It doesn't matter why. Radio's job is to create programming, not create demand for devices they don't make.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
FCC Considers Whether To Let Canadian Company Buy U.S. Radio Station.
- Thread starter davideduardo
- Start date
It doesn't matter why. Radio's job is to create programming, not create demand for devices they don't make.
That's a music problem. Most of the music in the world is either made by Sony or Universal. Wonder why the music sounds the same? It's mainly coming from two companies.
Radio just plays the best music available. If there was better music, it would get played.
There were different types that faded though (stuff like Train, Matchbox 20, Natasha Bedingfield) got played a decade ago on Hot AC, but not today.
Some of it. But when comparing formats, don't look at what they play... look at what they do not play..
No, it has become more fragmented, with extremely polarized subsets of the followers of that format.
Again, look at what they don't play both by style and age-group appeal.
You are forgetting all the other formats, from R&B/Urban to Country to all the Hispanic formats.
You are also forgetting that back in the later 50's and earlier 60's, we had, in most markets these formats: MOR, Top 40, Country and R&B. In what was then a top 10 market, Cleveland, we had 3 MOR stations, 3 Top 40's and two R&B stations in that era. That's it.
So if you are looking at format variety, we have vastly more variants today than ever even if we don't look beyond the AM and FM alternatives.
Another example: in 1960, Traverse City, Michigan, had one AM station with 250 watts. Today, there are over 25 stations that put a "local" signal into that city, and countless others that have marginal signals. Every sustainable format... and then some... is offered.
I've always likened radio to politics. People hate Congress, but, on average, 80% of Congressmen get re-elected. People gripe about radio, but they still listen to their favorite station. They do, however, spend less time with it.
“Repetition” means “too many songs I don’t like,” not the same songs over and over. As The Big A mentions, radio has a music problem. There's a reason CHR's are playing songs 25 years old right now.
Of course. That's been what we've been saying much of this time.
I know there are stylistic differences between them. I also know there are genres which keep to "themselves" like Hispanic. I am just saying there are a lot of similar product shared between them, which might make some "turn off" the radio and stream. For example, in LA (as mentioned in another thread), Uptown Funk is now played on CHR, Hot AC, AC, and now classic hits (and could be even on other formats.) That is one example (probably "Heat Waves" is another which is on alt too), but there are others, but people may tire of hearing those songs everywhere they go on the radio. It is kind of like flipping through cable and seeing 3 stations play "The Office."
Bruce Springsteen once wrote a song, "57 Channels and Nothin' On." It was about TV back then. Today the same could be sung about radio.
The radio stations don't program these stations for themselves. They program it for the audience. The reason there are similarities between stations is because musical taste is not always so narrow. I know in my own case, I can easily shift from one style of music to another. Radio formats exist because radio stations are trying to find the right combination of songs that will attract a mass audience. That combination changes as the audience ages. It's a living, breathing thing. So yes, there will be sharing of music, because popular taste doesn't fit in just one box. I think it's more of a turnoff if you try to force a listener into some preconceived box of what music they should like. Give them choices. That's what the radio dial is. If you don't like one mix, make your own by changing the station to something else.
I am just saying someone scanning the dial/presets could get bored easily by what is on since a lot of stations play the same stuff.
But they really don't if you look outside of your own bubble. Go outside of those presets and you will find lots of things you've never heard before. Try to understand that each station plays music in DIFFERENT ways. That means different combinations, different rotations, different presentations. So just playing the same stuff doesn't mean they all sound the same. Radio stations are more than just the music. But then, you're really only talking about five stations in a market of 50. So you won't hear Uptown Funk of WDAF or KFKF. Right?
On the other hand, some people want to be bored. They stay married to the same woman, live in the same house, commute to the same job, and listen to the same classic hits station that plays 40 year old songs. Nobody forces them to do that. They choose to live that life. Who's to say that's wrong?
That could be the case. Exploring different genres might be the best bet if someone has stayed within certain genres on the radio (roughly the pop/classic hits/rock genres for me.)
In St. Louis, this translates to:
KSHE
The Eagles "Hotel California"
Fleetwood Mac "Dreams"
Styx "Come Sail Away"
KLOU
Fleetwood Mac "Dreams"
The Eagles "Hotel California"
Styx "Come Sail Away"
WARH (The Arch)
Styx "Come Sail Away"
The Eagles "Hotel California"
Fleetwood Mac "Dreams"
I see your point.
Unfortunately, it's the bored people who are easily marketed to, and therefore easily catered to, and they buy more things.
If music discovery is your thing, terrestrial radio just isn't geared to you. It wasn't designed that way.
However, were there some kind of format that could sustain a radio station commercially, it would be done in those over-radioed markets. It appears that there is no such thing.
Probably... a subject for another thread would be "formats that have not been discovered yet".
Again, broadcasters chase after easy marks, i mean, viewers and listeners. It is the only proven business model that works in advertiser based media.
And now add-in hundreds of streaming options too.
My son-in-law just gave me an adapter, and it works perfectly for me.
This sort of thing works great. I rarely listen to over-the-air radio any more, I just stream everything. It means I can listen to what I choose to listen to, rather than what the broadcasters choose to broadcast in my area. I got into the habit while living in an area with very limited terrestrial radio choice, but even though I now live in a place with an actual 21st-century competitive radio market, I'm still listening to streams because why not?
People go on about the cell carrier signal not being strong enough, but I've never had that issue in urban or rural areas. Normally, in a town or city I'm on 5G, and when I go out into the country it turns to 4G, it's all fine. I have a data cap that I never reach - about $10 for 40GB per month, I never come close.
I only wish that Tall_Guy and Kirk, in particular, would pay attention to what you wrote here. Tall_Guy in particular thinks radio stations should cater to his unique personal taste, where he can get that today via streaming.
You're absolutely right. There seems to be the assumption that regional cell sites have some track record of going off line simultaneously. But there is absolutely no evidence of that occurring. I definately have personally seen multiple broadcast radio stations go silent due to some freak storm. The fact is; that the whole premise of a cellular radio structure is; by design, more reliable and potentially available than broadcast transmission facilities.
Were lucky our calls and texts go through here.. on our 2G network. Just this past weekend, we had an issue where cells couldnt call landlines and landlines couldnt call cells. Of the many problems our network has had even in just the 2 years ive been here.
We are moving past 2G anytime soon
Hahaha. Those are the Top3 most listened to radio stations in St. Louis. If people are bored by them, it doesn't show in their behavior. Why do stations play those songs? Because people listen. In large numbers. Those songs work. Great job.
Let me make this simple: If music discovery is your thing, don't listen to stations that call themselves 'classic.' That's the big tell that there's no music discovery there, and the listeners to those stations don't want to discover new music,
On the other hand, there ARE stations in St. Louis for people who want to discover new music. It may come on stations you've never considered. For example, KSD plays a lot of new music. In fact, more than a quarter of the music they play is either new songs or by new artists. If you go to their playlist, you'll see a bunch of songs by artists on their first single. So if music discovery is your thing, listen to KSD.
- Status