By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

This time the perpetrators are the electric vehicles manufactured by Tesla, Volvo, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen’s SUV, BMW and the 2023 electric version of Ford’s best-selling F-150 pickup truck.

It seems the interference caused by the technology in these electric vehicles creates too much noise and reception interference for AM radio to function properly in these vehicles. Instead of resolving these issues with a few extra dollars on the manufacturing side, it’s easier to just drop the AM band completely. After all there is always FM, the digital dashboard, connected car and more. So what if millions of AM radio listeners get upset. Most are over 60, don’t complain much about media, and most likely will not be around if electric vehicles ever become the norm. Sad.

But wait there is hope.

AM radio was supposed to be dead when FM radio came on strong in the 1970s. Except in 1965 1010 WINS in NYC jumped out front, dropped music and became America’s first all-news radio station. 1010 WINS showed the radio industry what could be. AM radio lived to see another day.

Remember when Don Imus and Howard Stern broke the mold on AM radio? Great talents like Rush Limbaugh helped keep AM radio alive and well around the country. Along with great talents came the critical information flow caused by weather emergencies — even horrific national emergencies like 9/11.

How about all those play-by-play sportscasts and sports talk hosts that blossomed on AM radio?  Maybe our industry leaders are just too overwhelmed to band together, to make a few in-person calls and re-pitch what even they took for granted. After all Elon Musk and Jim Farley seem like reasonable guys.

In the meantime let’s see if you and I can slow the spin cycle and sell through the “sky-is-falling” banter that seems to be occupying the headlines. Let’s start by staying focused on now and what matters today. After all, most of your local advertisers are concerned with Q4 and 2023.

• Look at the facts. According to recent BloombergNEF reports, today electric vehicles make up 3% of global car sales. In other words, 97% of all cars on the road today are gas powered.
• Stay local. Chances are the demographics and purchasing power you sell today are heavily present in the AM news/talk and sports talk in your market.
• Local advertisers want results today. You deal in accountable return on dollars invested today. Your local advertiser isn’t too worried about 2040.

AM radio suffers from the same “take-it-for-granted” mentality as your local utility. But when the power goes out or the water is shut off, we all complain.

Let’s not stay silent until it’s too late.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com

Tags: 1010 WINS, all news, AM radio, Don Imus, electric vehicles, Elon Musk, FM radio, Howard Stern, interference, Lapcom Communications Corp, local advertisers, play-by-play, radio station, Rush Limbaugh, sports talk hosts, Steve Lapa

Category: Sales