And my point isn't that Internet radio can't be a viable business, especially with some regulatory changes. It's that you shouldn't expect terrestrial stations to turn in their licenses anytime soon, that's still how they will continue to reach a majority of their audience.
Hurricane Sandy also proved how plain old radio could go on while the cellular and landline networks suffered major damage. It's also easier to throw batteries in a radio than to deal with a smartphone during an emergency such as that.
Net radio will continue to grow. But it won't replace the simplicity of broadcasting. 40 years from now, things may be different. In our lifetimes I wouldn't expect to see FM stations shut down. AM will be where the big 50kW blasters survive and the smaller stations go dark. It will be a much less crowded band in the future.
Hurricane Sandy also proved how plain old radio could go on while the cellular and landline networks suffered major damage. It's also easier to throw batteries in a radio than to deal with a smartphone during an emergency such as that.
Net radio will continue to grow. But it won't replace the simplicity of broadcasting. 40 years from now, things may be different. In our lifetimes I wouldn't expect to see FM stations shut down. AM will be where the big 50kW blasters survive and the smaller stations go dark. It will be a much less crowded band in the future.