If radio wasn't loaded with ads for the dumbest shit possible, I'd prefer radio to everything else.
I'm going to use this as a jumping off point to mention the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
It's... pretty much what it says on the tin. Some car manufacturers are phasing out AM Radio from their cars so they can replace them with their own streaming services - this bill seeks to make them a mandatory feature.
As somebody whose day job is in radio, I totally agree that the amount of ads and the quality of the ads is ridiculous. Personally, I don't find radio to be an amazing source of political news broadcasting.
But do you know what it is really good at? Providing emergency broadcasts during extreme weather events.
When power and internet is down, radio can be one of the only sources of information, and it's helped provide lifesaving information during these times.
(Plus, at least in my area of the country, emergency weather alerts override and interrupt programming when broadcast - even during pesky ads!)
So if you want to toss your signature in support, you can head on over here.
I want to make it clear I'm not an expert in this legislation or anything - this is just the stuff I know through working in the industry.
AM radio can be one of the only available and reliable sources of local/regional news, weather and traffic, emergency or not. Not to mention community broadcasts.
(Plus, have you listened to any podcasts lately? It’s literally six minutes of ads on either end)
Also you can build an AM radio receiver out of little more than scrap. Are you going to? No, almost certainly not, but the point is that the technology is simple, cheap, robust and repairable.
