According to The Ford Authority, Ford says it may still keep AM radios in their vehicles made for commercial production. However, the report also says Ford could ditch the feature in some or all of their commercially-produced vehicles as well.
Ford has already ditched AM radio in two of their models—the all-new S650-generation 2024 Ford Mustang, and the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck.
So far, a total of eight automakers say they will remove AM radio from the dashboards of some of their models, mostly in the fast-growing electric vehicle segment. In a series of letters, none of the eight are signaling any second thoughts despite the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s push about the critical role AM plays in delivering public safety information.
“AM radio is an indispensable source of information for more than three million farmers in the U.S.,” says Nathan Simington, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission. “To those who say AM is a dead technology, 75 percent of farmers listen to the radio five days per week.”
Last December, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, sent letters to 20 car manufacturers requesting that they maintain AM radio in their vehicles, including new EV models.
In his letter, Senator Markey explained that consumers still value AM radio and stressed that free broadcast radio is a critical, reliable channel for local, state, and federal government officials – including the President of the United States, governors, mayors, and emergency management and public safety officers – to communicate with the public. AM radio is also an important component of the Emergency Alert System.
Sources: NAFB News Service, the Ford Authority.