AM Radio Stations Oppose Removing AM Radios from Cars
2023-08-05
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1The move by automobile manufacturers to include radios in cars nearly 100 years ago helped spread AM radio across the United States.
2But now, some carmakers want to stop providing AM radio in their new vehicles.
3The first cars to be sold with radios were introduced in the 1930s.
4They only received one kind of radio transmission, those that broadcast using AM, or amplitude modulation.
5After some time, radios could receive transmissions in AM and FM. FM stands for frequency modulation.
6For many years, those were the only choices.
7But after a while, car makers added 8-track players, audio cassette players, compact disc players and eventually Bluetooth connections so people could play music from mobile devices such as an iPhone.
8However, cars are no longer sold with 8-track players or compact disc players.
9And now, some new electric cars are being sold with radios that only receive FM signals.
10Car makers say the driving systems in electric vehicles interfere with the AM signal.
11That concerns the people who own and work at about 4,000 radio stations in the U.S. that broadcast in AM.
12One of them is in the small town of Dimmitt, Texas.
13Nancy and Todd Whalen own the radio station KDHN-1470, which has been broadcasting since 1963.
14They are the only employees, and they talk on the radio every morning.
15The Whalens have run the station for eight years.
16They say they do it, so Dimmitt has something to feel good about.
17"We feel like what we've done and continue to do is provide that, not just for Dimmitt, but for all the small towns in the area that no longer have local radio stations."
18KDHN also runs a translator, or a system that changes the signal so their programs can also be heard on FM.
19But the AM signal is much stronger.
20The FM signal covers about a 30-kilometer radius from the transmitter while the AM signal covers 160 kilometers.
21Nancy Whalen called the AM signal "our bread and butter since the beginning."
22The reduction in the number of AM stations has many people worried.
23That includes broadcasters, business owners, farmers and lawmakers.
24Some broadcasting companies that own AM radio stations are selling their land because it is more profitable than running a radio station.
25Amy Klobuchar is a senator from Minnesota. She is concerned about losing AM radio stations.
26They keep people in her large state informed.
27In an online video, Klobuchar said AM radio "gives people the information they need in many of our rural areas..." She noted that "a lot of people drive long distances" in rural areas and listen to the radio in the car.
28She also said of AM radio: "This is where people find their local news."
29Klobuchar and others are working on the "AM For Every Vehicle Act."
30They want to keep AM radio in cars.
31The lawmakers say the car makers should find a way to keep AM radio.
32When Klobuchar talks about people in rural areas, she is talking about people like Rodney Hunter.
33He supervises two grain storage structures, called silos, in Texas.
34He said farmers will listen to the radio on their way to sell grain.
35Without the news on AM radio, they would not know if grain prices were up or down.
36"Farmers are in their (trucks or tractors) going up and down the road," Hunter said.
37He added it is easier for them to listen to the agriculture news on AM radio than to try to find the information online.
38But the people who run AM radio stations are not just farmers and small-town business people with a sense of civic pride.
39About five hours southeast of the grain-storage building, Joann Whang is a pharmacist who listens to KKDA-730 in Dallas, Texas.
40It is a Korean-language station.
41At first, Whang said she thought listening to a Korean station was only for old people.
42"But it actually was pretty interesting," she said.
43She said she got a lot of information and even heard Korean pop songs, known as K-pop.
44The station is owned by DK Media Group.
45The company also runs two Korean-language newspapers.
46Stephanie Min Kim is the president.
47She said removing AM from cars would hurt small companies like hers that broadcast in languages other than English.
48It is too costly to buy a license, or government permission, to broadcast in FM, she said.
49Kim once worked for the Korean broadcaster KBS.
50She said, "We feel that it is our duty to help and support our Korean immigrants integrate into American society."
51She said her radio station hosts discussions with experts in law, healthcare and education that help people from Korea learn about life in the U.S.
52She said, if AM is removed from cars, the transmissions face an "existential threat."
53That means the existence of the stations is threatened.
54Radio Caravan is another small broadcaster in Dallas.
55It broadcasts in Hindi, Tamil and English on AM 700.
56Aparna Ragnan is a radio host.
57She said carmakers should find a way to keep AM.
58Vaibhav Sheth is the station manager.
59He said the sound quality of the AM stations is not a problem.
60He said the information that the stations provide is more important than sound quality.
61In addition, he notes that AM stations are important in emergencies.
62The emergency signals go off to alert listeners about bad weather, like a tornado, or a child who is in danger.
63"Whatever it is that's happening," he said, "it goes to the AM frequency."
64I'm Steve Herman. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1The move by automobile manufacturers to include radios in cars nearly 100 years ago helped spread AM radio across the United States. 2But now, some carmakers want to stop providing AM radio in their new vehicles. 3The first cars to be sold with radios were introduced in the 1930s. They only received one kind of radio transmission, those that broadcast using AM, or amplitude modulation. 4After some time, radios could receive transmissions in AM and FM. FM stands for frequency modulation. 5For many years, those were the only choices. But after a while, car makers added 8-track players, audio cassette players, compact disc players and eventually Bluetooth connections so people could play music from mobile devices such as an iPhone. 6However, cars are no longer sold with 8-track players or compact disc players. And now, some new electric cars are being sold with radios that only receive FM signals. Car makers say the driving systems in electric vehicles interfere with the AM signal. 7That concerns the people who own and work at about 4,000 radio stations in the U.S. that broadcast in AM. One of them is in the small town of Dimmitt, Texas. Nancy and Todd Whalen own the radio station KDHN-1470, which has been broadcasting since 1963. They are the only employees, and they talk on the radio every morning. The Whalens have run the station for eight years. 8They say they do it, so Dimmitt has something to feel good about. "We feel like what we've done and continue to do is provide that, not just for Dimmitt, but for all the small towns in the area that no longer have local radio stations." 9KDHN also runs a translator, or a system that changes the signal so their programs can also be heard on FM. But the AM signal is much stronger. The FM signal covers about a 30-kilometer radius from the transmitter while the AM signal covers 160 kilometers. 10Nancy Whalen called the AM signal "our bread and butter since the beginning." 11The reduction in the number of AM stations has many people worried. That includes broadcasters, business owners, farmers and lawmakers. Some broadcasting companies that own AM radio stations are selling their land because it is more profitable than running a radio station. 12Amy Klobuchar is a senator from Minnesota. She is concerned about losing AM radio stations. They keep people in her large state informed. 13In an online video, Klobuchar said AM radio "gives people the information they need in many of our rural areas..." She noted that "a lot of people drive long distances" in rural areas and listen to the radio in the car. She also said of AM radio: "This is where people find their local news." 14Klobuchar and others are working on the "AM For Every Vehicle Act." 15They want to keep AM radio in cars. The lawmakers say the car makers should find a way to keep AM radio. 16When Klobuchar talks about people in rural areas, she is talking about people like Rodney Hunter. He supervises two grain storage structures, called silos, in Texas. He said farmers will listen to the radio on their way to sell grain. Without the news on AM radio, they would not know if grain prices were up or down. 17"Farmers are in their (trucks or tractors) going up and down the road," Hunter said. He added it is easier for them to listen to the agriculture news on AM radio than to try to find the information online. 18But the people who run AM radio stations are not just farmers and small-town business people with a sense of civic pride. 19About five hours southeast of the grain-storage building, Joann Whang is a pharmacist who listens to KKDA-730 in Dallas, Texas. It is a Korean-language station. At first, Whang said she thought listening to a Korean station was only for old people. 20"But it actually was pretty interesting," she said. She said she got a lot of information and even heard Korean pop songs, known as K-pop. 21The station is owned by DK Media Group. The company also runs two Korean-language newspapers. Stephanie Min Kim is the president. She said removing AM from cars would hurt small companies like hers that broadcast in languages other than English. It is too costly to buy a license, or government permission, to broadcast in FM, she said. 22Kim once worked for the Korean broadcaster KBS. She said, "We feel that it is our duty to help and support our Korean immigrants integrate into American society." She said her radio station hosts discussions with experts in law, healthcare and education that help people from Korea learn about life in the U.S. 23She said, if AM is removed from cars, the transmissions face an "existential threat." That means the existence of the stations is threatened. 24Radio Caravan is another small broadcaster in Dallas. It broadcasts in Hindi, Tamil and English on AM 700. Aparna Ragnan is a radio host. She said carmakers should find a way to keep AM. 25Vaibhav Sheth is the station manager. He said the sound quality of the AM stations is not a problem. He said the information that the stations provide is more important than sound quality. In addition, he notes that AM stations are important in emergencies. The emergency signals go off to alert listeners about bad weather, like a tornado, or a child who is in danger. 26"Whatever it is that's happening," he said, "it goes to the AM frequency." 27I'm Steve Herman. And I'm Dan Friedell. 28Steve Herman wrote this story for voanews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. 29______________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31transmission -n. (broadcasting) the sending of a specific radio signal for broadcast 328-track, cassette, compact disc -n. different kinds of devices that store information to play back sound 33rural -adj. in the countryside and not in the city or suburbs 34bread and butter -adj. (idiomatic) very basic and necessary 35pharmacist -n. a person whose job it is to prepare and provide drugs and medicines called for by a medical doctor's orders 36integrate -v. to make a person part of a large group, organization or community 37frequency -n. (broadcasting) a measure of a radio wave signal that is received by a radio 38___________________________________________________ 39We want to hear from you. Do you have AM radio where you live? How are cars changing their audio systems? 40Here is how our comment system works: 41Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.