“Don’t buy a car without AM radio” says one of the ads that Red Apple Media owner John Catsimatidis is placing. The owner of talk WABC New York (770) is taking the industry’s fight to get a bill passed in Congress requiring AM be installed in vehicles to the pages of the New York Post as part of his “Save AM Radio” initiative.
“John is deeply committed to protecting our industry and ensuring the public retains access to life-saving information—especially during emergencies when all other systems may fail,” the station says as it shares copies of the ads.
The ads use a different tone than the spots created for stations by the National Association of Broadcasters. Some of the Catsimatidis-backed ads feature what may be considered naughty-and-nice lists with the names of members of Congress supporting the bill, while other ads mention a few names not onboard with broadcasters. They also point out that the auto industry has spent more than $7 million lobbying lawmakers to reject the legislation. “We will publish lists of all House and Senate members who have received money from these lobbyists,” one Catsimatidis ad says.
Other ads highlight the role AM plays in reaching Americans during natural disasters and other emergencies. One Catsimatidis ad vows to publish all the car companies who are not offering AM radio in their models. “Don’t support companies who don’t’ care about your safety in a time of need,” it says. “You should know the companies that don’t put you and loved one’s safety first.”
If there was a time to step up pressure this would be it. The number of days remaining in the lame-duck session continue to whittle down and no action has been taken yet on the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 8449 / S. 1669), despite support continuing to build. In the House, 271 members have signed on as co-sponsors while 63 Senators have done the same. But getting leadership to bring it up for a vote remains the challenge.
One ray of hope comes with word that lawmakers are making progress on government funding bills that lawmakers will need to pass before going home for the holidays, including President Biden’s $100 billion request to Congress for disaster relief efforts. Broadcast lobbyists are working to get the AM bill attached to one of the must-pass bills.
If passed, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, carmakers could be fined. Before the effective date of the rule, manufacturers who do not include AM would be required to put a warning label on vehicles. And carmakers would be prohibited from charging extra for AM.
Under the latest version of the bill, automakers would have at least two years to comply with the rule, although some manufacturers that produce fewer than 40,000 passenger cars for sale in the U.S. would have at least four years to meet the requirement.
