Reasons Radio Is Doomed!

[TalkerDude]

Some speculate that other forms of media and additions like satellite radio are what is causing the lack of interest in radio. It is my sincere opinion that the very people running AM and FM radio are the biggest problems it faces.

Let's look at WYSP and WPST both stations are using not only the oldest summer promotion, but some would say the worse. It's the 94 days of summer! In Philadelphia especially we love our summers, why would you countdown its demise? You should countdown the winter months not summers. You would think in WYSP's case they would at least be attempting a re-invent themselves due to the soon departure of Howard Stern.

Let's look now at the wonderful world of Digital radio. HD radio is a crime againt this industry in my opinion. Not only does it ruin the AM band, but it's ability to have multiple channels per frequency will make it sound as bad as the Satellite Companies. Has anyone ever noticed they sound horrible due to the high compression rates they use.

Then you have the NAB a group of radio idiots who's answer to the problems of radio were a group of commerials telling us all that we heard it here first. Well thats just wonderful, I hear those spots and my first impression as an average listener is that yes I should support radio. Geez, how should I... I have a radio already, that's how I heard it... hmmm ... well maybe to support radio I should go get something of radio I don't have... like that new Satellite Thing.

These are just a few of the reasons I believe radio is doomed.

 

[valkyrie777]

> These are just a few of the reasons I believe radio is
> doomed.
>

While I don't disagree with some of your points, there are other venues that claim radio's share of the audience.

The internet and it's permutations...podcasting, streaming stations and music-sharing...all contribute to terrestrial radio's loss of market share. Add to that a loss of time actually spent listening by today's time-starved audiences.

Plus, listening to radio today has, in many cases, become un-hip or even un-cool for those under 25. I see many more of that demo with iPod buds in their ears or with a CD player/mp3 player in their cars.

Traditional radio hasn't grown with the times, imho. It still acts and reacts like this is 1970...or worse. That's why we hear ( virtually ) the same lame contests, jocks and promotional stunts today that our parents heard. Time hasn't been kind to any of them. They've become irrelevant by their own hands.

Future of radio? Perhaps interactive radio, self-programming stations or individualized ones. Oh, wait; we already have those. They're called CD players, mp3 players and streaming internet stations!

Never mind.

 

[jmanphl]

I'd like to respond with some thoughts and a few questions.
>
>
> Let's look at WYSP and WPST both stations are using not only
> the oldest summer promotion, but some would say the worse.
> It's the 94 days of summer! In Philadelphia especially we
> love our summers, why would you countdown its demise? You
> should countdown the winter months not summers. You would
> think in WYSP's case they would at least be attempting a
> re-invent themselves due to the soon departure of Howard
> Stern.

So this may be an "overused" promotion. (I wouldn't call it the "worse" as you do, but that is beside the point) How does this point to the demise of radio? There are lots of overused promotional gimmicks, as well as plenty of fresh and creative ones. If lame promotions and positioning were to ruin radio, the industry would have died many years ago.
>
> Let's look now at the wonderful world of Digital radio. HD
> radio is a crime againt this industry in my opinion. Not
> only does it ruin the AM band, but it's ability to have
> multiple channels per frequency will make it sound as bad as
> the Satellite Companies. Has anyone ever noticed they sound
> horrible due to the high compression rates they use.

Do people listen to radio for its SOUND or its CONTENT? I would venture to guess that most listeners could not tell you anything about the technical aspect of radio. They turn it on and it works. If they like what they hear, they will listen. Does anyone listen to KYW because of how it sounds? Are there any WYSP listeners complaining about frequency response? Satelllite does have an advantage simply because it can provide more of what listerers want.
>
> Then you have the NAB a group of radio idiots who's answer
> to the problems of radio were a group of commerials telling
> us all that we heard it here first. Well thats just
> wonderful, I hear those spots and my first impression as an
> average listener is that yes I should support radio. Geez,
> how should I... I have a radio already, that's how I heard
> it... hmmm ... well maybe to support radio I should go get
> something of radio I don't have... like that new Satellite
> Thing.

I think the purpose of the NAB spots is to reinforce and remind listeners, not to convert those people who already share your feeling that radio is doomed. Satellite radio has its adherents and they all have valid personal reasons for chosing it. Having said that, how many people do you know who own a radio? How many do you personnly know who are motivated enough to switch exclusively to satelllite?
>
> These are just a few of the reasons I believe radio is
> doomed.
>

Does radio have problems? Absolutely. Is it dooomed? Absolutey not. It will certainly, as it must, evolve and change. I may sound like a Pollyanna, but I think there are too many creative minds (and too many dollars at stake) to see the end of radio any time soon.

 

[pifflestick]

If you want even more lame, tired promotions get a satellite radio and you'll hear over a hundred bad stations. Little of it is live. Often the voice tracking is sloppy. But why wouldn't it be as bad as, or worse than terrestrial radio. XM and Sirius are largely stafffed by radio rejects. Out of work radio folks who are willing to work cheap. The pay is lousy. People voice track several days or a week at a time. And in terms of audio quality, satellite has it's own limitations. The bit rate compression and the way they allocate bandwith leaves many of the stations sounding like low quality web streaming. And who will be hurt most by the upcoming advent of wide area wireless internet. Satellite will take the big hit there. Yes it will hurt radio too. Radio is still very profitable. It will take a long time for it to be killed by satellite, or portable wireless broaband or iPods. It's not going to die because YSP does the 94 days of summer, weak as it is.

 

[valkyrie777]

"We're All Doomed!"

I detect a slight "screw radio" attitude throughout your post. That's OK; I agree. Many of us look at TODAY'S radio as a career somewhere between having multiple root-canals and a daily proctological exam. It simply ain't fun anymore.

I'd give back all the CD's I stole from the Prize Closet, all the T-shirts I scammed from the Promotions guy and about half the illicit partying materials gotten from record reps if Radio could just go back to "when-it-was-fab"...as George Harrison might have said. >>sigh<<

From today's Corporate weasels, to the brown-nosed toadies posing as PDs/OMs, to the Jeffrey Daumer-style GMs...the kind of Radio guys/girls for whom you would have stopped a bullet don't live here...or there...anymore. And that's too bad...cuz Radio was a kick-ass fraternity/sorority where we all actually had FUN broadcasting...while stealing CD's, T-shirts and partying our collective asses off. >>double sigh<<

I enter negotiations with these Corporate cretins today disbelieving any and all blather. It's just me, my agent and a couple of their drones making a very business-type decision on salary, bonuses and vacay in a sterile boardroom that could be at Glaxo/Smith-Klein as a Radio station.

Time was, when a man or woman you'd be working with or for told you something about the job, the opportunities, the future plans and the other pros you'd be joining on-air, you'd get a major woo...err, can't say that. You'd get excited! Now, it's just all a bunch of meaningless BS.

As my old Granddad likes to say: "Boy, don't be pissing on my shoes and telling me it's raining." Funny thing is...Granddad never worked a day in radio...and, he seems to have nailed today's corporate atmosphere perfectly.

 

[peppertree]

You missed the worst culprit. Stale radio is the result of too much government regulation. The very least that the FCC should do is step back and just keep the air free from interference. Everything else should be regulated by a free market. Who owns the stations, how many they can have and what they say on the radio including naughty words or stories. Radio is suffering from the effects of regulation and it needs to be set free.


> Some speculate that other forms of media and additions like
> satellite radio are what is causing the lack of interest in
> radio. It is my sincere opinion that the very people
> running AM and FM radio are the biggest problems it faces.
>
>
> Let's look at WYSP and WPST both stations are using not only
> the oldest summer promotion, but some would say the worse.
> It's the 94 days of summer! In Philadelphia especially we
> love our summers, why would you countdown its demise? You
> should countdown the winter months not summers. You would
> think in WYSP's case they would at least be attempting a
> re-invent themselves due to the soon departure of Howard
> Stern.
>
> Let's look now at the wonderful world of Digital radio. HD
> radio is a crime againt this industry in my opinion. Not
> only does it ruin the AM band, but it's ability to have
> multiple channels per frequency will make it sound as bad as
> the Satellite Companies. Has anyone ever noticed they sound
> horrible due to the high compression rates they use.
>
> Then you have the NAB a group of radio idiots who's answer
> to the problems of radio were a group of commerials telling
> us all that we heard it here first. Well thats just
> wonderful, I hear those spots and my first impression as an
> average listener is that yes I should support radio. Geez,
> how should I... I have a radio already, that's how I heard
> it... hmmm ... well maybe to support radio I should go get
> something of radio I don't have... like that new Satellite
> Thing.
>
> These are just a few of the reasons I believe radio is
> doomed.
>
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[fredflintstone]

Re: "We're All Doomed!"

Very liberal of you to use masculine/feminine pronouns through your post. But part of the problem with radio started when they let women out of traffic and continuity and into programming and news. OK, put women on TV if they are nice to look at. But very few women sound good on the radio. Plus they come with their affirmative action preferences in hiring, work assignments and salaries. They tend to be less committed to the work because the gig was handed to them. And worst of all they have made the workplace less fun with their complaints about harrasment and hostile work environment. I love the women in my personal life but radio was a lot more fun before they showed up at work.

 

[fredflintstone]

Interesting idea but why do so many people come on this board and talk about how much better radio was when it was much more highly regulated - can't own more than AM or FM seven stations - seven words you can't say - limits on commercial time; no infomercials - NAB code followed and enforced - fairness doctrine?


> You missed the worst culprit. Stale radio is the result of
> too much government regulation. The very least that the FCC
> should do is step back and just keep the air free from
> interference. Everything else should be regulated by a free
> market. Who owns the stations, how many they can have and
> what they say on the radio including naughty words or
> stories. Radio is suffering from the effects of regulation
> and it needs to be set free.
>
>

 

[pifflestick]

Re: "We're All Doomed!"

> Very liberal of you to use masculine/feminine pronouns
> through your post. But part of the problem with radio
> started when they let women out of traffic and continuity
> and into programming and news. OK, put women on TV if they
> are nice to look at. But very few women sound good on the
> radio. Plus they come with their affirmative action
> preferences in hiring, work assignments and salaries. They
> tend to be less committed to the work because the gig was
> handed to them. And worst of all they have made the
> workplace less fun with their complaints about harrasment
> and hostile work environment. I love the women in my
> personal life but radio was a lot more fun before they
> showed up at work.
>
Finally, Fred Flinstone has his say.

 

[valkyrie777]

> You missed the worst culprit. Stale radio is the result of
> too much government regulation. The very least that the FCC
> should do is step back and just keep the air free from
> interference. Everything else should be regulated by a free
> market. Who owns the stations, how many they can have and
> what they say on the radio including naughty words or
> stories. Radio is suffering from the effects of regulation
> and it needs to be set free.
>

I have a difficult time reconciling "stale radio" with the FCC's heavy hand. While I agree that over-regulation by the FCC stifles the BUSINESS aspect of radio, I suspect that lame Programmers with little or no imagination or Corporate types who look at the shareholders interests above the public's interest (in creative radio) as the worst offenders.

Being able to say the "7 George Carlin Words" on radio pales in comparison to having nothing ELSE to say but those same seven silly words.

 

[HomerJay]

> > You missed the worst culprit. Stale radio is the result
> of
> > too much government regulation. The very least that the
> FCC
> > should do is step back and just keep the air free from
> > interference. Everything else should be regulated by a
> free
> > market. Who owns the stations, how many they can have and
>
> > what they say on the radio including naughty words or
> > stories. Radio is suffering from the effects of
> regulation
> > and it needs to be set free.
> >
>
> I have a difficult time reconciling "stale radio" with the
> FCC's heavy hand. While I agree that over-regulation by the
> FCC stifles the BUSINESS aspect of radio, I suspect that
> lame Programmers with little or no imagination or Corporate
> types who look at the shareholders interests above the
> public's interest (in creative radio) as the worst
> offenders.
>
> Being able to say the "7 George Carlin Words" on radio pales
> in comparison to having nothing ELSE to say but those same
> seven silly words.
>

People always find a boogeyman to blame. Either the FCC is too heavy handed in some opinions (so does that mean creativity has to involve crude language?) or it's too light, allowing unchecked consolidation that leads to cost cutting, just like in any free-market business.

So which is it?

Or is it just the economic reality of radio in today's media world?