NPR affiliate KUOW can be found at 94.9 FM throughout the Seattle area, but if you drive a Mazda built between 2014 and 2017 you may want to steer clear of the talk radio station. Mazda owners in the area have reported the radio station permanently crashing their car's "Infotainment" system and leaving key features like GPS, Bluetooth, Backup Camera, and, you may have guessed, the radio unusable except for listening to NPR.
By Golly! They Figured it Out! After nearly a week of speculation, Mazda reported the issue to be software-based, saying they had tracked the problem to an HD Radio broadcast with an image that had no file extension. This caused the in-car software to crash upon trying to read the file.
While Mazda, KUOW, and Xperi (the HD Radio technology company) are all looking into a root cause and solution to the problem, Mazda has suggested affected customers contact their local dealer who will submit the proper requests for free replacement parts.
Telling it like it is - If only there was something else to listen to on your commute…