# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 430
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8581 "2026-09-23T22:49:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m sure that in such a scenario I could have acquired an AM radio without Congress mandating that there be one in my car. Again, great for you! If every car automatically has one, you don’t need to go out and buy a standalone radio. Keeping the AM radio in new cars (even adding the shielding for the radio in EVs) likely does not add much incremental expense to the cost of the car. And, if you are out _driving_ when bad weather occurs, you don’t need to stop and dig out a radio. A reasonable person might, somewhere along the line, say, “you know, I see no use case for _me_ to ever need an AM radio, but maybe you might just have a point.” _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8582 "2026-09-23T23:31:12Z")
I’m still not seeing why a Congressional mandate for cars to have obsolete radios that interfere with their electronics is a better idea than just buying a battery-powered portable radio from Walmart. This is just corporate welfare for the talk radio industry. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8583 "2026-09-23T23:33:58Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m still not seeing why a Congressional mandate for cars to have obsolete radios that interfere with their electronics is a better idea than just buying a battery-powered portable radio from Walmart. Because not everyone will actually go out and buy a battery-powered portable radio from Walmart. In fact, it’s likely that only the over-prepared will. > [@Smapti](#): > > This is just corporate welfare for the talk radio industry. It is undoubtedly that, _too_. But the fact that AM talk radio will benefit from this does not mean that it is not _also_ a valuable thing for public safety. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8584 "2026-09-23T23:39:24Z")
Okay. You’ve gone out and purchased a battery-powered portable radio from Walmart. What is the likelihood that the radio is in your car when you’re on the road at a time that an emergency broadcast is made? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8585 "2026-09-23T23:51:42Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I assume almost every modern vehicle these days comes from the factory with a satellite radio A number of makers have actually _ **stopped** _ doing that. For instance all the non-hybrid versions of the Honda CRV have no satellite radio as of the 2026 model, and before that only the top model came with it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8586 "2026-09-23T23:54:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Because not everyone will actually go out and buy a battery-powered portable radio from Walmart. In fact, it’s likely that only the over-prepared will. Yep. Any kind of public universal disaster preparedness system should always be opt- **out** , rather than opt- **in**. If a car owner wants to disable the AM radio device that came standard-issue with their car, they can do so (AFAIK there’s no law against it either). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8587 "2026-09-24T00:11:59Z")
So to recap, we’re envisioning a scenario where; - A life-or-death emergency is imminent - The existence of this emergency is not already self-evident - There has been no advance warning or any way I could have anticipated this danger before I got into my car - All other forms of mass communication, including FM radio, satellite radio, internet of both the cellular and satellite variety, TV, reverse 911, and phone service in general have failed - AM radio alone is still functional - The only way I could possibly learn what to do to avoid certain death is by AM radio - The only access I have to AM radio is the one in my car - I have the presence of mind to turn on the AM radio and know what frequency to tune to How pressing of an issue is this? How often is this kind of scenario playing out that it requires federal legislation right now? How many preventable deaths are occurring because Teslas don’t have AM radio? Why does the auto industry need to spend billions of dollars to solve this problem? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8588 "2026-09-24T00:21:46Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So to recap, we’re envisioning a scenario where; > > - A life-or-death emergency is imminent > - The existence of this emergency is not already self-evident > - There has been no advance warning or any way I could have anticipated this danger before I got into my car > - All other forms of mass communication, including FM radio, satellite radio, internet of both the cellular and satellite variety, TV, reverse 911, and phone service in general have failed > - AM radio alone is still functional > - The only way I could possibly learn what to do to avoid certain death is by AM radio > - The only access I have to AM radio is the one in my car > - I have the presence of mind to turn on the AM radio and know what frequency to tune to Extremist fucking much? This is ridiculous. I’ve tried to rationally explain to you the why, but you are hung up on “AM radio is awful and outdated,” and “I have never had need of it, so therefore _no one_ could possibly have need of it.” You fucking win. I’m out. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8589 "2026-09-24T00:34:51Z")
I’m “hung up” on Congress needlessly subsidizing a dying industry that has been complicit in the dismantling of our democracy for the last 40 years. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8590 "2026-09-24T00:35:05Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > How pressing of an issue is this? As with every catastrophic large-scale disaster scenario, let us all fervently hope that it never becomes a pressing issue at all at the national level. (AM radio emergency alerts are, as has been pointed out, in wide use and very effective at emergency communication for smaller-scale disasters.) However, I don’t think getting rid of an immensely widespread near-universal emergency communications system **that’s already in place** is a wise response to the recognition that _“wow, immensely widespread near-universal emergencies don’t really seem to happen much, do they?”_. You seem to have some trouble grasping the concept of a **multi-layered** emergency communication system. The core issue isn’t _“Is there absolutely no alternative to using the proposed system?”_ The core issue is _“In actual use, will this system succeed in rapidly reaching significant numbers of people who missed getting the crucial information by other means?”_ And the answer, based on decades of experience with smaller-scale disaster emergency communication, is “yes”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8591 "2026-09-24T00:40:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So to recap, we’re envisioning a scenario where; > > - A life-or-death emergency is imminent > - The existence of this emergency is not already self-evident And what if the emergency is self-evident, but what to do about it isn’t? That’s pretty much how absolutely every emergency works. If there’s pretty much any kind of major emergency at all, a large number of people will be in their cars when it happens, because at any given moment, there are always a lot of people in cars. And in every situation, having some means of communicating information to those people in cars will help. And AM radio is currently the only reliable means of communicating in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8592 "2026-09-24T00:50:39Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m “hung up” on Congress needlessly subsidizing a dying industry that has been complicit in the dismantling of our democracy for the last 40 years. And this bit is just downright silly, like blaming the US Mint for bribery and corruption in US politics post-_Citizens United_, because it’s the Mint’s fault there’s so much money floating around. 🙄 What actually enabled the cancerous spread of US conservative talk radio was not the existence of the AM radio format and AM radio reception in itself, but very specific regulatory decisions such as the 1987 repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and the 1996 Telecommunications Act that decimated local independent ownership of radio stations. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8593 "2026-09-24T00:53:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And AM radio is currently the only reliable means of communicating in an emergency. Did FM, satellite, and cell phone EAS alerts cease to exist while I wasn’t paying attention? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8594 "2026-09-24T00:55:45Z")
No, they still exist. They’re just not as reliable. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8595 "2026-09-24T01:06:55Z")
Well, I’m failing to envision a scenario in which there are massive numbers of people on the road who immediately need to be warned of an impending emergency, FM radio and the cell network have failed, and we’re not all about to die anyway. May as well just drive directly into the mushroom cloud at that point. Assuming the EMP didn’t fry my car’s engine AND its AM radio. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8596 "2026-09-24T01:13:40Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, I’m failing to envision a scenario in which there are massive numbers of people on the road who immediately need to be warned of an impending emergency, FM radio and the cell network have failed Doesn’t even need to be “massive numbers of people on the road,” or a major national emergency. You could just be out in the boonies during a severe weather outbreak, where – again – cell service can be very spotty. Also, FM radio signals do not carry nearly as far as AM signals do. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8597 "2026-09-24T01:21:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > You could just be out in the boonies during a severe weather outbreak, where – again – cell service can be very spotty. What do you suppose is the amount of overlap between people who live in rural areas without cell service or FM radio, and people who drive brand new electric cars? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8598 "2026-09-24T01:22:10Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, I’m failing to envision a scenario in which there are massive numbers of people on the road who immediately need to be warned of an impending emergency, FM radio and the cell network have failed, and we’re not all about to die anyway. Again: Earthquake. Hurricane. Tornado. It’s not hard to imagine. And the people probably already know that there’s an emergency, but might need to know things like which direction to drive to avoid the worst of it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8599 "2026-09-24T01:23:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Again: Earthquake. Hurricane. Tornado. It’s not hard to imagine. I’m having trouble imagining how any of those could take out FM radio, satellite radio, TV, and the cell network, but leave high-power AM transmitters intact and functioning. Or how I’d be able to keep my EV charged to listen to the radio. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8600 "2026-09-24T01:24:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > What do you suppose is the amount of overlap between people who live in rural areas without cell service or FM radio, and people who drive brand new electric cars? It wasn’t just EVs which were getting the AM radios removed (or planned to be removed) by the manufacturers. In 2023, Ford announced a plan to remove AM radios from _all_ of their vehicles, both EVs and ICEs (which [they later reversed under pressure](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177845707/ford-keep-am-radio-on-its-vehicles)). Besides, people who don’t live in rural areas are, in fact, allowed to visit them: on vacations, day trips, camping, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=429) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=431)