R
rlewisphilly
Guest
Re: Think About It This Way
> Very good points. As I look at it, I don't see "the good
> old days" when companies were so tightly limited as being
> all that much better. The years tend to amplify the good
> memories and blur the bad ones.
>
> But let's go back a generation or so. Was it serving the
> public interest that much to have four adult contemporary
> stations in town fighting for the same audience? Sure, they
> played slightly different flavors of AC, but at the end of
> the day, they shared more than they differed. Is B101 today
> all that much worse than the stations were when there were
> four of them? I'd submit they aren't worse--they're playing
> the music for the target demo and doing very well at it.
>
> Of course, "better" is subjective. I felt Eagle 106 was at
> its best when they had CHR all to themselves in the market,
> pre Q. Once WIOQ came along, they responded, and to this
> listener, made adjustments that made them nearly
> unlistenable save for Lander.
>
> Is it Ok with me? Honestly, yes. It's not practical to
> look at radio today through the lens of what technology was
> 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Just because radio could do
> something back then doesn't mean it's practical or possible
> now. Personalization of content and portability of other
> media mean radio simply can't be what it was. I'm not
> saying it will go away entirely, but it has to adapt to
> reality, including the changing tastes of audiences. As a
> kid, I was a captive audience to my parents' choices in car
> listening. With portable DVD players and IPods, how many
> kids are now? (OK, maybe PARENTS are captives to Barney et
> al, but that's another debate.)
>
> Besides my objections to government interference in commerce
> on free-market grounds, I don't see what going back to old
> ownership limits would do to suddenly "save" radio.
>
goot points! Another FACT to remember, 60% of ALL radio stations were losing money before consolidation. There were the few stations that had all of the money and the others who could pay nothing because they had nothing to pay with. Times have changed, let's figure out how to keep radio relavant rather than trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
> Very good points. As I look at it, I don't see "the good
> old days" when companies were so tightly limited as being
> all that much better. The years tend to amplify the good
> memories and blur the bad ones.
>
> But let's go back a generation or so. Was it serving the
> public interest that much to have four adult contemporary
> stations in town fighting for the same audience? Sure, they
> played slightly different flavors of AC, but at the end of
> the day, they shared more than they differed. Is B101 today
> all that much worse than the stations were when there were
> four of them? I'd submit they aren't worse--they're playing
> the music for the target demo and doing very well at it.
>
> Of course, "better" is subjective. I felt Eagle 106 was at
> its best when they had CHR all to themselves in the market,
> pre Q. Once WIOQ came along, they responded, and to this
> listener, made adjustments that made them nearly
> unlistenable save for Lander.
>
> Is it Ok with me? Honestly, yes. It's not practical to
> look at radio today through the lens of what technology was
> 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Just because radio could do
> something back then doesn't mean it's practical or possible
> now. Personalization of content and portability of other
> media mean radio simply can't be what it was. I'm not
> saying it will go away entirely, but it has to adapt to
> reality, including the changing tastes of audiences. As a
> kid, I was a captive audience to my parents' choices in car
> listening. With portable DVD players and IPods, how many
> kids are now? (OK, maybe PARENTS are captives to Barney et
> al, but that's another debate.)
>
> Besides my objections to government interference in commerce
> on free-market grounds, I don't see what going back to old
> ownership limits would do to suddenly "save" radio.
>
goot points! Another FACT to remember, 60% of ALL radio stations were losing money before consolidation. There were the few stations that had all of the money and the others who could pay nothing because they had nothing to pay with. Times have changed, let's figure out how to keep radio relavant rather than trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.