Home intercom 2.0: If you have Google Nest speakers all around the house, you can send a message to everyone at once. Mobilize your family by saying, “Hey, Google, broadcast …” and then your message. The car will be leaving in 5 minutes, kids.
Automakers want to get rid of AM radio
When I was growing up, my dad worked for United Airlines, and I traveled a lot. I would always sneak a portable AM radio in my backpack, and as the plane crisscrossed the country, I would tune into various stations along the way. Never would I have imagined what that little hobby would become for me.
While FM radio listening is huge, AM radio is still massively important. When hurricanes knock FM stations off the air, AM stations are often more resilient.
AM radio is so crucial that FEMA is installing emergency studios, transmitters and generators at 77 mostly AM radio stations nationwide to maintain communications in the event of the worst (with special thanks to all ham radio operators!).
The car companies making decisions
You need to know several automakers told a Senate committee they’ll nix (or have already nixed) AM radios in all their vehicles. This includes BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, Volvo, Porsche and Mercedes.
Ford has since reversed its decision (at least temporarily) after considerable negative feedback. Ford says no one listens to AM radio anymore. Huh?
Know the numbers
Every day in America, at least 4,185 AM radio stations broadcast news, talk shows, sports and other important programming. AM radio draws an audience of 82.3 million people — more than one in three American radio listeners — each month.
Get this: 57% of AM radio listeners tune into news/talk stations, the very outlets that carry breaking local news. Plus, in rural areas where FM radio signals are iffy, people rely on AM to stay plugged in.
Thanks to its long broadcast range, listeners can still tune into an AM station, regardless of where they are. Think about that the next time you’re road-tripping off the grid. So, why remove AM radios?
The REAL reason
Electromagnetic interference in electric vehicles. Because the electric motors in EVs throw off harmful static, AM radio quality suffers in an EV to the point where it’s unstable and unlistenable.
Sweet trick: Use a smart speaker as an intercom
Remember screaming, “Dinner’s ready!” Or maybe you had a fancy built-in intercom system in your house? Those clunky old systems feel outdated today, but man, were they handy.
Good news: You have access to the future world version if you own any smart speakers. It’s super easy to set up. Let me show you how.
Broadcast TV is struggling
Did you know the top media executives met for a fancy event last week? Here’s how TV’s head honchos are doing, in 60 seconds.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
⚠️ Talk to your kids: A 16-year-old girl faked her birthdate to sign up for Tinder and matched with a 34-year-old man. The two met up, and then he drugged her and broadcast sex acts to thousands of people on an adult website. She told her therapist, who called the police. These dating apps must find better ways to verify the user’s age.
43.5 hours weekly
The time the average American home spends watching broadcast TV, traditional TV and streaming video. Half of that video viewing is done on a TV screen; the rest is split between phones, tablets and computers. These numbers don’t include videos on social media platforms, like TikTok, Instagram Reels and whatever videos on Facebook are called … We can probably double or triple the phone-viewing hours, then, right?
Ahoy, matey! Streaming costs are bringing back piracy
How much do pirates pay for corn? A buck-an-ear! How much do they pay for streaming services? Uh, they don’t.
On a recent Friday podcast, Andrew mentioned all the services he subscribes to to watch football. A reader sent a note with a suggestion: “Just watch on an illegal streaming site. Oh, and be careful what you click.”
Science says taking selfies is good for you
It’s easy to hate on selfies and think they’re only for the self-obsessed. But a study from the University of Ohio and the University of Tubingen in Germany shows selfies can be more than just a way to show off your looks.
Turn off this TV setting ASAP
With most tech gadgets, you get what you pay for. That means cool features and high-quality visuals are often limited to expensive devices. However, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get a five-star experience when it comes to TVs.
Online quiz HQ Trivia is back to give out money, take your mind off COVID-19
Updated 03/30/2020 – If you’re looking for fun ways to pass time during this coronavirus pandemic, there’s good news. The once-popular HQ Trivia app that closed shop in February is back online with new investors. Its most recent host, Matt Richards, announced the trivia app is back this weekend on Twitter and said if you’ve been waiting to cash out, you’ll be able to this week.
Watch local TV for free on your smartphone or computer -- in 9 major cities
Cable became a mainstay of most households just a few decades ago, but with the rise of streaming, it appears to be on the way out. Still, there are shows and events you can catch only on live TV, and there are ways to get those channels for free if you don’t have cable or an antenna. Don’t get too excited yet: The non-profit service is available in only nine cities — New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Denver.