Proponents of AM radio were served a victory Tuesday when Ford announced it would renege on plans to remove the offering from its future models. KFI’s Bill Handel celebrated the move Wednesday.
During his morning show on KFI AM 640, Handel argued that the role AM radio can play in times of emergencies and severe weather played a large part in at least the Ford reversal.
“That’s what did it. That is exactly the reason that was given for reinstating AM radio. We had the campaign. We were up to our eyeballs in this. ‘Hey, tell your Congressperson you want AM Radio kept’. I don’t know how many people did but I’m assuming enough did.”
Handel also noted the bipartisan nature of the AM For Every Vehicle Act that was introduced by a coalition of Senators from both sides of the aisle, including Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA) proves that there is strong support to keep the AM band alive and healthy.
It appears Handel is correct in his assertion that uproar from citizens to their Congressional representatives at least played a small role in Ford’s reversal. The company’s CEO — Jim Farley — said “After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system, we’ve decided to include it on all 2024 Ford & Lincoln vehicles.”
