Pictured above broadcasting live on WHO, Des Moines; WMT, Cedar Rapids; and WOC, Davenport from the Iowa State Fair is talk radio host Simon Conway (right) with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) (left) as she announces her bid for the U.S. Senate seat that current Senator Joni Ernst will leave at the end of her term in 2026. Conway says, “Quite the honor to be the exclusive home for such a major announcement.”
The U.S. Senate is reintroducing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. If passed into law, it would “require the Transportation Secretary to issue a rule requiring vehicles manufactured in or imported into the U.S. to have devices installed that provide access to AM radio. It would also, among other things, ensure that AM is easily accessible to the driver and require motor vehicles that do not include AM radio (in the period between enactment and prior to the Transportation Secretary issuing the new rule) to be labeled as such to consumers in a clear and conspicuous manner.” The NAB responds to the news saying that “recent disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires and hurricanes in the southeast underscore AM radio’s unique role in delivering evacuation orders, emergency alerts and recovery information under the most challenging conditions. Its unmatched reach ensures critical information reaches those who need it, including rural and remote areas where cellular networks and internet access are unreliable.” NAB adds that “more than 125 organizations, including the National Emergency Management Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, AARP, Native Public Media, and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, have endorsed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. Their support underscores AM radio’s vital role in public safety and its importance to communities nationwide.”