable communications medium.”

“Because AM stations typically can be purchased for significantly lower prices than FMs, they often serve as the entry point for broadcast ownership for many multicultural entrepreneurs. As such, support for the Act is growing among a coalition of groups that support diversity, including the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council; ALLvanza; the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters (NABOB); National Urban League; and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

““According to a recent report from Nielsen, over 80 million people in the United States listen to AM radio each month,” the coalition wrote in a letter to Congress. “This number is especially significant for communities of color and underrepresented groups that have a limited number of media outlets that cater to their specific needs. AM radio helps to fill that gap by providing a platform for locally produced content that is relevant to their audience and speaks to their unique cultural and linguistic needs. It is also significant to point out that AM radio serves as an entry point for radio station ownership by many ethnic and racial minorities.””

The outcry to preserve AM radio in vehicles is in response to a move by some manufacturers to delete AM radio from their new vehicles.

More here.