Radio is dead, or dying quickly, so we are told. Then why do people want it? They don’t, you say? Oh, but they do. And the data is overwhelming.
As reported by Barrett Media, new data from Critical Mass Insights shows just how many prospective buyers still expect the band inside their latest models. The company’s research shows that 96% of Americans say that a car having an included AM/FM radio is “important.” An additional 98% said that easy access to AM/FM radio in automobiles is essential.
“The bottom line here is just how much people value having easy access to both AM and FM radio in their cars,” said Critical Mass Insights Senior Vice President of Research Elizabeth Falke. “Consumers want radio for a variety of different reasons that are largely unique to local radio – everything from discovering new music to weather updates, sports reports, and local news.”
Consumers want it, but carmakers are continuing to explore removing at least AM radio from certain vehicles. Hopefully, the marketplace will take care of this, and carmakers’ designers, developers, and marketers will realize that, at a relatively low cost, it’s still worth including an AM/FM radio in their automobiles.
But then again, maybe not. And while I’m typically not a fan of government involvement in the private sector, let’s not forget that the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” has been sitting in some random committee in the Senate and has not been touched in months.
While the government has been shut down for the last few weeks, and we have very low expectations for Congress in general, it would be great to see this piece of legislation dusted off and brought back into the conversation in 2026. It’s been nearly three years since the discussion began, and despite this being one of the few areas with bipartisan support, there has still been little movement on the bill.
It would also be welcome if the National Association of Broadcasters got back to focusing on the issue on behalf of its members.
The timing could not be better to leverage the value of AM radio in particular. Between this new study from Critical Mass Insights and two recent Amazon Web Services outages in recent weeks that have taken down critical parts of the internet (X, Snapchat, ChatGPT, Reddit), key 21st-century information streams were unavailable to hundreds of millions.
And while we hope that this is not the start of things to come as it relates to rumored and potential cyberattacks, the value of live radio — especially news still on the AM band — should be gaining more traction right now. This is especially true in our rural communities, where the lifeblood of not just local but often national news can be AM radio.
While we’ve long discussed the issue, and that stations should not look to the government to save them, two things can be true at the same time:
- AM radio has value, and data suggests people are still interested in having it in their vehicles. There is a national security and information obligation for Congress to act on the people’s behalf.
- Radio must continue its push to become a multi-platform performer with attention and resources dedicated to improving its digital game and presence.
So it’s your move, Congress. Time to get everyone back to work on behalf of the people. Although, that concept might be a foreign one to the folks inside the Beltway these days. I hope I’m wrong.
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio 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. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
