The Real Motive
Congress held hearings yesterday concerning mandating AM radio in cars. You no doubt have heard that first makers of electric vehicles, then all vehicles, had targeted AM radio for extinction. Blowback from consumers and politicians has put a crimp in those plans, but work continues to pass the “AM in Every Vehicle Act” in Congress.
Testimony centered on how people rely on AM radio for its wide range of signal, especially important in emergency situations…how most people listen to the radio in cars…and how taking it out of cars would therefore be a public safety issue. All true.
But let’s face it…there’s a broader reason why AM radio is targeted.
No, I’m not going to assert that it was to silence conservative voices, although it would have that impact. That may be part of it, but it’s actually something much simpler: money.
It would start with getting rid of AM, then getting rid of FM, since it’s actually more cost-efficient to have both in the vehicle; one without the other doesn’t cost out very well, so they’d start with AM due to EV interference, but FM would be on the chopping block as well.
The goal, you see, is so you subscribe to various pay services that show up on the dashboard. It’s not just satellite radio, although that’s why it’s been included in cars for years, with the “test drive” option in place, hoping you’ll subscribe after the free trial. The push is for all manner of for-pay streaming services to be on your dashboard, with the automakers getting a cut…if you have free radio as an option, there’s less chance you’ll pay.
When the automakers say radio is outdated, because there can be alerts that come up on your dashboard…that’s part of the system they want to sell you. Sure, there are plenty of options…but none that are free like over-the-air radio.
So as with all things, it starts and ends with money—the car companies don’t want you to have free radio because they want to charge you for the sounds you hear…and control what options are available. It’s no more complicated than that.
