Ford reverses course and will keep AM radio 🎙️

[KimoCarew]

We are out here.

We have been avoiding you. It's working just fine, thank you.

The FCC came running to bail AM radio out… again.

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[KimoCarew]

I work in broadcast engineering and some of the comments in this thread just go to show how little some folks know about the reasoning behind this bill.

Most people know about the Emergency Alert System from the scary buzzing noises and random tests at night and how annoying it is when local emergency managers overuse the Civil Emergency Message alert. But on the highest level, it's designed to take over every broadcast station in the country in the event of a grave threat - think a nuclear attack or alien invasion.

The medium wave band used by AM broadcasting in the United States has propagation characteristics that make it the best way to send a signal for very long distances. For this reason, FEMA has a direct link to ~75 clear-channel AM stations called "primary entry point" to use as the first level of this system. A "clear-channel" AM station is one that is allowed to use the maximum power output of 50 kilowatts 24 hours a day, and more importantly there are, in almost every case, no other stations on that frequency anywhere in the country.

The EAS is part of a larger internet connected system called IPAWS and every broadcast station also monitors that, but if a cyber attack takes out the internet, guess what - you still have the radio path. IPAWS also feeds the emergency alerts on your phone. Something takes out the mobile phone infrastructure, guess what - you still have the radio path.

In practice, this generally just means all the radio and TV stations in your area have a tuner locked onto the nearest primary entry point AM station and the local stations relay these emergency messages should they come. But if something takes out all your local TV and radio stations, that's when it becomes important for you to be able to receive the PEP station directly.

This is why Congress wants to keep AM available in cars, and EV manufacturers who cut corners when minimizing RF interference are taking the lazy way out and nixing AM radio. Hyundai and GM figured it out, so you can definitely have AM radio in an EV. This isn't because right wing talk radio almost exclusively exists on AM and the lawmakers somehow depend on that, that's not rational.

from u/theairwavearchitect on Reddit.

I think this about sums it all up.

If we have a nuclear war or alien invasion then am radio will be the least of our worries. This is a solution to a problem that is no longer relevant. The bottom line is that there are still owners of AM radio stations and they have some political muscle.

 

[24forsure]

Great, AM radio, but no CD player!

 

[JimParker256]

Great, AM radio, but no CD player!

I said something like this around my daughter's family the other day, and my 7th-grade granddaughter looked at me, quite puzzled, and asked "What's a CD player?" She's never seen one in her entire life.

Geesh, I"m old!

 

[Phileaux]

I said something like this around my daughter's family the other day, and my 7th-grade granddaughter looked at me, quite puzzled, and asked "What's a CD player?" She's never seen one in her entire life.

Geesh, I"m old!

My 15yr old recently purchased a Hello Kitty CD player because it's retro and Mom still has a bunch of CD.

We still have a VHS & DVD player mostly because we have the (unmessed with) original Star Wars on VHS.

 

[Sembazuru]

My 15yr old recently purchased a Hello Kitty CD player because it's retro and Mom still has a bunch of CD.

We still have a VHS & DVD player mostly because we have the (unmessed with) original Star Wars on VHS.

I was surprised when I got my PS5 console (optical drive model) and it couldn't read CDs. Then thinking about it, it was probably a cost savings measure. CDs take a different laser than DVDs and BlueRays. Sony saving build costs by removing the red laser, pickup, and optical components.

 

[JudgeB]

Who are these 80 million people? I haven't listened to AM radio in 45 years. I haven't listened to FM radio in years either.

Just curious, what did you listen to in 1978? That was even before everyone had a cell phone. Most cars back then had AM/FM radios if they had anything at all. Some even had a cassete tape player built into the radio

 

[LSchicago]

Just curious, what did you listen to in 1978? That was even before everyone had a cell phone. Most cars back then had AM/FM radios if they had anything at all. Some even had a cassete tape player built into the radio

1978? FM, Cassettes and Albums.

 

[Chops]

Just curious, what did you listen to in 1978? That was even before everyone had a cell phone. Most cars back then had AM/FM radios if they had anything at all. Some even had a cassete tape player built into the radio

Alpine AM/FM/Cassette player in my Volvo 242DL that I installed aftermarket. Recorded my own cassettes at home on my BIC T3 cassette deck. Still have dozens & dozens of old dusty cassettes

 

[LSchicago]

Didn't the albums skip when you hit a bump? I had 8 tracks in 78. I do tune in AM radio during weather events because FM is mostly canned radio, no live on air people anymore. Satellite does not care about your weather alerts. And your phone? I have gotten tornado warning alerts on my phone a day AFTER the event. AM is a much better emergency system because it is not line of sight like FM.

I didn't drive in 78. Got my license in 82.
I don't know what phone service you have, but I get severe weather alerts at least monthly on my phone from WGN news app, and regular warnings instantly like Amber alerts or tornado warnings. I am in a major metro area, not sure if that makes a difference. I can't stand AM static. Probably why I haven't listed to it since the 70's.

 

[LSchicago]

Not saying I never get alerts on my phone just saying it is not a live alert. It is likely AI now days and there are delays in it getting out. You get weather alerts form WGN news app not the phone alert system. I'm in a minor metropolitan area. An app depends upon the towers being up and functioning. I have seen after a hurricane when the cell towers for some carriers are out for days. AM serves a purpose, static? Yes hence Steely Dan's line in FM, No static at all. But FM is line of sight so if you are in a valley you can lose the signal. In 78 I was driving a brand new Chevy Blazer I ordered, last time I ever ordered a vehicle, and I was 19. I ordered it with radio delete and installed my own, a Pioneer. Not quite the same today with infotainment screens, lol.

I get both, WGN and NWS notifications. Never got one a day late.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Didn't the albums skip when you hit a bump? I had 8 tracks in 78. I do tune in AM radio during weather events because FM is mostly canned radio, no live on air people anymore. Satellite does not care about your weather alerts. And your phone? I have gotten tornado warning alerts on my phone a day AFTER the event. AM is a much better emergency system because it is not line of sight like FM.

I get weather warnings just fine on cell phone. Most are geared by phones location in affected zip codes. Your not there you don't get it. Maybe if you travel into affected zip you can get a warning late? Warning in truck not gonna happen as I most likely have less than 72 hours on my 2022 maverick radio in 3.5 years!!!!

 

[d7602002]

The VCR and the DVD there wasn't none of that crap back in 1970. We would listen to the AM radio..... Or Mr Big Stuff.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

You are out driving like I was last Sunday and flooding was closing roads in the area. Tell me the NWS will report those on your alert. Then tell me you are watching the road while reading your alert. I have a hand crank emergency radio. 2 weeks without power in my county once from a hurricane. Gas stations were closed. If you don't listen to over the air radio then I guess it's not needed. But I remember 9/11 and radio was a god send to me since I was heading to DC when the Pentagon was hit. No one said you have to use it but Ford found out that many people do. The reason I bought a lariat was for SiriusXM.

You get a flash flood warning. Then you anticipate which water crossings you want to be on which side of. My house is only 16 feet above the nearest creek but that creek is about 42 feet above the river bed. Only about 1.25 sections on my ridge. At elevation of my slab the river would be 1.3 miles wide and 90+ % of my neighbors would be under water. Yes if I got 5"+ of rain in 30 minutes I might get a little water at front door. My neighbor 2nd away lost $20,000 of fence during the 4.5" couple weeks near Burnet a week ago. Her house is about same elevation as mine but has river frontage on her 186 acres. Bottom line is any warning system is not the sole answer for a calamity. If we got notice that the south polar ice cap will melt in five years and sea level will rise by the 9 feet how many would be surprised?

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