Reports of Radio's Death Greatly Exaggerated

[kal30005]

Exactically! Now you're getting it! A company that provides national program content that's carried on multiple stations across the country is called (drum roll please) a network. Granted, it might only be network programming 6:00 AM to midnight, or there might be breaks built into drive time for local drop-ins like weather and traffic reports. But what everyone has been describing is pretty much a throwback to the olden days.

It's what I've been saying all along! I got it from the beginning. But very few radio stations have ever carried 24 hours of network programming that I'm aware of. Even in the olden days, most of the stations only carried network programming for a portion of the day. Plus, in the era you're talking about, the programming was MUCH different. It was much more like TV programming. Radio was program driven. Now we're basically just talking about voice talent between songs, so no, I don't think it's very much like the olden days.

And, if you think about this a bit, there are probably more stations than there are possible networks. Once a city has one network station for each of the main formats and they dominate those formats, then the remaining stations will be forced to compete by counter programming what the networks cannot provide, which is ultra-local content. If all of the "wall-to-wall songs with a DJ reading a liner-card every three songs" formats are on national networks, the stations who can't get a network affiliation will have to counter with something different, not just the same things done by some guy sitting in a local building.

I also thought I pretty clearly stated that this was my opinion as well. I think there will always be a small handful of locally owned and operated stations that are successful. But I think more in the information arena as opposed to music. But I also think you might see some stations focus solely on local music, as I stated above.

That could translate to more career opportunities for local radio talent, not less. It would put the people who can't do anything other than read liner card reads out of work, but it could give people with the talent to actually entertain audiences over the radio more opportunities than ever before.

I disagree with this point. The reason radio stations are cutting talent is because it doesn't make economic sense to be paying for a warm body behind the microphone. We're talking about talent making barely above minimum wage getting cut to save money. I don't see any realistic way that these changes are going to create more jobs.

I have a feeling you could see more and more individuals offer to be on the air free in exchange for using radio as a forum to spread their message.

 

[agentUrge]

To my understanding ABC's Radio Network's Z-ROCK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Rock was the first nationally focused radio "superstation". It was pretty successful in it's early years as it's format (hard rock, heavy metal, hair bands) was popular at the time. I remember living in Wisconsin and picking up a station out of Chicago (WZRC - the network's flagship station), moving to FL and a year later, it was being broadcast on an AM station in Jacksonville....that's neither here nor there.

Seems clear to me that this kind of thing CAN work...obviously the right formats matched to the right markets is in order (let's not forget Air America).

I like the idea, but I have to say that there's a disconnect I feel even when I listen to Sirius at work all day long. I have to listen to something local to feel connected to my local area...even if it's traffic reports...so I usually find myself listening to 99x or something.

It would be pretty cool to see DIY radio (not internet radio, mind you I mean legitimate OTA) become affordable enough (considering FCC and ASCAP licensing) to be a small business venture just like owning a dry cleaner or a sub shop. BUT, that's probably a pipe dream...then again, I've never worked in the business so I'm out of the loop on that. ;D

 

[Talk_Dude]

I like the idea, but I have to say that there's a disconnect I feel even when I listen to Sirius at work all day long. I have to listen to something local to feel connected to my local area...even if it's traffic reports...so I usually find myself listening to 99x or something.

Maybe it's just me, but if I'm driving down the road in my local area and I'm listening to satelite or my own CD's, the local street names and familiar sights of my local area are enough to keep me feeling connected to my local area. Maybe that's not enough for other people, but seeing that every third street name is a variation on Peachtree and that there's a Waffle House on every fourth corner lets me know I'm in the Atlanta Metro.