Broadcasters, Automakers Still In High-Dollar Lobbying Battle Over AM Dash Access.

A new Congress and old battles over radio royalties and keeping AM in dashboards led to continued robust broadcast industry lobbying spending during the first half the year. The National Association of Broadcasters led the way, with the trade group spending $5.95 million. That was a 3% hike in lobbying spending vs. a year earlier.

Disclosure filings show NAB spent $2.89 million during Q2, a slight dip from the $3.05 million spent in Q1. But both topped what it spent during the same quarters last year, a move that’s not uncommon during the odd-number years when a flood of new members of Congress arrives in Washington. But this year’s first half brought some of the biggest spending since 2019.

The latest quarterly filing illustrates why lobbying efforts have grown more intense. In addition to the typical issues related to advertising and business tax policy that NAB has long advocated on, there is a lengthy list of pending issues that directly impact broadcasters circulating in Washington’s halls of power. That list includes the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R.979/S. 315), performance royalties, proposals to alter Daylight Saving Time, copyright issues related to radio streaming, the ATSC 3.0 next generation television standard, and proposals related to EAS updates, among others.

More than most years, it has been easier to track the return on that investment. In June, a majority of House members said they support a bill that would require AM remain in passenger vehicles. And a filibuster-proof number was achieved in the Senate in April. The numbers have grown since, as broadcasters have corralled 262 supporters in the House and 61 Senators to support the bill. The legislation remains pending.

But opponents are spending too. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation also spent $5.17 million during the first half of the year, including on fighting the AM requirement. The Consumer Technology Association, which has come out against the proposal, also spent $2.18 million during the first half. A review of the disclosure filings by the major automakers, including Toyota and Tesla, shows they too have been spending money to lobby Congress on the AM bill.

NAB has its member companies as allies. Among individual radio groups, the industry again got the most support from iHeartMedia. Disclosure filings show iHeart spent $2.26 million during the first half of 2025. That’s roughly on par with what it spent a year earlier.

Other broadcasters that invested in lobbying in the first half include Hubbard Broadcasting, which invested $60,000, and Cox Enterprises, which holds a minority stake in Cox Media Group, spent a total of $1.34 million, although that was typically not focused on broadcast radio issues.

On the noncommercial side, disclosure filings reveal NPR spent $330,000 during the first half — a 57% increase from a year earlier — as it tried unsuccessfully to convince Congress to maintain public media’s federal funding.

Among newer media companies, Spotify spent $810,000 during the first half of the year, up 11% from a year earlier. The audio streamer continued to lobby on issues related to artificial intelligence and regulation of algorithmic recommendation systems.

Spending Shows Royalty Fight Continues

The music industry’s effort to secure a performance right on radio airplay began fresh with the new legislative session in January, and while it has yet to gain much traction the issue is far from settled. In recent months, there have been efforts to tie the proposed American Music Fairness Act (S. 326/HR 861) to the AM dashboard debate. It would require broadcast stations to pay royalties when they spin records.

Helping that along has been lobbying from groups like the Recording Industry Association of America, which disclosure filing show spent $3.98 million during the first half of the year. That is 8% more than it spent during the same period a year ago. In addition to radio royalties, RIAA was also active on issues such as intellectual property theft and counterfeit laws.

Among the big music companies, Universal Music Group spent $1.31 million in the first half per federal filings, while Sony Music Entertainment spent $780,000. Both were more than what the labels spent last year.

Other music industry groups also continued to be active, including the National Music Publishers Association, which spent $100,000 during the first half—a big drop from the $520,000 it put into lobbying last year.

The three big performance rights groups were also spending in Washington. ASCAP invested $220,000 as BMI spent $260,000, and SESAC spent $200,000 during the first half. And SoundExchange, the collections agent for digital music use, spent $530,00 on lobbying Washington policymakers, up 8% year-to-year.