GM Ponders Plan to Auction Off Radio Preset Buttons

General Motors Co. has patented a system that allows radio stations and other telematics services to bid for rights to control a car's radio preset button, online news blog Jalopnik.com reports.

The scheme represents an effort by GM to find new ways to monetize vehicle connectivity. The company's patent describes a system with several options. One of them would enable a preset button to be automatically reassigned as the vehicle travels out of its home base or from one radio station's broadcast footprint to another's.

Such a system might include some preset buttons the vehicle owner could reprogram through a Web site, perhaps by paying a fee to do so, according to the patent. Other buttons would be permanently assigned to a winning bidder.

GM's patent describes a system architecture rather than a list of likely services that would use it. The company notes that usage will evolve as the capabilities of vehicle telematics expands.