People shopping for electric vehicles will see that most don’t have AM radio, and it’s a move not sitting well with rural farm broadcasters.
Nathan Simington is a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission who spoke to broadcasters at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual convention. He brought a unique perspective to the topic after growing up on a farm in Canada. He says “AM radio is an indispensable source of information for more than three million farmers in the U.S.,” “To those who say AM is a dead technology, 75 percent of farmers listen to the radio five days per week.” For those who don’t know, AM radio is also the “essential spine” of the Emergency Alert System. Simington added, “More importantly, farm broadcasters, especially those on AM, are a trusted source of information,” he said “Forget about oil and gas. These days, trust is the most important commodity out there.”
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.