Ford to drop AM radio in new vehicles

The FCC regulates interference. If car generated noise (QRM) is the reason they want to quit installing AM radios, isn't it up to the manufacturer to eliminate it. When you find the electric lines are generating noise, you can get the power company to replace the bad transformer. Even computers are regulated on how much they radiate.
 
Nope. And nope. And nope. And your fantasy of the gummint taking action - HA!
 
The FCC regulates interference. If car generated noise (QRM) is the reason they want to quit installing AM radios, isn't it up to the manufacturer to eliminate it. When you find the electric lines are generating noise, you can get the power company to replace the bad transformer. Even computers are regulated on how much they radiate.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. If the manufacturers want to stop offering AM tuning, they can do it and not have to offer a reason.

Cars don't typically generate enough noise to interfere with anything but a weak in-car reception situation so the FCC really isn't involved.
 
The 2023 Volvo XC60 I drive does not have AM or HD Radio in its Android Automotive Infotainment System. It may have SDR hardware so who knows, maybe AM Radio will be coming in a future OTA Update. I’d rather they add HD Radio first, though…
 
From a public safety perspective, AM makes a whole lot more sense.
Well most people have cell phones, kinda covers even more people. Even the ones on buses and trains? In the day no doubt EM warnings and AM radio went hand in hand.
 
Well most people have cell phones, kinda covers even more people. Even the ones on buses and trains? In the day no doubt EM warnings and AM radio went hand in hand.
Where I live in the SW part of the country there are lots of areas with weak or no cell phone coverage. A recent road trip confirmed that this is still a problem.
 
Where I live in the SW part of the country there are lots of areas with weak or no cell phone coverage. A recent road trip confirmed that this is still a problem.
You dont need very good cell coverage for a text....Most alerts I get because I'm in a very rural area come through texts and the alert sound....Remember texting is based on the old beeper technology. In case of a major problem from the EM system it goes on all platforms.
 
You dont need very good cell coverage for a text....
There are several corridors around where I live that have poor coverage via AM or wireless during the day. That's why I usually listen to FM from one end of the corridor or the other. My state still broadcasts emergency traffic instructions on the AM band.
 
AM is terrible, I'm surprised it's still even around. I can't tell you the last time I was on an AM station. 100+ year old technology that's woefully outdated.
Not so. It's fidelity is limited only by it's owners' commitment to proper studio and processing/engineering. Even in 10khz bandwidth it can sound excellent AND be in (analog) stereo, where "digital" (HD-hybrid digital, not "high def" steals half the bandwidth. ) causes issues to other stations and sounds awful. Properly done AM is perfecly listenable, and who cares how old something is? Most of the major cities measured by radio ratings have AM's in their top listenership, while conversely, small markets who do not participate in ratings are ofen the ONLY service to a couty or area and are popular because of their hometown feel and sound. Why not give it a try sometime and not condemn an entire (part of) an industry? As an owner and operator, I speak from experience, and....it doesn't take a huge budget to make this all happen. ANYONE operating an AM can do it properly!
 
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Some Teslas had AM.

Sounds like Ford installed the HW but not the SW. Most Teslas have neither.

If I had AM, I might listen to those short range traffic notices. But I don’t miss it. I figure between the Tesla and Waze, I’ll probably see all the traffic info I need.
 
Depends on what you listen to on the radio. If you listen to exclusively music then you won't miss AM. When I am in the vehicle I like to listen to information such as news,weather,traffic reports and talk radio.

If I was a suspicious person, I would wonder if there are ulterior motives at play here. The cost of adding AM to a radio is pennies so that is out. Perhaps the "powers at be" don't want us listening to certain programs. Look at the top AM most listened to formats and decide for yourselves.

Don't give in to that very common assumption/conspiracy. You must remember a couple things. 1) The FCC makes plenty of money on licenses for AM stations every year, they call it "spectrum fees" while WE call it "pay your yearly fee or lose your 8-year license. and, 2) The FCC has NEVER involved itself in the overall content of programming. The ONLY way they intervene in privately operated radio stations under their licensing is if there is a reasonable complaint officially filed with the FCC. There is no intent for content to be part of this issue facing AM operators. We're not "going" anywhere. AM needs a marketing campaign and since the FCC won't do it for us like they did for TV operators during the digital switch, WE as operators need to market oursleves. I've been behind the mic of an AM now for 19 years come Sept 1st, and we've continually reinvented ourselves. THAT has kept the money flowing in and the station growing. Do we have FM translators? YES....do we still look to the AM as the parent and market it as such? YES. This "issue" goes deep into how stations are operated, marketed, perceived, and or appreciated (or not appreciated) by listeners. By the way, we do music on AM very successfully.
 
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Don't give in to that very common assumption/conspiracy. You must remember a couple things. 1) The FCC makes plenty of money on licenses for AM stations every year, they call it "spectrum fees" while WE call it "pay your yearly fee or lose your 8-year license. and, 2) The FCC has NEVER involved itself in the overall content of programming. The ONLY way they intervene in privately operated radio stations under their licensing is if there is a reasonable complaint officially filed with the FCC. There is no intent for content to be part of this issue facing AM operators. We're not "going" anywhere. AM needs a marketing campaign and since the FCC won't do it for us like they did for TV operators during the digital switch, WE as operators need to market oursleves. I've been behind the mic of an AM now for 19 years come Sept 1st, and we've continually reinvented ourselves. THAT has kept the money flowing in and the station growing. Do we have FM translators? YES....do we still look to the AM as the parent and market it as such? YES. This "issue" goes deep into how stations are operated, marketed, perceived, and or appreciated (or not appreciated) by listeners. By the way, we do music on AM very successfully.
The FCC has NEVER involved itself in the overall content of programming?

 
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The FCC has NEVER involved itself in the overall content of programming?

In reasonable memory. Meaning for the "exactness" person trying to prove me wrong, they are NOT going to send AM to the graveyard over "talk shows" and agendas that people spread rumors-of on the internet. Good Grief. I've been an owner for nearly 20 years and in radio for 35. What you're quoting is OLD and irrelevant to today's discussion. Thanks for being an encyclopedia. Now, let's keep to things relevnat to TODAY. The FCC did NOT, even THEN...tell a station what CONTENT they needed to have, only that equal time had to be afforded in certain cases. Happy?
 
I am an old fart who just did a cross country drive from Colorado to West Virginia and back.
I turned off my Sirius XM and listened only to AM and FM stations during the trip.

I actually was very surprised how many small towns had local programming on AM & FM, especially in rural PA and WV. A lot of them had oldies formats which I enjoy. Most of the AM's had local or national news at the top of the hour. FM's did not.

Sadly so many cities have multiple stations owned by I Heart Radio and I got tired of hearing the same promotions going on what seemed like forever on different stations.

There were a few places in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia where there was little or no reception but not many.

A big annoyance with AM was that a week station would be drowned out by passing semi trucks. The electronics in semi's seemed to interfere a lot with AM.

A nice surprise was driving through St Louis listening to ex MTV DJ Martha Quinn on a strong FM oldies station for a couple hours. I forgot the call letters of that station.

Sadly when I got back home I turned back on Sirius XM. Denver metro has nothing I enjoy on AM or FM.
 
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The FCC most certainly, today and since Day One, tell broadcasters what to do.
Does anybody here get it? Putting up the fact we have public files has NOTHING to do with what WE CHOOSE to program. Have you ever READ a public file? Do you know what it is or what it's contents are to be? It's a report on how we serve OUR communities, which means HOW we do it is up to US. The FCC DOES NOT TELL US what we can program, other than to not do what would be considered not publicly acceptable. (language, mainly. ) WE Decide our announcers, our programs, our music, our formats, etc. You keep bending the point to "be the expert." You're not. The whole POINT is that there is NO conspiracy to eliminate AM radio and it's talk shows. AM is more than stations with just talk. AM radio is NOT going away, nor is the government attempting to "control" it as presented in this thread. But of course, all of the people quoting Wikipedia are more experts than those of us in the field.

Is that clear enough? When it comes to AM radio, if I can revive a dead one and make a living at it for nearly 20 years, employ people, and be successful, I think I have a right to correct people's posts and keep things FACTUAL here. If you don't like it and want to argue, then just mute me. You have that right, just like those who may or may NOT choose to listen to my station, but I think you knew from the start all you wanted to do was argue.

If anyone has seen my posts on satguys in the past, you'd know normally I'd be more "gentle" with it, but I'm sick of people bending issues about AM radio into what it is NOT, and letting their misinformation spread on the internet. It's maddening that the wanna-be's, has-been's and fake experts have more time to spread crap than I do to correct it in places like this while working deep in the trenches OF the industry in question.
 
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I think everybody here gets it, except for you.

The FCC has tons of rules, about what broadcasters are, and are not, allowed to do. It, yes, can broadcast whatever it wants, WITHIN THE LIMITS THE FCC HAS SET. Unlike, say, a book publisher, who can print anything it wants.
 
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Any technology can be optimized but that doesn't mean that everyone who uses AM devotes the resources that are required to get there. For every station owner who invests, there are many who don't.