N-P-R.

Whalen, I know we're in the world of podcasting, but like when was the last time you tuned into an AM station in your car?

Producer Julia Richie, so good to have you on the side of the mic and to answer your question, honestly,

I have not listened to AM radio in the car since it was on when my dad was driving me around.

You know, although we may not be the prime demographic for it, the National Broadcasters Association says some 82 million Americans tune into AM radio each month.

And one of those people is none other than Senator Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts.

I can listen to Boston politics, Boston weather, Boston traffic, Boston sports on WBZ AM on the way home at night.

Boston accents too, I imagine.

With the perfect accent from the birthplace of freedom, Boston, Massachusetts, Lexington and Concord.

But Ed is pretty worried right now about AM radio.

This is the indicator from Planet Money, I'm Whalen Wong.

And I'm Julia Richie, a producer and AM radio nerd just like the Senator.

When some automakers confirmed this year that they were planning to phase out AM radio and their electric vehicles,

the political backlash was immediate and remarkably bipartisan.

Democrats and Republicans are banding together to save AM radio from becoming a relic of the past.

So today on the show, we try to answer the question of whether AM radio is, as Ed sees it, a public good,

and why the government wants car makers to keep them in their cars. That's all coming up after the break.

Don't touch that dial.

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