a system and method for providing services to users in vehicles based on radio broadcasts received by a vehicle &# 39 ; s radio receiver . the system includes a computer - based vehicle unit located in a vehicle , a gateway configured to wirelessly send and receive information to and from the vehicle unit , and a computer - based server in communication with the gateway over a network . the vehicle unit includes a user interface component that presents the received content and radio broadcast and records user requests . the server processes the requests and sends confirmation messages back to the unit via the gateway when a request is completed or other information needs to be sent to the unit . the vehicle unit wirelessly receives a radio broadcast from a radio station , transmits user requests and vehicle information to the server via the gateway , and receives content back from the server .