# 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:** 432
**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, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8621 "2026-09-24T04:35:20Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Until we have such a thing, AM radio is the most viable source we have and making it mandatory is responsible. And yet we’ve survived as a nation for all this time without such a mandate, no other country seems to o have one that I can find, and there doesn’t seem to be any epidemic of people dying who would be alive today if only their car had an AM radio in it. Why, in Europe they’re phasing out AM altogether! The horror! > In 2015, Radio Info reported that AM stations were shutting down en masse from France to the Netherlands and Russia. The band has largely been superseded by the DAB format. According to recent figures released by WorldDAB, 95% of new cars sold in key European markets were equipped with DAB+ receivers as standard in 2021. > **[Why Are Some Automakers Ditching AM Radio? - Radio World](https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/why-are-some-automakers-ditching-am-radio)** > > While Electric Vehicles can help curb our fossil fuel dependency, they also pose a growing threat to the radio industry. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8622 "2026-09-24T05:17:48Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > And yet we’ve survived as a nation for all this time without such a mandate, no other country seems to o have one that I can find, and there doesn’t seem to be any epidemic of people dying who would be alive today if only their car had an AM radio in it. Again, temper tantrum. If we can survive without something, we shouldn’t have it. This is nonsensical rhetoric from someone ranting and foaming at the mouth because they got caught being wrong. You’ve been wrong a whole hell of a lot in this thread, and not just on this issue. You should quit while behind. ---
**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, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8623 "2026-09-24T05:59:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > This is nonsensical rhetoric from someone ranting and foaming at the mouth because they got caught being wrong. Being wrong about… what? I haven’t seen any compelling argument that mandating AM radios in cars is going to accomplish anything but prop up ad revenues for talk radio, and you lot have proposed nothing but outlandish scenarios where the only way a person could know their lives are in immediate danger is if they’re in their car already listening to 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, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8624 "2026-09-24T06:06:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I haven’t seen any compelling argument that mandating AM radios in cars is going to accomplish anything but prop up ad revenues for talk radio. The bill is supported by [a large number of emergency management organizations and experts](https://www.insideradio.com/free/ahead-of-today-s-hearing-more-support-for-requiring-am-radio-in-cars/article_fd1cebd2-044c-11ee-8416-ebe2554814ac.html). > [@](#): > > A half dozen emergency management groups have joined the chorus of broadcasters, ex-FEMA officials, and lawmakers in support of proposed legislation to include AM radio reception as a federal safety standard for all vehicles sold in the U.S. The June 5 letter from Big City Emergency Managers, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, International Association of Emergency Managers, International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of Counties and National Emergency Management Association urges congressional leaders and the ranking members of House and Senate committees to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413 and S. 1669). > > "As emergency managers working to maintain the nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all emergencies, disasters and threats to our nations’ national security, AM radio is an essential tool to effectively disseminating local, timely and crucial information to the public,” the letter says in part. “When extreme weather events occur and broadband, electric power and cell service are out, people with AM radios can continue to receive critical, and possibly lifesaving, information.” But, no, you are clearly far more learned about this than _actual emergency management professionals_, and incapable of admitting that maybe you might be mistaken, and maybe AM radios are useful and important for this purpose. ---
**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, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8625 "2026-09-24T06:15:49Z")
And what part of any of what you just posted said that **you need an AM radio in your car** to access 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, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8626 "2026-09-24T06:33:51Z")
As has already been explained to you, it helps ensure that more people have access to an AM radio if and when they need it. Not everyone is going to have your foresight to go buy a standalone radio. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8627 "2026-09-24T06:34:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not everyone is going to have your foresight to go buy a standalone radio. Or be willing to **break the fucking law** by operating it while driving. Fiddling around with a device while driving is illegal in the state that Smapti and I live in. A radio built into a car is part of the car, and not illegal, but if you mess around with a cell phone or a coffee maker or a radio you have sitting on your passenger seat or whatever, you could get ticketed for that. (Potentially; the law as written excludes “radios” in general, but if a cop sees you distracted by screwing around with something I wouldn’t want to bet on that being okay.) We also don’t need mandate seatbelts because people can acquire third party restraint systems and install it themselves, and the country survived for decades before seatbelts were required anyway. ---
**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, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8628 "2026-09-24T06:39:40Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not everyone is going to have your foresight to go buy a standalone radio. Who the fuck doesn’t own a radio? > [@Atamasama](#): > > A radio built into a car is part of the car, and not illegal, but if you mess around with a cell phone or a coffee maker or a radio you have sitting on your passenger seat or whatever, you could get ticketed for that. It occurs to one that if one were driving down the road and the entire FM/satellite band suddenly went dark and one’s phone lost all service, one might, I dunno, pull over instead of continuing to roll along as if nothing had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8629 "2026-09-24T06:43:18Z")
A healthy debate can be had over whether or not legislation mandating radios in vehicles is useful. However… Objectively speaking, AM radios are not in any way obsolete. That’s absurd and ignorant. It’s also not stupid to put forth that legislation, even if you disagree with it. There is legitimate merit to it. Certainly not the “man sticks head into alligator’s mouth on a bet” kind of stupidity this thread was created for. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8630 "2026-09-24T10:59:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > It _is_ nice to keep AM radios in cars until a modern replacement is engineered, mandated, installed, and operational. That’s sound public policy in action. > > > > But keeping AM receivers alive when there is no real market for it in order to enable the Feds to skip the hard work of engineering and mandating, well that’s cheap half ass work. > > Can’t have it both ways, though. If it’s sound public policy to keep AM radios mandatory in cars until that technology is replaced by a more effective equally mandatory form of communication, then it’s not sound public policy to stop making AM mandatory **before** we’ve got a better substitute to make mandatory instead. Don’t just tear down the leaky roof first thing and leave the house exposed while you eventually get around to designing and installing a roof that doesn’t leak. I’m afraid I didn’t do a good job of explaining my POV. Sorry to mislead you. You and I are actually in agreement here. IMO … The Feds _should_ be busy now designing a replacement for AM EAS. And _should_ be intending to mandate it for installation in receivers everywhere once it’s ready. Even / Especially in mobile phones. And they _should_ be mandating that AM radios continue to be installed in every car until they finish rolling out the new system(s) whatever they may be. But just doing the last of those three tasks while ignoring the other two is half-assed. And simply kicks the can down the road. _That_ was my intended point. Sorry. Now during the current criminal regime, I think can-kicking is probably better for the future than any action this moronic evil clownshow might decide to take. But in more normal times … Further on my comments from the first part of my quoted post to the effect that AM isn’t as effective as it once was because it’s not actively used … much. … A public notification system is only as good as the public is aware of it. The graying audience on the SDMB all knows what AM radio is / was. IMO it would be interesting / scary to take a survey of 30yos and ask them if they are aware that AM radio exists and that there’s a national emergency broadcast system that uses it which they should tune into in the event of a disaster. I suspect we’d get a lot of puzzled looks and “I’d need to ask Google about that”. And 30yos aren’t children. A sizeable fraction of 30yos _have_ children, been working a decade or more, are married, etc. A good point made upthread by several folks is that the deep value of emergency notification systems is not the urgent “news” aspect of it. “A tornado hit downtown 2 minutes ago” is not actionable by most people. If you’re downtown you already know. if you’re not downtown, you don’t (immediately) care. At least not at the safety of your life level of care. The deep value comes in for a long-lasting situation, say Katrina or Maria or the widepsread cellular outage or a widespread power blackout. People need to be kept informed of the scope of the situation, be given simple actionable instructions everyone can use and do, e.g. where to obtain potable water or useable shelter. And last of all, people need to know that help is on the way, that somebody somewhere is working hard to manage the response to this situation. Lest they turn even harder towards rumor mongering, looting, etc., in the name of providing for their family. That is the real value of an EAS. ---
**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, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8631 "2026-09-24T14:30:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’m afraid I didn’t do a good job of explaining my POV. Sorry to mislead you. You and I are actually in agreement here. > > IMO … > > The Feds _should_ be busy now designing a replacement for AM EAS. And _should_ be intending to mandate it for installation in receivers everywhere once it’s ready. Even / Especially in mobile phones. And they _should_ be mandating that AM radios continue to be installed in every car until they finish rolling out the new system(s) whatever they may be. Yes, I got that, sorry, it was I who was unclear: your policy recommendation is sound, and those (unnamed) complainers who are demanding the removal of the AM-in-new-cars requirement **before** a superior replacement system is ready for rollout are the ones who are trying to have it both ways. (As in, _“well modern technology is just so much better that we can easily do without this old dinosaur!”_, while ignoring the fact that the dinosaur is still making **real-life disasters** significantly **safer** for millions of people by continuing to cover the gaps in the current applications of newer technology.) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8632 "2026-09-24T14:36:13Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Judge Judy](https://www.foxnews.com/us/judge-judy-warns-danger-prosecutors-dont-retry-lindsay-clancy-murder-trial-ends-mistrial) is doubling down on her love of America, telling people who want to fundamentally change the country to “go somewhere else.” Judge Judy has always reminded me of my mother. She’s an incredibly mean person, jumps to conclusions and appears entirely irrational. Also I presume she’s talking about Republican radicals who are destroying norms and reshaping our country into a barely recognizable husk of its original self. I’m sure that’s what she’s talking about. ---
**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, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8633 "2026-09-24T14:48:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > > The law prohibits automakers from charging buyers extra for the AM radio. > > _Because they want to subject you to propaganda while you drive._ Oh suuuuure, this is **exactly** why [Democratic Senators like Jack Reed strongly advocated for the 2024 act mandating AM radios in vehicles.](https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/noting-that-public-safety-shouldnt-be-compromised-to-save-a-buck-reed-backs-the-am-radio-for-every-vehicle-act) Because they think the American public needs more exposure to right-wing talk radio. 🙄 🙄 > [@](#): > > Citing a layered approach to keeping public informed during emergencies and internet and cellular blackouts, 60 U.S. senators support bipartisan bill to bolster U.S. emergency communication infrastructure by keeping AM radios standard in cars. Your _“but we don’t need it because we should just expect individuals to do something else instead!”_ claims are irresponsibly and ignorantly disregarding the realities of robust multi-layered emergency communication systems. And your _“but it’s a sinister conspiracy to promote right-wing talk radio!”_ claims are tinfoil-hat bullshittery. I can see that this is destined to be one of those **@Smapti-Head-Up-Ass** issues where you are just obviously, flatly wrong about a particular situation but simply love your half-assed “contrarian” position too much to ever quit making the same stupid flawed arguments in defense of it. I agree that it’s more than time for the thread to return to discussing some of the **other** stupid MFers in the news, and I apologize to other posters for having spent so much thread-time beating our collective head against this brick wall. ---
**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, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8634 "2026-09-24T16:03:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Who the fuck doesn’t own a radio? Around one-third to one-quarter of Americans don’t. Radio ownership is higher among older generational groups, and lower among younger groups. > [@](#): > > Percentage of consumers who own a regular radio in working condition where they live that they use: > > - Male - 75% > - Female - 68% > - Gen Z - 73% > - Millennials - 61% > - Gen X - 67% > - Boomers - 78% > - Greatest - 86% > **[Other Media - Media Facts](https://www.rab.com/whyradio/mfdetailsUpdate.cfm?theCat=Radio)** > > RAB's new Competitive Media section gives you complete access to the latest information profiling 10 competitive media. Each profile contains a complete whitepaper as well as the advantages, disadvantages and plus Radio for each medium. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8635 "2026-09-24T16:09:25Z")
I don’t own a radio outside of the one in my car. That said, I feel like mandating an AM radio is like mandating the inclusion of a buggy-whip holder. If this was truly about public safety, wouldn’t it be much more intelligent to mandate the inclusion of an AM receiver on a cell phone? I’d be willing to bet more people have cell phones than cars, and I expect that disparity to increase as time goes by. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8636 "2026-09-24T16:30:27Z")
Radio receivers were common in cell phones when people used wired headphones with them. But they need an antenna, and without the headphone wires to use as an antenna, the cellphone doesn’t work well as a radio. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8637 "2026-09-24T16:36:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > Who the fuck doesn’t own a radio? > > Around one-third to one-quarter of Americans don’t. Radio ownership is higher among older generational groups, and lower among younger groups. And what fraction of Americans uses the radio in their car, and how old are they? I like to listen to the radio (FM) when i drive, but Android Auto doesn’t play well with the radio, it assumes you get your entertainment from your phone. I was griping to friends about that, and the uniform response was, "you listen to the _radio_ in your _car_? Have you considered using the station’s streaming app instead? " I’m sure most old people listen to the radio in their car, at least sometimes. But younger people? And AM? How many Americans would even think to tune into their car radio in _AM_ if there was an emergency? I’m guessing that number is small. Especially among Americans under 60. I thought the law was bizarre, but assumed it was either protectionism (make it harder to import cars) or just a function of the average age of congressmen being dead. ---
**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, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8638 "2026-09-24T16:40:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > ir car, at least sometimes. But younger people? And AM? How many Americans would even think to tune into their car radio in _AM_ if there was an emergency? It’s an issue, to be sure, but one that can be addressed – and in an actual emergency, the emergency alert (which, yes, does also come through your cell phone) can be used to provide instruction to tune to a particular AM frequency for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8639 "2026-09-24T16:44:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And what fraction of Americans uses the radio in their car, and how old are they? I like to listen to the radio (FM) when i drive, but Android Auto doesn’t play well with the radio, it assumes you get your entertainment from your phone. I don’t have a problem listening to the car radio while Android Auto is engaged. As long as you don’t have any … musical aps running when you plug in, it leaves the car radio running. The only time Android Auto overrides my radio is when I have a streaming ap open at the time. It has them waiting to be used (when not open), but doesn’t automatically run. Of course, that’s my experience. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/8640 "2026-09-24T16:44:57Z")
And would younger people even know how to access a radio on a car? Or to tune it to a particular station? Those functions are harder than they used to be. It took me a while to program a few favorite stations on my new car. I’m not saying that broadcasting emergency info on AM radio is completely useless. It’s probably helpful for organizations, like police departments. Heck, i have a friend who is part of a ham radio emergency network in SF, that is called up when the data lines are cut. When 911 is down, they are up. But if we are depending on the general public to get emergency info over an AM radio in a car, i think we’re in trouble. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=431) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=433)