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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this CE Outlook article examining the trend of major automakers removing AM/FM radios from new vehicles and what it means for the 12-volt ecosystem. With AM/FM being increasingly omitted in favor of digital monthly subscriptions and mobile-connected audio services, this article explores the implications for listeners, aftermarket options, and the broader impact on radio accessibility in cars. Read more here: https://www.ceoutlook.com/2026/01/15/car-makers-remove-am-fm-what-it-means-for-12-volt/
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis?Dura for sharing this article from Radio?World, which reveals that Tesla will eliminate AM and FM tuners from its 2026 Standard Model Y and Model 3 trims—a move the National?Association?of?Broadcasters calls a “disservice to millions of drivers” who rely on broadcast radio for news, community and emergency alerts.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares news via Radio World that the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 979) has cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support (50-1). If passed, the bill would require automakers to include free, easily accessible AM radio receivers in all new vehicles, including EVs, for at least the next eight years. Lawmakers emphasized the ongoing importance of AM radio for emergency alerts, public safety, and reliable communication. You can read the full article here: House Committee Advances AM Radio Bill – Radio World.
A recent Radio World article summarizes a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee report raising concerns about the removal of AM radio from new vehicles. The report highlights AM radio’s role in national emergency alert systems and notes its low cost to manufacturers. It recommends Congress consider legislation to ensure AM capability remains standard in future vehicles.
The legislation would require AM radio reception in new cars
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has been reintroduced on Capitol Hill.
The legislation passed the Senate Commerce Committee in 2023 and the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2024, and many legislators have expressed support. Yet backers could not get it across the finish line at the end of the recent Congress in December.
Senators Ed Markey, a Democrat, and Ted Cruz, a Republican, now have reintroduced the bill, which has 40 Senate co-sponsors. [Continue reading…]
Time to upgrade that receiver if you’re one of the few Swiss that still don’t have one able to receive DAB+ signals
Swiss radio listeners will soon have to toss out their old sets, as the country plans to end analog FM broadcasting on December 31, 2024, in favor of a total conversion to digital.
The move has been a long time coming in Switzerland, which has largely already transitioned to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB+, an evolution of standard DAB that was designed to address early issues). More than 99 percent of the country have access to a DAB+-compatible receiver and fewer than 10 percent of radio signals in the country still being broadcasted in analog FM, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. [Continue reading…]
There will be no substantive changes to the legislation
A bill in the House of Representatives that would mandate AM capability in new vehicles is about to be revised, according to a person familiar with the developments.
New information indicates that one of the original co-sponsors of the bill, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), plans to introduce an amendment to the bill (H.R. 8449). Changes would only include minor technical updates.
The planned amendment to the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act comes on the heels of last week’s last-minute cancellation of a planned vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which could have advanced the legislation to the full House for a vote. [Continue reading…]
Opponents play up the possibility that carmakers would have to choose
If Congress requires AM radio in new cars, vehicle manufacturers might have to drop safety features instead.
That’s the message from opponents of the proposed law in Congress. A guest commentary published by Automotive News restates the key points that opponents have been making since the legislation was introduced; but their blunt emphasis on a possible tradeoff with important safety features seems notable.
“To accommodate analog AM radio as a primary design requirement, certain carmakers may need to scrap advanced safety features, with engineers having to prioritize outdated technology over current or future safety innovations,” they wrote. [Continue reading…]
Did you know that 100 years ago there were electromechanical radio transmitters?
