The future is being written for listening to the radio in cars
By 1922, commercial radio was starting to catch on, and several inventors were keen to install receivers in cars. An amateur named George Frost showed off a radio that he MacGyvered in a Ford Model T. Others followed: the Airtone 3D in 1925 and the Philco Transitone of 1927. Nice, but impractical. They were very bulky, ran on very fragile vacuum tubes and were very expensive. A Transitone cost $150 (about $2,300 in today's money) when you could buy a whole car for under $700. Electrical interference from the car's ignition system was also a major problem.
Story continues below advertisement
The big breakthrough came in 1930 when the owner of a radio supply business, William R. Lear (yes, the Learjet guy and the first promoter of the 8-track player) worked with Elmer Wavering (one of his employees and the inventor of the car alternator) met up with Paul and Joseph Galvin, owners of an electronics manufacturer.
Together, they built a radio for Paul's Studebaker. It was big and bulky – all the controls were mounted on the steering column – but it worked and sounded good. Galvin then drove it to a radio manufacturers convention in Chicago, parked it outside, cranked it up, and the orders flooded in for his 'Motorola.' (Yes, the same people who are now in the mobile phone business.) It was still expensive – $110 — but it was the first useful and practical car radio.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
As the technology improved — solid state circuits replaced vacuum tubes in the 1950s, the introduction of in-dash FM radios in 1952 — it was unimaginable for any vehicle to be without a radio for entertainment, news, companionship and keeping one awake on long, late-night drives. It's free, it's local and when done right, it feels like the person on the other side of the speaker is riding along with you. Even today, about 80 per cent of in-car listening is radio.
Today, infotainment systems are deeply integrated into automobile systems and offer all kinds of listening options and connectivity. Radio is still there, but it has to compete against many other options and functions.
Story continues below advertisement
When I travel, I like to rent vehicles from different manufacturers to see what they're doing infotainment-wise. On more than one occasion, I've become frustrated when it comes to finding the radio functions. Why would anyone bury a radio, something that's been part of the driving experience for almost 100 years, so deep in the interface that you can't use it?
The good news is that there's plenty of pushback. At the WorldDAB Automotive 2025 Conference in Madrid, public and private broadcasters — some 200 senior executives — from all over the world got together to deliver this message: Broadcast radio must remain prominent in vehicles. If not, motorists will miss out on a lot — and radio itself could fatally suffer from underexposure.
While AM radio is under siege — it looks like it will take an act of Congress to keep it alive in cars (Spoiler: AM radio is still necessary) — FM radio is still going strong. Other countries have adopted DAB (digital audio broadcasting) radios — a format shunned by the U.S., killing its chances in North America — which also have large audiences. Norway, Switzerland and a few other nations either have dumped FM radio entirely or are in the process of going all-in with DAB. Then, of course, there's satellite radio. Although pretty much just a North American thing, it has tens of millions of listeners.
Here's a comment from Edita Kudláčová, head of radio for the European Broadcasting Union: 'Radio has always been there for us in our cars, a much loved and greatly trusted companion. I can't imagine what could fill the gap if it were ever to disappear from the dashboard. We must continue to innovate – together! – to ensure that radio distribution is fit for our increasingly connected world.'
Story continues below advertisement
And then there's this from Stefan Möller, president of the Association of European Radios: 'We need to work together as an industry and collaborate with the car industry to maintain radio in the car; this is also important from a safety point of view.'
These broadcasters, including the BBC, Radio France, NRJ (France), Global (U.K.), Bauer (U.K.), RTL (Luxembourg), Radio Hamburg (Germany), and Australia's Commercial Radio and Audio as well as the country's RCA Engineering group, are behind a new international initiative called Radio Ready that will see radio stay in cars even as vehicles become more connected. There are three pillars: 1) Radio must remain prominent and convenient with the dashboard, 2) radio-related apps must be easy to find, and 3) voice assistants must be able to offer access to radio content. Anything less risks making traditional broadcast radio too hard to find and use.
The more international pressure is placed on manufacturers (as well as software suppliers such as Canada's QNX as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), the more radio will be protected within infotainment systems. Other broadcasters are invited to join the movement.
This is from Tobias Nielsen from Britain's Bauer Media Group: 'It is essential for democracy and public safety in times of emergency, as well as the cultural value that radio offers, that it remains accessible, prominent, and easily discoverable in connected cars in the future.'
No argument from me. And let me add in one more thing: Broadcast radio is free. No subscription required. As entertainment media goes, it's about as frictionless as it gets.
Story continues below advertisement
Let's hope this turns into a worldwide movement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
New car sales tumble in Canada as trade war bites, new data shows
Canadians bought less in May than they did in April, new data from Statistics Canada showed on Thursday — and one of the factors behind a drop in retail sales was a fall in motor vehicle sales. Retail sales in Canada fell 1.1 per cent in May to $69.2 billion. Core retail sales, which exclude gasoline stations, fuel vendors, motor vehicle and parts dealers, were relatively unchanged in May, the report said. The report said the drop in sales was, in part, due to 'the effects of trade tensions between Canada and the United States on Canadian retail businesses.' Canada's auto industry seems to have taken the brunt of falling retail sales, with motor vehicles and parts dealers recording a drop of 3.6 per cent in retail sales in May. The drop was even starker when it came to new car dealerships, which saw sales fall by 4.6 per cent. Story continues below advertisement This was the first time since February that Canada saw sales at new car dealerships decline, Statistics Canada said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Sales at gasoline stations and fuel vendors declined for the third consecutive month, down 1.4 per cent in May. However, car accessories and tire retailers saw sales jump 1.7 per cent, being the only segment of the auto industry that saw higher sales in May. 5:30 Canada's inflation rate climbs to 1.9% Core retail sales unchanged Aside from food and beverage sales, core retail sales in Canada were relatively unchanged in May. Story continues below advertisement Beverage sales in Canada fell 1.2 per cent, declining for the third month in a row. Beer, wine and liquor retailers saw the biggest drop in this subsector within this sector, with sales falling 2.9 per cent. Supermarkets and grocery stores saw a decline of 0.6 per cent in sales. As the weather warms up all over Canada, the largest increase in core retail sales in May came from building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers. This segment saw sales rise 1.9 per cent in May, followed by a 0.3 per cent decline in April. Sales were also up at health and personal care retailers by 0.7 per cent in May. This was the 11th consecutive month of gains in the subsector. In May, Canadians did not shop online as much as they did in April, as e-commerce sales declined 1.7 per cent to $4.3 billion.
Vancouver Sun
21 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. automakers say Trump's 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15 per cent, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. 'We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,' said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers 'definitely are at a disadvantage' because they face a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25 per cent tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15 per cent tariff that replaces the 25 per cent import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects, the White House said. The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6 per cent share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. 'Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,' Blunt said. Major Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade framework, nor did Autos Drive America or the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, organizations that also represent the industry. There is the possibility that the Japanese framework would give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration's tariffs regime. The president has previously said that flexibility in import tax negotiations is something he values. The USMCA is up for review next year. Ford, GM and Stellantis do 'have every right to be upset,' said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But 'Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America.' Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S. 'There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15 per cent,' Fiorani added, 'but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration's free trade agreement.' ___ St. John contributed from Detroit. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
21 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
U.S. automakers say Trump's 15% tariff deal with Japan puts them at a disadvantage
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. automakers are concerned about President Donald Trump's agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15 per cent, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors. Article content 'We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,' said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis. Article content Article content Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers 'definitely are at a disadvantage' because they face a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25 per cent tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020. Article content Article content The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump's promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity. Article content Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15 per cent tariff that replaces the 25 per cent import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects, the White House said. Article content Article content The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold. Article content Article content But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6 per cent share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient. Article content 'Tough nut to crack, and I'd be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,' Blunt said. Article content Major Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade framework, nor did Autos Drive America or the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, organizations that also represent the industry.
