Radio, as we know it, is slowly dying.
Agree or disagree?
Agree or disagree?
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Radio is slowly dying
- Thread starter oldmanradio
- Start date
M
mustangsally
Guest
Agree. Does anyone besides us care? No. Either we figure out what they want and give it to them or we're finished.
D
dfaulkner
Guest
If it's not dying it's becoming something very different. Not sure what can be done to change that. Radio is certainly not what it used to be.
As a sidenote, do you think HD radio will eventually go the way of AM stereo?
In all the electronic stores I have visited, I have never seen anyone on the HD radio aisle. I was the Lone Ranger.
If you asked your non-broadcast employed friends what HD radio is, would any of them know?
In all the electronic stores I have visited, I have never seen anyone on the HD radio aisle. I was the Lone Ranger.
If you asked your non-broadcast employed friends what HD radio is, would any of them know?
Exactly what would replace radio?
iPods have limitations, such as live news, traffic, weather, and sports. Of course, internet streaming devices have potential to provide such things, they aren't a replacement for radio. Even if wifi were rolled out for free in urban areas, it wouldn't provide 100% coverage and it wouldn't reach some suburbs, let alone rural areas.
Then there is satellite- which has failed to take over the market and doesn't look to do so any time soon.
And behind door number 3? Nada. Nothing. Zilch.
Look- the long-used business model for radio is dying. There is no question about that. But radio still serves a purpose, there is still a demand for it, and someone will find a way to make a buck doing it. Until broadband becomes free and as powerful as AM signals, radio ain't going away.
iPods have limitations, such as live news, traffic, weather, and sports. Of course, internet streaming devices have potential to provide such things, they aren't a replacement for radio. Even if wifi were rolled out for free in urban areas, it wouldn't provide 100% coverage and it wouldn't reach some suburbs, let alone rural areas.
Then there is satellite- which has failed to take over the market and doesn't look to do so any time soon.
And behind door number 3? Nada. Nothing. Zilch.
Look- the long-used business model for radio is dying. There is no question about that. But radio still serves a purpose, there is still a demand for it, and someone will find a way to make a buck doing it. Until broadband becomes free and as powerful as AM signals, radio ain't going away.
Old Jack said:
Why does anything have to replace radio?
Just because radio is still around, does not mean it's a much of a factor.
In the minds of most of the young, radio is as old fashioned as newspapers ... and just as useless. They have already rejected both.
Walk up to the 20 vehicles with teens and 20-30 somethings inside.
Tell me how many you find listening to radio.
Then ask them what they think of radio.
mustangsally said:
Radio is struggling but far from dying. There are 60 million subscribers to Sirius. Radio is listened to by 270 Million people and HD once the power is increased will explode in popularity. Yes the era of 60K nite gigs and 100k Afternoon Gigs are over but RADIO is far from dying.
From what I see on this forum is a lot of bitter, no-talented troublemakers who can't get jobs so they think the industry is dying. Hardly.
copydesk2 said:
You are right. It's the smaller independent operators that have been around a while that are paying better wages. Clear Channel, CBS and Cumulus are voice tracking and paying cheap or cutting left and right while independents are making money and cautiously hiring.in smaller/med markets.
D
dfaulkner
Guest
radiogroupie said:
I worked in Radio & it was great fun. At this point, I no longer work in Radio & I'm not looking to. But, as a listener, I miss the heydays of Radio. What I'll call the Gordon McLenden/Ron Chapman eras. They had their craft down to..if not perfection, something pretty damn close. Radio today is not what it was in the peak years of KLIF & KVIL. That's my observation. As far as being bitter or trying to make trouble, that is absolutely not my intention. I'll let others make their own judgements as to my level of talent. There are still good things on Radio. (See a thread I started called "Something Positive." It's a partial list of things currently on the air that I enjoy.) A posting made while I was writing this points out that some independent stations in smaller markets are doing great things. Radio is changing. Time will tell if it's dying or just changing. In the meantime, Peace, Take Care, Enjoy the Weekend.
Most 'old timers' will probably tell you it started in the '80's with deregulation. We once had the 36 month rule, ownership limited to 7 stations, radio which actually served the community and no cramming the dial with stations which should not be there.
Deregulation led to a decline in local ownership and whore dog corporations trafficking in radio. Once real radio people were those who started, worked years in and loved radio. Now corporate woodpeckers with no broadcasting experience call themselves 'broadcasters'. In actuality they have never been on the air and have no idea what radio or broadcasting is really about.
Deregulation led to a decline in local ownership and whore dog corporations trafficking in radio. Once real radio people were those who started, worked years in and loved radio. Now corporate woodpeckers with no broadcasting experience call themselves 'broadcasters'. In actuality they have never been on the air and have no idea what radio or broadcasting is really about.
Yes, I strongly agree. DYING.
Just returning to DFW after a ten year absence, and very shocked at the sad state of radio. Hearing DFW radio was a HUGE disappointment.
Thoughts on radio from fresh ears to this market-
- Stations sound extremely boring and undifferentiated. Consider two CBS sister O&O's I frequent. Jocks and jingles nearly indistinguishable between some (CBS) stations ... only music different.
- The jocks on MOST stations sound like, " HI, I'm bla-bla-bla, on station bla" (literally).
And who knew you could start every sentence with the contraction " I'm " so and so ???
- Eight big minutes of commercials per break. Yep, I actually timed them today (Sat 7/24) and it was almost eight continuous minutes of spots. Where is the value in this for the advertiser??
There are so many commercials, I've begun to choose stations in order to listen for my favorite spots instead of my favorite music.
-For sure, there's no LUV left at K-LUV... the music is fragmented and therefore the audience MUST be being fragmented as a result. I love being tossed between the 1960's and 1980's, it's a real jolting thrill. Seging between two songs with dissimilar sounds, dissimilar decades and dissimilar cultures is difficult for the new comber to tolerate and my tune out finger during those abrupt transitions works instinctively. While admittedly the traditional oldies of the '80s and '90s is dead nationwide, there must be something better than KLUV. My wife adds, "If they want to do THAT format, they should just kill the K-LUV moniker all together in order to reposition and rebuild their image from scratch". I'd agree IF I though CBS was actually serious about doing radio, but I don't.
On to the technology - HD/IBOC:
Extremely poor adaptation and implementation of HD. This failure belongs to Ibiquity and they should own the botched roll out and poor public introduction of the technology dating back to 2002-03.
-Want built in HD in car receiver? You can't have it!
As of 2010, there are only a few aftermarket car radios available with HD built in. While the aftermarket equipment mfgrs HAVE added CD-R and MP3 playback to their CD players, AND have added IPOD controls, and USB and AUX inputs to most every radio, they have left HD as an add on option, requiring additional $$$ to add. Why? Ibiquity. Only 15 out of 200+ aftermarket radios offers HD built in. Sad state of affairs.
-HD2 & HD3? Don't GO!
In pondering the purchase of an HD car receiver, of which there is little selection, I had to ask myself what exactly is the VALUE of receiving the HD-2 or HD-3 offerings of local broadcasters. When the main channel (analog) programming is cluttered with spots and the music programming does not retain or excite, who needs the extra channel offerings of CC, CBS or CTDL? There is little value of hearing my favorite MONO AM station on HD (or on an FM for that matter). I can only imagine what the music offerings on the non-main channels are like.
Conclusion-
With all the bla-bla-bla, 8 big minutes of spots in a row, and music programming that lacks proof of life, I've transitioned to MP3 programming for my entertainment. And this is not because I like downloading (I loathe it), but because the state of local radio has compelled me to make this transition in order to gain entertainment value.
Radio as we knew it has left the building.
Just returning to DFW after a ten year absence, and very shocked at the sad state of radio. Hearing DFW radio was a HUGE disappointment.
Thoughts on radio from fresh ears to this market-
- Stations sound extremely boring and undifferentiated. Consider two CBS sister O&O's I frequent. Jocks and jingles nearly indistinguishable between some (CBS) stations ... only music different.
- The jocks on MOST stations sound like, " HI, I'm bla-bla-bla, on station bla" (literally).
And who knew you could start every sentence with the contraction " I'm " so and so ???
- Eight big minutes of commercials per break. Yep, I actually timed them today (Sat 7/24) and it was almost eight continuous minutes of spots. Where is the value in this for the advertiser??
There are so many commercials, I've begun to choose stations in order to listen for my favorite spots instead of my favorite music.
-For sure, there's no LUV left at K-LUV... the music is fragmented and therefore the audience MUST be being fragmented as a result. I love being tossed between the 1960's and 1980's, it's a real jolting thrill. Seging between two songs with dissimilar sounds, dissimilar decades and dissimilar cultures is difficult for the new comber to tolerate and my tune out finger during those abrupt transitions works instinctively. While admittedly the traditional oldies of the '80s and '90s is dead nationwide, there must be something better than KLUV. My wife adds, "If they want to do THAT format, they should just kill the K-LUV moniker all together in order to reposition and rebuild their image from scratch". I'd agree IF I though CBS was actually serious about doing radio, but I don't.
On to the technology - HD/IBOC:
Extremely poor adaptation and implementation of HD. This failure belongs to Ibiquity and they should own the botched roll out and poor public introduction of the technology dating back to 2002-03.
-Want built in HD in car receiver? You can't have it!
As of 2010, there are only a few aftermarket car radios available with HD built in. While the aftermarket equipment mfgrs HAVE added CD-R and MP3 playback to their CD players, AND have added IPOD controls, and USB and AUX inputs to most every radio, they have left HD as an add on option, requiring additional $$$ to add. Why? Ibiquity. Only 15 out of 200+ aftermarket radios offers HD built in. Sad state of affairs.
-HD2 & HD3? Don't GO!
In pondering the purchase of an HD car receiver, of which there is little selection, I had to ask myself what exactly is the VALUE of receiving the HD-2 or HD-3 offerings of local broadcasters. When the main channel (analog) programming is cluttered with spots and the music programming does not retain or excite, who needs the extra channel offerings of CC, CBS or CTDL? There is little value of hearing my favorite MONO AM station on HD (or on an FM for that matter). I can only imagine what the music offerings on the non-main channels are like.
Conclusion-
With all the bla-bla-bla, 8 big minutes of spots in a row, and music programming that lacks proof of life, I've transitioned to MP3 programming for my entertainment. And this is not because I like downloading (I loathe it), but because the state of local radio has compelled me to make this transition in order to gain entertainment value.
Radio as we knew it has left the building.
tomficker said:
Other than a few hundred thousand in Canada, there are no "international" subscribers. The under-20-million figure is correct.
K
kenglish
Guest
How do you get the younger crowd interested in "Radio", when most of what is on the AM band is hateful talk, a few oldies, and sports talk. And it's now spilling over in to the FM (the "Formerly Music"??) band.
And, on FM, most of what they hear when sampling the formats is, religious music, religious talkers, and a bunch of sound-alikes.
Where are the fun, exciting stations? Where do they find music they like? Do they find anything to relate to on radio?
Do your kids know the name of the DJ they are listening to? Have they ever been to a "remote" and met a DJ?
Possible, but not very likely.
And, on FM, most of what they hear when sampling the formats is, religious music, religious talkers, and a bunch of sound-alikes.
Where are the fun, exciting stations? Where do they find music they like? Do they find anything to relate to on radio?
Do your kids know the name of the DJ they are listening to? Have they ever been to a "remote" and met a DJ?
Possible, but not very likely.
Radio dying slowly? H'mmm, I heard that when I got into this business in 1977. It is what it is folks. I did a small market morning show back then with voice tracking for the rest of the day from carts and reel to reel. Worked first 15 years in radio and always had to have a 2nd job to support myself. Stubbornness and stupidity kept me in the business till I finally reached a top 5 market then syndication. I now enjoy more freedom and less management interference than at any time of my career. Just my story. Everything evolves. My 85 year old dad thinks radio stinks since the majority of stations stopped playing swing. Mom misses Arthur Godfrey! Oh, but guess what, they still listen to radio, for hours a day, but it's talk radio. Radio has and will always evolve and as we all know the evolution of radio like everything else is just adapting to survive.
Oldman radio may be slowly dying, but Radio is not. Look at the ad rates, look at the total cume. The successful shows are getting top top $$ for their spots (KVIL, KLUV, KISS, Ticket) We talk so much about the controversial personalities, we fail to look at the prosperous. Syndicated talents (the winners) are still on record breaking contracts (Stern<who stole from terrestrial, but it's still radio, Delilah, Kidd, Bob/Tom, Rush) Russ Martin is nothing among these characters. Radio is far from dead or dying, Radio has become more competitive, and there are more loosers in the game than ever. :-*
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