You’ll soon have to make a tearful goodbye to the AM radio in your car as manufacturers begin phasing it out in newer models. Ford, BMW, and Tesla are already excluding it from their new models due to declining interest and a quirk in which electric engines disrupt their signal.

Several automotive brands, namely BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo, have already eliminated AM radios from their electric vehicles, and Ford has announced that it intends to expand the removal of this feature to encompass both future electric and gas-powered models.

Other automakers, such as Nissan, Toyota, and Honda, have resisted removing AM radios from their vehicles thus far.

Bipartisan lawmakers have been advocation for the preservation of AM radio due to its distinct advantages, including local reporting, crucial updates during severe weather events. Conservatives in particular have pushed to save AM radio, including media giants like Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Glenn Beck, all of whom have AM radio programs.

Ford’s recent decision to remove the AM radio feature from their vehicles was supported by internal data indicating that AM radio accounted for less than 5 percent of in-car listening. However, according to the National Association of Broadcasters, an estimated 82 million Americans still tune in to AM stations on a monthly basis.

Challenging the notion that radio audiences are primarily composed of older demographics, a recent analysis of listener data by Edison Research revealed that Gen-Z listeners continue to regularly choose AM and FM radio options. The study also highlighted that traditional broadcast signals still dominate in-car listenership, commanding 60 percent, while SiriusXM satellite radio holds 16 percent, and drivers’ personal music libraries via phones account for 7 percent. Podcasts and YouTube music videos each garnered 4 percent of in-car listenership.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)