SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Some automakers are choosing to remove AM radio from their new vehicles. Companies like BMW, Volkswagen and many others are part of this change.
With the rise of new platforms such as streaming music and podcasts, AM radio is being phased out.
Radio is no longer the preferred source of music for Americans: only 31% of Americans listen to music through the radio.
E. Larry Mcduffie, Grammy-nominated gospel artist and local radio legend, explained that young people began to devalue AM radio.
“The mainstream market they’re looking at is the 24-50 market, we did really well when we came in, but as the years went by, that market wasn’t as strong as it was,” Richardson said.
The change didn’t happen overnight
Mcduffie explained that many of his older listeners were even hesitant to switch from AM to FM radio.
“He was on AM and I was on FM, my older listeners who had been with me over the years, I couldn’t get them to switch. At that time, AM radio no longer had the audio capability to sustain itself keeping up with the improving quality of FM stations,” Mcduffie said.
The first issue to be played out is the country’s ability to provide emergency alerts via AM radio.
The National Association of Broadcasters says AM radio is the backbone of America’s emergency alert system.
The decision to eliminate AM radio would affect the 4,000 stations that still broadcast AM radio: Mark Alford, a US representative, spoke in defense of AM radio in the US House.
Although the future of AM radio is trending downward, Mcduffie will always remember the glory days.
“We went to the Civic Center and filled the arena. It’s not an easy thing to do, and I always thought it was a really special thing for an AM station to do,” Mcduffie said.
