For those of us who work in AM Radio, the headlines in recent weeks have been downright scary.
“Is AM Radio Dead?”
“What is the Future of AM Radio?”
“More Woe for the Future of AM Radio”
“The Shift to EVs is Slowly Killing AM Radio”
I could fill the entire column with headlines and links to stories predicting the final nail in the coffin of AM Radio. And while I’m obviously concerned about it and appreciate bipartisan members of Congress pushing for automakers to keep AM Radio in their vehicles, I’m not as pessimistic as some have wanted to be as of late.
First off, as a free market believer, automakers should be allowed to make the decision to remove AM radio from their vehicles, with the belief that it won’t impact their sales at all. That’s their right. Of course, there is a public safety element to AM radio that is absolutely worth discussing, but should the government be mandating it? That’s debatable.
This move is mostly going to be happening for future electric vehicles (Tesla, Volkswagen, Mazda, BMW), while Ford is one of the outliers that is going to be taking AM radios out of their gas-powered cars as well.
The thought of the F-150, one of the most popular vehicles for those in the prime demographic of AM radio listeners, not having the ability to use the AM band seems like a massive business mistake. Given that there are 82 million monthly listeners of AM Radio in this country, this would seem like an error in judgment by automakers. But once again, they have a right to make that move and let the marketplace decide who is right.
Frankly, I’m not going to hold out hope that Congress somehow forces the hand of these automakers to keep AM Radio in their vehicles. The push is admirable and certainly valuable, and at KCMO we did our part in sending in letters from fantastic charities, organizations, partners, and listeners to prove the value of AM Radio.
However, I’m not naive. And waiting on, or hoping for, Congress to do anything to improve our lives or save the day is a losing proposition.
So how can radio, notably talk radio, the most popular format on the AM band, respond? I believe that talk radio is already doing a solid job doing many of the things needed to keep up with the times, and it will only need to expedite those moves to stay ahead of the trend.
In fact, if this forces those in talk radio to do things that they should already be doing anyway to stay relevant in 2023, then this is a potential win-win.
There are obvious decisions that radio companies can make, such as moving their highly-profitable talk stations to the FM band, which has been happening for years across the country. But then there are more immediate moves that stations can make, such as promoting their streams, whether it’s an individual station app, website, Alexa, Google Home, etc., while also promoting podcast listening. Then there’s the creative repurposing of content on social media to drive engagement on those platforms.
There are hurdles here, especially for many in rural America where internet access may not be as convenient. However, broadband access should only continue to grow in these regions. Approximately 72 percent of rural residents surveyed by Pew in early 2021 reported that they had access to a broadband internet connection. So we’re really addressing a small percentage of the overall listening base, depending on the station and market, who would potentially not have access to AM radio in a vehicle.
And by the way, let’s be honest, how many of those folks are going out and buying a new BMW electric vehicle or a Tesla anyway?
None of this is to downplay legitimate concerns that exist with major carmakers not putting AM Radio in their new models, mostly EVs. And it’s not to discredit the hard work many in the industry are doing to explain the value and importance of AM radio to these automakers in hopes of reversing their decisions.
However, those of us employed in AM radio, who ultimately can’t control the decisions of Congress or the automakers, should be actively working to keep relevant in a rapidly-changing media landscape anyway. AM Radio or not, the future can be bright, doom-and-gloom headlines be damned.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the morning show host and program director for KCMO in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. Pete was also the sports and news director for Omni Media Group at K-1O1/Z-92 in Woodward, Oklahoma. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on Twitter @PeteMundo.
