Photo: AFP
Eight automakers plan to remove AM radios from their cars, mostly electric vehicles, in the not-too-distant future. Many manufacturers point to the technical hurdles of installing AM radio in an electric vehicle and assume listeners will simply go online to hear an AM station. However, New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) is urging these manufacturers to reconsider their decision. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to explain why AM radio is still worth installing in America’s cars.
“About 50 million Americans listen to AM radio every single day… and it’s not just news or talk or sports,” Gottheimer told Berman and Riedel. “It’s really, for us, from an emergency perspective, the key architecture behind the national public warning system. God forbid you have another natural disaster, you have a Hurricane Sandy, a 9/11. When your power goes down, the only place to get news and alerts is on your AM radio, and these automakers have decided to save a couple of bucks. They’re literally tearing AM radio out of these vehicles.”
Gottheimer recommends that people tell their representative to get behind the push to keep AM radios in cars in the interest of public safety. “The more, the better. Please, tell your member of Congress how you feel about this. It’s really important. Frankly, most members I’ve spoken to had no idea this is even happening. So, it’s one of these things, when people learn about it, they go, ‘Wait, that makes no sense’ We’ve got to stop that and get these folks to reconsider.,’ so I’m hoping they do.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Don’t lose your access to WOR in your car! Make YOUR voice heard on this important issue by texting AM to 52886 to tell Congress to keep AM radio in ALL cars and trucks! Again, text AM to 52886 and let YOUR voice be heard! Message & data rates may apply.