National Farmers Union Touts AM Radio's Importance At 2024 Convention.

National Farmers Union Touts AM Radio’s Importance At 2024 Convention.

Mar 14, 2024 Updated Mar 14, 2024

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew used NFU’s 2024 convention as a platform to tout the importance of AM radio, saying it is critical to rural America.

Larew stressed the need for critical information that can be broadcast via AM radio and questioned some automakers’ decisions to discontinue AM radio receivers in new vehicles, particularly electric vehicles which have been known to cause interference with AM reception.

“The idea of placing restrictions on [AM receivers in vehicles] cuts to the core of one of the themes here at the convention today,” he said, according to AG Info. “And that is if we're going to continue to have a strong democracy and continue to make sure that folks can stay informed and make sure that we have good information out there, that requires good access to information, good access to all sources, regardless of where you're at, particularly in rural America, that is critically important in a disaster but also all times and so AM radio access continues to be a hot issue.”

Larew’s comments follow similar stances from various rural and agricultural organizations. In January, delegates of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) adopted a policy to support the continued inclusion of AM radios in vehicles.

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