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Radio today is like the worst Basken Robbins ever.
- Thread starter xm41
- Start date
A
Alton
Guest
It sure is! I think nothing beat Pittsburgh radio of the 70's, 80's & 90's. To me, radio stopped sounding fun/good was around 2004-2005. I gladly discovered satellite radio. Then, someone decided to have jocks on that and I noticed the incessant repetition of liners. Ipod fast replaced that! 
The deregulation of the mid 90's ('95 I believe) and allowing companies like AM/FM (Clear Channel) to consume a lot of stations and run them like a bad business was the start of the ruin. I truly believe that Clear Channel ran it into the bottom. The people at the helm are the absolute worst and don't know what REAL radio is. Otherwise, you would have personalities on, not wallpaper.
The deregulation of the mid 90's ('95 I believe) and allowing companies like AM/FM (Clear Channel) to consume a lot of stations and run them like a bad business was the start of the ruin. I truly believe that Clear Channel ran it into the bottom. The people at the helm are the absolute worst and don't know what REAL radio is. Otherwise, you would have personalities on, not wallpaper.
I'm not sure there is any comparison between today's radio and Baskin-Robbins ice cream. After all, Baskin-Robbins has at least 31 flavors only two of which are forms of vanilla (regular and French for you that are counting). Radio has a few less flavors: talk, sports, music etc., and admittedly would be more interesting if the clear channel blow torch AM's were still around and syndication disappeared.
My first ice cream cone at Baskin-Robbins was long ago at the approximate age of 11 or 12 but my first interest in radio proceeded that by 4-5 years. The ice cream still tastes as good as it did then. Radio.....not so much.
My first ice cream cone at Baskin-Robbins was long ago at the approximate age of 11 or 12 but my first interest in radio proceeded that by 4-5 years. The ice cream still tastes as good as it did then. Radio.....not so much.
Alton said:
Except in Pittsburgh, where Clear Channel owns five stations in the Top 10, and three of the Top 5. If anything, CC has run radio to the TOP, not the bottom. Say what you will about the people who run CC, but they know what the majority of people in Pittsburgh want to hear, and they prove it every ratings book.
These discussions always revolve around personal taste. You can't find what you want on the radio, so therefore radio sucks, and the deregulation is to blame. Typically, the person complaining is a boomer, who can't deal with the fact that the media is no longer focusing on catering to his demographic. It's likely the complainer also finds network TV also sucks.
TheBigA said:
Let's try that statement on for size.
WDVE has no meaningful competition, and has had none for almost twenty years. WXDX (an odd bird) also has
no meaningful competition. Kiss has no real competition except for Star, which has done pretty decently on its
own, and the WAMO AM/translator combination, which is just a nuisance. WPGB has the advantage of FM over
AM but KDKA still tops them, albeit not in the desired demo. 970 is a non-competitor and has been so for many
years. The one CC station with a real competitor, 3WS, is at best running neck-and-neck with that competitor (Bob).
Clear Channel's total share of the Pittsburgh radio audience does not amount to a majority or even a plurality of
the people in Pittsburgh. Their stations here do pretty well, yes. But let us not overstate that performance, or
the reasons for same.
C.
TheBigA said:
If the demos are right. And if the advertisers are buying radio. And if they're buying radio in market No. 25.
A
Alton
Guest
TheBigA, once again, you didn't understand what I wrote. Your love of Clear Channel (all so blind) is actually sickening because CC will never back you up, they'll run you over or throw you under the bus. However, it is cute how you stick up for that company. YES, they run their radio stations horribly. So what if they have the top station? As we pointed out in a thread a while ago, even though DVE is #1, those numbers are not nearly as high of a #1 as they were before (higher double digits than they are today). And, they sacrifice their other stations to get that #1 rating for DVE.
Thanks Clarke! Hopefully BigA sees that sentence and understands it. BigA, Clear Channel has made a mockery of radio. They KILLED it in smaller and medium markets. You must not be an on air personality to not understand what I and others have pointed out. There is a reason why they are called "Cheap Channel".
Thanks Clarke! Hopefully BigA sees that sentence and understands it. BigA, Clear Channel has made a mockery of radio. They KILLED it in smaller and medium markets. You must not be an on air personality to not understand what I and others have pointed out. There is a reason why they are called "Cheap Channel".
Alton said:
I have no reason to love CC. I've never worked for them, and I've often competed against them. So they have no reason to "back me up." But to say they're bad at what they do, or don't know radio, is just plain wrong. If they were as dumb as you imply, anyone could beat them. As someone who's tried, I can say that's not the case. They know how to play the game, and that's important. I've been taught to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, and I watch every step they take. And I've also had them steal talent away from me with lots of money, so "cheap" is not a word I'd use to describe them. They spend when they have to, and they spend to win. Not just to throw money away.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
If you'all think CC is vanilla, try COX !
G
garnet
Guest
Stripping something to the walls, then saying you're bottom line is up, is not a reason to brag. The fact that you can go into almost any market out of the top 20 and not find a live night jock...pretty sad...but think of the 30 grand they saved! What a smart company...
garnet said:
That's not unique to CC. In fact, it's pretty typical. Even of small owners. Why? Because after 7PM, listenership drops to a fraction regardless of who's behind the board. And there are very few local spots. If a local jock can't attract local advertising, there's no point.
G
garnet
Guest
It began with CC, then everyone had no choice but to follow. There used to be a day when a big company could make 2 billion a year, and everybody was happy...but that became not enough due to massive buying sprees and unrealistic debt. Again, truly not the best business plan...and pretty sad for those of us who know many lives that have been destroyed just so the company could make 2.5 billion next year.
garnet said:
Nope. Companies have lots of choice, and only a quarter of radio stations are owned by big companies. You also have non-commercial public radio stations. They can all do what they want, and as someone who has worked for a lot of stations and run a few myself, I can tell you that everyone does their own thing, and they do so by choice.
Back in the 1950s, it wasn't unusual for radio stations to broker their night time hours. That's how Alan Freed got work. He went to a station in Cleveland with an advertiser (a local record store) and became the Moondog. The rest is history. Lots of other DJ legends did the same thing. Anyone could do the exact same thing today. Go to a station with a revenue share idea, and I promise you'll get on the air.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
It's more like that creepy episode of WKRP in Cincinnati where they show the station 30 yrs. in the future,
and Herb Tarlek is the only remaining employee. He turns out the lights at 5 o'clock as the giant computer
goes on and does everything else.
and Herb Tarlek is the only remaining employee. He turns out the lights at 5 o'clock as the giant computer
goes on and does everything else.
G
garnet
Guest
BigA...not sure where you were in the early 2000's, but that was the start of CC VTing, up til then it was unheard of(except for Howard and a few)that a jock in Hartford could also do shows in Youngstown, Morgantown, or anywhere...I knew alot of people who lost their jobs, and others who tracked for other markets(making the huge sums of 3 to 6 THOUSAND! dollars)...and you're right, other companys did not have to follow, but sadly, if your competition is selling spots for 4 bucks...guess what?...in order to compete, you have to sell for 4 bucks, too...it used to be called "whoring out your station"...then it got renamed "good business"...for a few...I always laugh when the "VP of Southwestern Regional Program Development" gets blown out after 25 years with CC, to be replaced by the "VP of West Southern Central Regional Program Development"...at least its starting with management, now...
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