There’s no shortage of entertainment options thanks to Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and SiriusXM. However, if you’re a fan of sports or talk radio, it’s hard to beat old school AM broadcasts.
Despite having a dedicated following, AM broadcasters have been increasingly threatened by a lack of support from automakers and suppliers. Ford has been the prime example, but the automaker has had a change of heart.
In a tweet, Spotify Podcaster and Ford 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 and Lincoln vehicles.” The executive went on to say, “For any owners of Ford EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update.” That’s kind of hilarious as a century old technology will now be delivered via what sounds like an over-the-air update.
More: U.S. Senator Calls On Automakers To Keep AM Radio In Their EVs
Regardless of how the update is delivered, Farley said “Customers can currently listen to AM radio content in a variety of ways in our vehicles – including via streaming – and we will continue to innovate to deliver even better in-vehicle entertainment and emergency notification options in the future.”
The move was quickly celebrated by Senator Ed Markey, who said, “I applaud Ford for tuning into the concerns of millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters and countless emergency management officials who have called for automakers to keep AM radio in their vehicles.” He went on to say, “Ford’s reversal reflects an overdue realization about the importance of AM radio, but too many automakers are still going the wrong direction. Congress must pass my AM for Every Vehicle Act to maintain access to AM radio for years to come.”
His sentiments were echoed by Representative Josh Gottheimer, who remarked “After repeatedly calling on carmakers to keep AM radio in all their vehicles – both gas and electric – I’m glad to see that Ford will now include AM in all 2024 vehicles. I hope all automakers, like Tesla, will follow Ford’s lead and realize how important AM radio is to public safety.” Gottheimer went on to call for AM radio to be added to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
