If the radio companies don't start getting some backbone, they're gonna lose yet more good talent to satellite radio.
Much of the problem here is what/who they would be defending are simply offensive to the majority, many of whom are sharp enough to see the difference between
free and
commercial speech.
As much as I loathe them, there is some value to people such as limbaugh, Hannity etc. Mostly they are mouthpieces for the reactionary right, but occasionally might come up with something worthwhile. A Howard stern and similar is simply about dumb smut.
At least the hot talk format is different, if not a ratings winner everywhere.
Well, it's been tried twice here in NYC and not exactly been a success. The problem is that all of these attempts at "hot talk" amount to just imitating stern's approach, some dumb bimbo telling callers to say hello to her breasts, others joking about bathroom hygiene, and those two in the morning uttering such memorable phrases as "poo pants'.
This is dumb and not worth most people's time. The fact that it has been done here in town for a total of nearly 4 years (WNEW and current) should be enough proof.
I understand the motivation of doing a youth-oriented talk scheme, most of us got the radio habit with free music and there are now devices that do a better job, radio is having to compete with these, but if you are going to offer a talk format, why make it so dumb.
then political talk isn't too far behind (ask your Democrat representative about the desire to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine!)
The proverbial red-herring and now scared cry of the far right. They have good reason to be scared, their cynical use of talk radio to spread lies and poison the political discourse in this country has led to a growing backlash and a senseless war.
Political talk radio didn't begin with Limbaugh in 1988, it just got alot more biased and became a tool of propaganda for extremists.
BTW: I doubt there is any chance of a "Fairness Doctrine" ever coming back. The marketplace and ageing demo's will kill con-talk in the next 5-7 years.
Then what's left? Bland music, bland voicetracked personality-free personalities and tons of commercials
I couldn't agree more, but most of this is driven by the fear of companies that paid way too much for stations back after the Republican congress passed deregulation in the mid-nineties. Also, no one forsaw the competition that would result from new tech and the fact that radio's slice of the pie will inevitably shrink.
Lino
