
Leaving Michigan
for Maui
Emergency Advisory Radio Station #1 |
RadioWorld's story "Hawaii Puts AM
Radio to Work on Maui -- The state has acquired four
portable emergency advisory radio systems." Aug 22,
2023.
In The Source see . . .
- AM Radio Is Deemed
"Absolutely Mandatory"; virtually all are
convinced of the band’s value to America …
except automakers.
- Will 2024 Solar Event
Eclipse Resources?
- Signs of Things to
Come
- Harrison Ford Voices
Safety Broadcasts at Jackson Hole
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Should Safety Take a Back Seat? |
Detroit, MI: The National Association of
Broadcasters (NAB) has launched a petition drive to ask
Congress to prevent automakers from removing AM
receivers from future automobiles. Why would car
makers that we’ve supported propose to endanger the
US population with such a move? |
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FEMA's Coverage Footprint
AM & FM Stations ascross the Country
that Comprise the USA's
Emergency Alert System |
FEMA Administrators Send
Letter to USDOT Asking that US Automakers be
Prevented from Removing AM Receivers from Vehicles |
WASHINGTON DC:
Saying it is a “grave threat to future local, state and
federal disaster response and relief efforts, seven former
FEMA administrators Sunday penned
a joint letter to the USDOT, asking that US automakers
be prevented from removing AM receivers from car dashboards.
One day later, Monday, February 27, Commissioner Nathan
Simington echoed
his response from the FCC, saying, “…I underscore and
share their concerns in the strongest possible terms. ...The
issue of the continued inclusion of AM radios in electric
vehicles deserves urgent attention.” Simington is also on
record asking the Commission to “make clear the vital
importance of AM radio.”
FEMA has recently “hardened” key AM broadcast stations
across the nation whose signals, combined with some FM
stations, cover more than 90% of the US population. Per the
FEMA website, “This helps ensure that under all conditions,
the President of the United States can alert and warn the
public.”
The American Association of Information Radio
Operators (AAIRO) wrote to Congress in 2022 in support of this
effort and will again do so in coming weeks.
See also a state-by-state list of FCC-licensed
public-service / public-safety statons across America. |
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The
NAB has devised a
quick-and-easy way for you to voice support for the new "AM
Radio in Every Vehicle Act" that would require manufacturers
to keep AM radio in cars (at no additional cost to users) to
ensure that Americans can hear emergency alerts -- just as
carmakers are required to include safety belts. Time is of
the essence, so visit
'Act
Now' to add your name to list of those who
support the legislation! Your voice matters. Please join the
effort and share this info within your sphere of influence.
See also
this excellent summary published by Inside
Radio.
On May 23,
one major automaker reversed course and announced that AM
Radio will remain in their vehicles but did not say for how
long. Other carmakers have not turned this corner yet. That
is why NAB president / CEO LeGeyt today reminded Congress
that the legislation continues to be required, stating,
“Broadcasters will continue to support this major
legislation to ensure consumer access to AM Radio in all
vehicles."
The NAB reports
having received over 187,000 emails and more than
13,000 tweets to date from people voicing concern over carmakers'
efforts to eliminate AM radio from vehicles. We were among
them.
We hope vehicle manufacturers are listening; because some are proposing to eliminate AM radio receivers
from future models of both electric vehicles (EVs) and
gasoline-powered cars, despite our Federal Emergency Management
Agency’s investment of billions of our dollars to make sure that AM
radio will be the backbone of our national safety network in a
national emergency. It’s unconscionable, but it’s true.
Why? Automotive manufacturers have been saying that the task of
integrating AM receivers into EVs is impossible – even though there
are thousands of EVs on America’s roads currently equipped with AM
receivers. Moreover, these same manufacturers have been suggesting
that emergency information is available from other sources (other
than radio), ignoring that non-radio sources (cellular, internet)
are the most vulnerable to attack and overload during emergencies
and often aren’t accessible to drivers due to laws enacted to
discourage distracted driving. But virtually every vehicle in
America today is equipped with an AM broadcast receiver, making AM
radio one of the most reliable sources of emergency information.
On behalf of the American Association of Information Radio Operators
(AAIRO), we join the Federal Communications Commission and a
coalition of state Emergency Management Agencies, politicians such
as Mike Pence and various senators and representatives who have
spoken against this threat.
The National Association of Broadcasters recently launched a
grassroots effort, asking U.S. citizens to petition Congress to act
with a national campaign that encourages citizens to text “AM” to
Cell Number “52886” and sign a short petition intended to “Tell
legislators why you depend on AM Radio” and to “Keep AM radio in
cars.” For broadcasters it’s their livelihood. But for all of us,
the difference during a national emergency might be our lives.
One only needs to review the history of storm and wildfire
evacuations to see the value and importance of the rapid and
reliable dissemination of emergency information. Emergency-Hardened
Broadcast Stations and local 10-watt Emergency Radio Stations trump
all other methodologies because they will stay on when fragile
digital services are swamped or compromised.
It may take an act of Congress to stop the very car manufacturers we
have supported with our tax dollars from seeking a break for
themselves, as they seek to break radio -- America’s emergency
safety net.
AAIRO Advisory Board
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