The answer to your question Dash is......well....no one is, in particular, to blame!
When the broadcast industry was deregulated back in the mid nineties, a brand new paradigm, or business model, was put in place. One management group would attempt to successfully program, operate, and sell over 1000 radio stations spread from coast to coast. And there were those, in their infinite wisdom, who warned it would not be possible....that radio was "local" and needed local, hands-on management, and that "cookie-cutter" formats would not work. There was another school of thought that said the country is, culturally, homogeneous, and would accept like-formats just as network programming is nationally accepted.
The schools still out on who is right....but so far, no one has sucessfully operated 1000 stations. All the large companies have dog stations where the right mix consistantly eludes the management.
While many of the CC moves baffle me I also see that long term strategy dictates change for the radio paradigm. Billions will be paid....and made....when the rocket scientist comes along who can successfully transform radio and take it to the next level.
