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Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 876, Volume 17, #43 for May 27, 2026

AM ACT GETS A PATHWAY
Sometimes the way Congress works really makes you stop and think for a moment. Right now, the Build America 250 infrastructure Bill contains something many broadcasters have sought: the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The key aspect: the Bill is mostly reauthorizing funding for surface transportation but will likely go to “reconciliation” before long, which means it may get passed and sent to the President later in September.

A DIFFERENT BILL BRINGS DIFFICULTY
Sometimes it is hard to see if there is progress or just some sort of circular action. While the big push for AM in all vehicles has been on the minds of broadcasters for a while, another Bill could truly hurt some stations, especially daytimers. The “Sunshine Protection Act” – a push for year-round Daylight Saving Time – could completely eliminate AM drive for a number of stations that do not have full power until the sun comes up. For example, in the Northern tier of states, sunrise can be – and is right now! – well after 9AM.

A REAL BOOST FOR AM?
Most broadcasters know that background RF interference coming from all sorts of sources – computers/LED lights/power supplies/EVs/etc – has raised the “noise floor” and reduced the effective coverage of many stations. For many reasons – not to forget FCC Rules – simply raising power may not be the solution. An NRSC study released during the NAB Spring Show has some startling results: over 80% of AM stations in the US could benefit from the use of boosters – even including many stations putting out 50 kW.

Boosters for AM? Yep. Our guest this week, John Kean will discuss the why, the how, and the potential results of using AM boosters. Join us this Thursday (tomorrow) at 2PM for this interesting look at something that could help some AM stations recover market coverage.

Join us at 2PM Thursday (tomorrow): the link request is at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ You can also go to youtubelive and subscribe to thebdrnet channel to get a reminder when live broadcast and videos are posted.

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