The CEO of a major American automaker publicly suggested cutting all radio from entry-level vehicles at the 2026 New York International Auto Show this past week, raising fresh alarms for broadcasters still waiting on Congress to act on saving the AM band, let alone FM.
“I think the biggest thing that we need to start doing is challenging the industry on what the expectations are from an entry-level base vehicle,” Stellantis Dodge and Chrysler CEO Matt McAlear told The Drive. “And I don’t mean that from the word cheap or less. I mean that from that of ‘back-to-the-basics.’ Analog gauges. Do you need a radio? Do you just have speakers that you Bluetooth to?”
“We need to push forward and maybe make people uncomfortable, but give them something they don’t realize that they want,” McAlear continued. McAlear joined Stellantis in 2000, returned in 2013, and was named Dodge CEO in June 2024. In March, he added CEO of Chrysler and Head of Alfa Romeo North America to his title.
The comments represent the latest, and maybe darkest, chapter in a years-long knock-down, drag-out battle to preserve radio’s place in the car.
Last year, startup EV brand Slate Auto announced its cheapest debut model would ship without a radio, offering only a shelf for a Bluetooth speaker, with Slate Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Snyder saying, “We’re trying to eliminate everything that contributes to reliability issues and cost inflation. Seventy percent of repeat warranty claims are based on infotainment.”
Consumer data suggests the industry may be misreading its customers.
When Ford removed AM from the 2023 Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning electric pickups, citing electrical interference and cost reduction as factors, the backlash was swift. Ford CEO Jim Farley announced on social media that AM radio would be included in all gasoline and electric 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, and that a software update would be offered to restore AM capability in Ford’s electric vehicles sold without it.
A 2024 report from Xperi’s DTS found that 62% of car buyers would not consider purchasing a vehicle without AM/FM reception, and Quu’s 2025 Dashboard Scoreboard found FM radio available in 100% of the top 100 best-selling vehicle models in the US, with AM holding steady at 98%.
Still, timing could hardly be worse for an industry waiting on Congressional leadership to act on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
The legislation would require the Department of Transportation to issue a rule mandating AM band access as standard safety equipment in all new passenger vehicles sold in the United States, due to radio’s role in the Emergency Alert System. The bill now claims more than 375 co-sponsors across both chambers, with President Trump having reaffirmed his support during a nationally syndicated radio appearance, and nearly one million AM listeners having contacted their lawmakers in support of the measure. Despite that groundswell, the bill has spent months in limbo, awaiting scheduling of a floor vote from both House and Senate leadership.
The auto lobby has fought hard to counter the legislation in any way that it can, including forcing the inclusion of a “sunset clause” that would expire the Act eight years after enactment and require the Government Accountability Office to report within 18 months on AM radio’s role in disseminating emergency alerts through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
Even through a government shutdown, automakers spent $6.08 million in Q4 lobbying against the AM Act, led by GM at $3.25 million, Toyota at $1.64 million, Tesla at $670,000, and Honda at $526,073. Broadcasters countered with roughly $3.5 million combined, anchored by the NAB, with contributions from iHeartMedia and Salem Media Group.
In the Senate, the challenge is procedural. “Most bills require unanimous consent,” NAB Senior Vice President of Government Relations Nicole Gustafson explained in a recent interview. “Three senators have objected, so we’re either finding floor time, which is scarce, or attaching this to larger legislation. We’re pursuing every avenue to get it signed into law this Congress.”
The Congressional Budget Office has projected the private-sector mandate would primarily affect electric vehicle makers and require updates to roughly 2 to 2.5 million vehicles per year, with a total cost well below the $214 million annual threshold for private-sector mandates under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
