French radio broadcasters demand mandatory FM and DAB+ in new cars

Public, private, and community radio broadcasters in France are calling on the French government and European Union authorities to mandate the installation of FM and DAB+ receivers in all new vehicles. The coalition, which includes Radio France, the Alliance de la Radio, and Les Locales, sent a joint letter to the French Ministry of Economy to protect direct, free access to radio broadcasts.

The industry is responding to a trend where some manufacturers, particularly from the US and China, are omitting terrestrial radio tuners in favor of connected systems and streaming platforms like Spotify. With approximately 37% of radio listenership occurring in vehicles, broadcasters argue that losing direct access threatens editorial sovereignty and universal access to information.

On a European level, the groups are urging policymakers to include these requirements within the Digital Networks Act and the revision of the European Electronic Communications Code. They also emphasized that terrestrial radio remains a critical tool for information dissemination during crises when mobile networks may be saturated or unavailable.