Res. No. 557
Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, legislation allocating funds for the preservation of AM radio broadcasting
By Council Members Morano and Louis
Whereas, According to the United States (U.S.) Federal Communications Commission (FCC), amplitude modulation radio, also known as AM radio, refers to the means of encoding the audio signal on the carrier wave by altering the amplitude of the wave, and provides a “crucial service to American communities,” often providing “local programming, such as local news, weather, and community events”; and
Whereas, In addition to providing news and local programming, AM radio stations transmit national and local emergency alerts; and
Whereas, AM radio signals can travel farther distances than FM radio signals, but the information carried by AM radio waves is susceptible to interference; and
Whereas, According to the FCC, AM service has seen a steady decline in listenership due to interference and reception issues, particularly from power lines, phone chargers, fluorescent and LED light bulbs, computer monitors, and flat-screen TVs; and
Whereas, AM radio remains a major source of conservative views and non-English-language programming in the U.S.; and
Whereas, According to a 2023 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, approximately 80 percent of Americans over the age of 12 listen to AM and FM radio weekly, and about half of American adults rely on radio for news; and
Whereas, New York City (the City) has a deep history of AM radio broadcasting, and in 1922 the city allocated funds to establish WNYC AM 820, which makes WNYC one of the oldest radio stations in the U.S.; and
Whereas, WNYC has hosted the former mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s weekly talk radio program “Talk to the People,” which ran from 1941 to 1945 and contained segments that covered living costs in the City and World War 2 updates; and
Whereas, On September 11, 2001, WNYC continued to broadcast AM radio during the terror attack that collapsed the north World Trade Center tower that hosted the station’s FM antenna; and
Whereas, According to the Gothamist, WNYC’s parent company has made 2 rounds of layoffs, which cut over 40 staff positions and reduced programming in 2023 and 2024 because of a decline in sponsorship; and
Whereas, One online blog speculates that land value may disincentivize maintaining AM radio transmitters, and currently most AM radio towers that serve the City are in the New Jersey Meadowlands, and 2 radio towers in the City are located on High Island in the Bronx near the City’s northern border; and
Whereas, Allowing AM broadcasting to decline could risk the City losing important cultural institutions like WNYC; and
Whereas, The U.S. Congress has the authority and resources to introduce legislation that can enable the preservation of AM broadcasting so that it can be enjoyed by future generations of New Yorkers; now, therefore, be it; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, legislation allocating funds for the preservation of AM radio broadcasting.
DJS
LS #23732
06/25/2026