More than Entertainment
I listen to radio to be informed as well as to be entertained. I quit reading the newspaper when the opinions started outweighing the news. I get some news from TV, but I found radio not only gave me the details I wanted, radio, through calls from listeners, also gave me an indication of the pulse of the community. It was better than reading the letters to the editors!
To do that, it had to be local talk shows with local hosts and local callers. Sam Steiger comes to mind, as well as David Leibowitz. I don't get that from listening to Tony Snow, John Hannity, Bill Bennett or Tom Lykis. To me, content is more important than the experience or polish of the host.
I think local stations, by moving to syndicated shows, are forgetting that their listeners are local. Soon there will be no need to tune to a local station, and listeners will drift to satellite radio.
When I used to listen to Bob Boze Bell and David K Jones, they would have a TV near them, and if something hot, such as a fire or a car chase was going on, they would comment about it and you didn't feel left out.
Most syndicated shows are delayed (if you did hear them live you would never know it), and they will never interrupt for breaking news......propbably because more than half of their audience will be hearing the show hours later.
I feel that radio should be serving the local community.....through local shows and local news. I enjoy visiting small towns and checking out the local stations. They are so much more community oriented than metro Phoenix stations.
I listen to radio to be informed as well as to be entertained. I quit reading the newspaper when the opinions started outweighing the news. I get some news from TV, but I found radio not only gave me the details I wanted, radio, through calls from listeners, also gave me an indication of the pulse of the community. It was better than reading the letters to the editors!
To do that, it had to be local talk shows with local hosts and local callers. Sam Steiger comes to mind, as well as David Leibowitz. I don't get that from listening to Tony Snow, John Hannity, Bill Bennett or Tom Lykis. To me, content is more important than the experience or polish of the host.
I think local stations, by moving to syndicated shows, are forgetting that their listeners are local. Soon there will be no need to tune to a local station, and listeners will drift to satellite radio.
When I used to listen to Bob Boze Bell and David K Jones, they would have a TV near them, and if something hot, such as a fire or a car chase was going on, they would comment about it and you didn't feel left out.
Most syndicated shows are delayed (if you did hear them live you would never know it), and they will never interrupt for breaking news......propbably because more than half of their audience will be hearing the show hours later.
I feel that radio should be serving the local community.....through local shows and local news. I enjoy visiting small towns and checking out the local stations. They are so much more community oriented than metro Phoenix stations.