Radio: Abandoned?

I know a lot of people (primarily male) and am startled to keep hearing over and over again that they NEVER listen to radio. I have friends that switched to satellite services (usually XM) and never looked back, others that just felt the medium didn't have stations that appealed to them, and others that look at me funny when I suggest anything other than a CD for music.

Is the medium dying? I realize I'm only one person, but it just seems odd how I keep finding people that either a) only listen to public broadcasting or b) don't listen to radio and haven't for years.

I have done a lot of thinking about this the last few days and I have come to the conclusion that radio has been tanking, but won't go much further down than it has by now. The people adjusted to their new toys (ipods, sat radio, etc...) but the truth is, todays radio is not like it was 10 years ago, and the people that have been turned off by radio have been turned off. I don't see any more big migration away from radio... if anything, I see them coming back because the people who own radio stations will make an effort to bring them back. Radio will be something new to the next generation, and I think it will be just like the invent of MP3 players... it will have more moments of glory.

I am really worried about radio. I think we've lost an entire generation (the 20 yr old generation) NONE of them listen to the radio, except a few nerds.... like us. I agree, radio really shot itself in the foot in the 90s:

* TOO MANY COMMERCIALS each hour
* Voicetracking
* Feeling that they could cheapen up radio and nobody would care.

I think it's local programming that's going to save radio. It's too bad none of us have a million bucks and could go buy an FM here and give it a go. It's sad when the mass appeal station in SLC in My 99-5!

fibonacci wrote:

I am really worried about radio. I think we've lost an entire generation (the 20 yr old generation) NONE of them listen to the radio, except a few nerds.... like us. I agree, radio really shot itself in the foot in the 90s:

* TOO MANY COMMERCIALS each hour
* Voicetracking
* Feeling that they could cheapen up radio and nobody would care.

I think it's local programming that's going to save radio. It's too bad none of us have a million bucks and could go buy an FM here and give it a go. It's sad when the mass appeal station in SLC in My 99-5!

Hit that nail on the head! *thumbs up- there's no smiley for it* I await more responses.

I also have a technophile friend today that told me he'd never spring for an HD-Radio, extra programming or not (and this is from a guy with a GPS device in his car).

I would have to agree on the local side of things. i have also thought that all of this political talk radio is just getting tired, its all we are right and they are wrong. Give me something that can entertain and educate and help me to better myself.

Fibonazi ... interesting point. But why does MY prove how sad radio is.
Sure ALL RADIO and it's over commercialization has proved to take away the broad based appeal of the medium but- I count thousands who are stuck in the I-15 corridor everyday that still listen to FREE radio signals. And I find, only the latte crowd pays respect to NPR. (I'm also a big fan of NPR, I used to live next to them in my hometown, Wash DC)
But, you wanna come correct, and explain why 99 5 is sad.
Of course I'm bias, I image it. But listening to hundreds of voicemails from local people everyday, talking about local things I think is pretty admirable.
If putting regular people on the air is sad, are you going to say blogging is sad because we should all read what editor of a paper thinks instead? How bout You Tube or Myspace ... they sad too? because we should all watch shows that feature professional broadcasters and not Consumer Generated Media. Or maybe the New York Times, Time, Newsweek have their head up their @#$ when they say that CGM's are the future.
You go ahead and wish your old morning show would get back together and that you could win schwag by being caller # 9.
I'll see you in the future ... of radio!
PS .. radiogal is cute!

Its just us Jocks who aren't too excited about stations going JOCK-LESS. My-995 is a great station, obviously, it gets the ratings. And My appeals to those who don't care for DJ chatter and trust leaving a voice mail more than they would trust talking to a DJ. I don't think every station ought to be like My-995 nor do I think every station should be live 24/7 like X-96. The thing that will keep radio alive are the differences in the stations. If every station were the same, then it would get old.

It's an interesting comment. You're right, Brian. "My" is doing great - but I believe that's partly because it's now the mass appeal station. If Star 102.7 were still around, would they still be the mass appeal station and if that were the case, would "My" being pulling mid 1s if it had to compete with Star? We'll never know.

I suppose I may need to amend my opinion piece. The concept of "iPod radio" like Jack and "My" is very successful ... for the time being. I could see them squeezing 5, 10, or even 20 years out of the model - at the cost of the decades after. After twenty years of total automation, I don't see much future for radio listening and sales.

I suppose it begs the question: What is radio actually selling? The transmitter or the content? Certainly, it's a mixture of both. KSL's news content without the transmitter would be worthless, but 1160 without KSL's news programming wouldn't be worth cost to buy an ad spot.

So, as people gradually dissappear (at 1.5% per year from car listening) and begin to consume internet advertising - or iPod and no advertising at all, the value of the transmitter (for the sake of having a transmitter) will decrease.

In effect, My 99-5 (or Jack, or Movin') has become: "Hey, I own a really loud iPod that anyone can listen to. If you pay me $50, you can sell something on it." I think any of us could sit down with WinAmp, and in an afternoon put together content that's comperable to what My 99-5 or Jack is doing. So, certainly the "My 99-5" model (or Jack model) isn't being sold for it's unique content.

However, a good example of investment in content would be Nightside. I keep feeling like I'm just a promo for the show, but I am really impressed with Bonneville's re-investment into it's property. KSL is now more valuable to sell overall because advertisers can see that there's been some investment into the station - they aren't just selling "a nightime spot on 102.7," they are also selling the content of something that is unique to KSL - and only KSL. There may be other "nightside"-type shows, but there's only one "KSL Nightside."

Maybe this is a harsh analogy, but it comes down to a good landlord versus a slumlord. Ultimately, people will rent out both, but for the sake of the neighborhood, and possibly the owner's conscience, he'll want to rent out a property that's fixed up and presentable. When a neighborhood reaches a point where is "ghetto" and has nothing to offer, people will pack up, and abandon the old neighborhood for somewhere else.

Thank you both for starting one of the more intersting threads I've about our industry, or "product".
Despite my defensive quip above, you've really said some things that speak to how we keep radio alive versus it's formidable competitors in other mediums ... mainly sattelite.
I enjoy this board and look forward to reading more. Thanks.
PS .. good to KSL's niteside. But do you test a more contemeporary product in an evening daypart, or do you put it out there in pm, or mids and see if the audience really responds.
Either way, fascinating opinions!

I don't know. There really are no other dayparts to try at KSL. Hannity is a cash cow, and I doubt they'd ever dumb Doug Wright's show either, since he's pretty much the only local political show left, and I think he's probably a cash cow for KSL too...

I figure nightside isn't targeting the 65+ bracket, for sure, and they're probably the ones who are least likely to be tuned in at 9 PM. My demo, 18-35 is probably more likely to be tuned in, and I get the impression that's who they are targeting.

Either way, Nightside is great because Michael Castner brought a bit of the KFI attitude with him, which makes the show sound "big market."