BUILDING CARS WITHOUT AM RADIOS: MORE CORPORATE CENSORSHIP?

Destroying What Rush Built

During the 1992 presidential election* I discovered Rush Limbaugh’s radio program.  For the next 20 years or so I listened to Rush in my car coming and going from my office, which was 14 miles from my home.  I also bought a small pocket radio with earphones to use when I was sitting in the back of the courtroom waiting my turn to see the judge.  [I am now a retired attorney.]

AM RADIO WAS THE ONLY WAY FACTS REACHED AMERICANS’ EARS

Rush’s voice was refreshing because he was articulating what I was noticing, what I was feeling.  I graduated from law school in 1986 and began practicing.  By the time I discovered Rush, I felt myself moving, day by day, further Right in my thinking as I was becoming more aware, via my clients’ experiences, that Democrat policies were significantly harming children, parents and hard-working low & middle-income workers, not to mention rewarding laziness.  Rush not only noticed what I noticed, he explained how & why it was happening. *

Prior to 1987 “talk shows” on radio were essentially not allowed, thus CBS, NBC, ABC & NPR determined what was “news” and how to filter facts to push their left-leaning agenda.  [Ha!  Big Media no longer “leans” Left.  They are full flown Leftists, Progressives & Marxists.]  Thus, ALL sides of an issue were not discussed because “news” outlets did not present ALL the facts.  After President Reagan was successful in changing FCC regulations, AM radio slowly became the place where Americans could obtain the facts and could hear the voices of other Americans throughout their cities, regions, states and, with Rush, nationwide.

AM radio quickly became the home of “Conservative” voices, and is still dominated by Conservatives.  Each Liberal talk show died within months of launching for lack of listeners.  Why?  Liberals cannot hold an interesting conversation for any length of time.  They are overly emotional, lack logic and are often devoid of facts to back up their opinions. 

BUILDING INFORMATION FIREWALL TO ISOLATE RED STATE AMERICANS?

AM signals travel further than FM broadcasts do and are cheaper to transmit, allowing them to cater to audiences in sparsely populated areas. Most radio listening is done while driving; however, car manufacturers are quietly building cars without AM radio, but still with FM radio as always.  This has been going on for several years with electrical vehicles. Audio quality cannot compare between AM & FM, but that's secondary to having nothing at all to listen to in some parts of the continental United States.

Radio remains a must for car buyers, with 89 percent of responders in a 2021 survey stating radio should be standard in new cars. Only 84 percent said USB ports were necessary. That makes radio more important to American car buyers than USB ports.

Ford Motor Co. reported that it is preparing to remove AM radios from most of its new and updated 2024 models, including gas-powered, hybrids & EVs.  This, despite concerns from U.S. officials over Americans losing access to safety alerts broadcast over the airwaves.

Ford spokesman confirmed the development: "We are transitioning from AM radio for most new and updated 2024 models.  A majority of U.S. AM stations, as well as a number of countries and automakers globally, are modernizing radio by offering internet streaming through mobile apps, FM, digital and satellite radio options.  Ford will continue to offer these alternatives for customers to hear their favorite AM radio music, news and podcasts as we remove amplitude modulation (the definition of AM in this case) from most new and updated models we bring to market." So, Ford has no concerns for the safety of buyers living in rural America?

Ford isn’t too bright. Despite massive and continuing losses from their line of electrical vehicles, they plan to continue building them. Do they follow ESG poppycock? No doubt, they are receiving huge subsidies from the Biden Administration which is money taken away from American workers who are struggling to feed their families in the Era of Biden.  

THE 101^st REASON NOT TO BUY ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Ten EV manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Ford, Mazda, Polestar, Porsche, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo) removed broadcast AM radio from their electric vehicles several years ago.  Ten automakers (Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar/Land Rover, Kia, Lucid, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Stellantis, Subaru, and Toyota) still have AM radio in their electric vehicles, however. 

Although many automakers suggested that other communication tools, such as internet radio, could replace broadcast AM radio, in an emergency, drivers might not have access to the internet and could miss critical safety information.  The truth is that broadcast AM radio is irreplaceable. 

Coincidently, this writer is planning to buy a new car this fall.  For some time I had planned on buying a hybrid, but gave up on that idea when I discovered hybrid batteries, just like EV batteries, are made from the labor of little colored children who dig up the rare minerals for slave wages.  Between the cost and the 27% HIGHER auto insurance premiums, buying an EV is only for the wealthy, the uninformed and/or those who tolerate child abuse.

*This American was a Registered Democrats until 1996, but had stopped voting for Democrats by the end of the 1980s.  You might say my husband & I “walked away” from the Democrat Party two decades before the Walk Away Movement began.