Ford changes tune, will keep AM radio in future models

Ford, producer of America’s favorite truck, scrapped an unpopular plan to eliminate AM radio from future models.

In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the Michigan-based automaker would include AM radio in all of its 2024 models “after speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system.”

In an Inquirer story earlier this month, radio professionals, elected officials, and Ford owners expressed concern that automakers, including Tesla, were phasing out AM radio, particularly in rural parts of the country, where broadband and cell service can be dismal. A Ford spokesperson told The Inquirer that U.S. AM stations “are modernizing radio by offering internet streaming through mobile apps, FM, or digital options.”

The AM radio frequency has presented a unique problem for electric vehicles. Electric motors appear to cause electromagnetic interference with AM radio’s reception. Many EVs have already dropped the signal. In March, Ford said it would remove AM from internal combustion engines starting in 2024.

Farley’s reversal on social media followed recent bipartisan legislation — the AM for Every Vehicle Act — that would compel auto manufacturers to keep AM radio in new vehicles at no additional charge. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D., Mass.), a coauthor of the bill, applauded Ford’s decision to change course.

“Innovation in the automotive industry should mean more features, not fewer, for consumers. Ford’s reversal reflects an overdue realization about the importance of AM radio, but too many automakers are still going the wrong direction,” Markey said in an e-mail.

Pennsylvania has 164 AM radio stations and 412 FM stations, according to BIA advisory group, the bulk of them concentrated in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. According to Nielsen, about 47 million Americans listen to AM radio weekly.