05/29/2024

How One Association Earned an Advocacy Win

Savvy online organization helped it win

Last week, a Congressional committee approved a bill that would require cars to have access to AM radio. The move comes a year after the introduction of the AM for Every Vehicle Act, and an even longer period of industry advocacy on its behalf. Some automakers had begun removing AM radios from electric vehicles, citing interference between AM frequencies and their motors. But organizations like the National Association of Broadcasters argued that AM radio was a crucial lifeline for Americans.

"AM radio delivers local news, sports, traffic reports, talk shows, foreign-language programming and other critical content to 82 million listeners a month and remains a key part of the emergency communications infrastructure," said Alex Siciliano, senior vice president, communications at NAB.

To convey that message as the bill worked its way through Congress, NAB naturally relied on AM radio stations themselves to get the word out. But it also developed a multichannel grassroots advocacy plan that ensured that support for AM radio would be spread widely, easily, and consistently. It launched a dedicated website, DependOnAM.com, with an associated hashtag, #DependOnAM.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.