NAB Credits Grassroots Pressure For Progress On AM Car Mandate.

Members of Congress may agree to meet with their local broadcasters, but it is the listeners who matter. National Association of Broadcasters President Curtis LeGeyt says the effort to keep AM radio in vehicles would not have gotten as far as it has without the help of listeners. In an interview with Cumulus Media news/talk WMAL Washington (105.9) last week, LeGeyt said more than 800,000 radio listeners from across the country have weighed in—and that has lawmakers’ attention.

“That's why these bills have more than 60 co-sponsors in the Senate, more than 170 co-sponsors in the House. This isn't driven by just our work at the National Association of Broadcasters. It's being driven by our listeners,” LeGeyt said. The NAB has developed the consumer-facing website DependOnAM.com as a resource where stations can direct listeners to obtain more information and send an email to their local representatives.

The campaign is working as support has jumped in recent days for the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R.979/S. 315). The legislation will, if passed, require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, carmakers could be fined. It has already cleared the Senate Commerce Committee.

The bill has seen a rush of new co-sponsors in the past week, as it closes in on the 218 needed to become law. The latest count put the number of House supporters at 205. After returning from time in their districts, 20 members added their names to the list of co-sponsors last week. They include Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Tim Moore (R-NC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Susie Lee (D-NV), Mike Carey (R-OH), Tom Barrett (R-MI), David Rouzer (R-NC), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Joe Morelle (D-NY), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Jannelle Bynum (D-OR), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Craig Goldman (R-TX), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), as well as Delegate Stancy Plaskett (D) of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Andy Kim (D-NJ) has recently added his name, which has added to a now filibuster-proof list of supporters of 61 Senators.

“We're asking these automakers to put public safety above their bottom lines and ensure that Americans can maintain access to your station in times of disaster,” LeGeyt said.

‘We’re Just Asking To Compete’

LeGeyt told WMAL host Larry O’Connor that he sees what is occurring with the AM effort as part of a larger fight pitting broadcasters against big tech companies, as the NAB and others push for relaxation of media ownership regulations. “Tech platforms have no regulation,” he said, explaining radio and television industries just want to “level the playing field” and operate under some modernized rules of the road.

“We're not asking for a handout,” LeGeyt said. “We're just asking to compete.”

 The NAB has said it remains optimistic that FCC Chair Brendan Carr will go further with deregulation efforts than his predecessors. Since 2021, NAB has been pushing for eliminating all AM restrictions and having only tiered limits on FMs in the top 75 markets. While the radio industry hasn’t been entirely behind that proposal, most critics now concede some changes are needed.

“I think he is very much open to reexamining the restrictions that only broadcasters are facing relative to everyone else in media,” LeGeyt said. “He's still getting his feet underneath him at the Commission, and he doesn't yet have a majority, so he can't really implement his agenda. But in the meantime, members of Congress aren't waiting.”

LeGeyt noted that dozens of members of Congress have called on Carr to update the radio and TV ownership rules, alongside several outside groups, including the right-leaning Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity, and Americans for Tax Reform, that would potentially have more sway in the Trump administration.

“These are our partners who understand the importance of local broadcasting communities across the country,” he said.