For two hours and 45 minutes on Tuesday morning, the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing focused on the importance of AM radio. Taking center stage for broadcasters on Capitol Hill: J Chapman, a.k.a. Jerry Chapman, the President of Woof Boom Radio.

Chapman's stations serve five cities in Indiana and Ohio, and his testimony served as an important endorsement of AM radio for those on the committee who asked about kHz-based broadcasts and their service — not only in times of emergency but also as a vehicle for multicultural, Talk radio and religious programming.

His comments contrasted from those of Scott Schmidt, VP of Safety Policy for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. As far as Schmidt is concerned, having free alerts sent to drivers in a time of an emergency is suffice — and that led Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-Ohio) to ask questions regarding Radio to Schmidt.

RBR+TVBR offers an audio snippet of the hearing in today's InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. It's just a small example of how Members of Congress and the radio industry, supported by the NAB, are united in combating groups such as Schmidt's who believe AM's role in delivering essential information in a time of need is no longer essential.