Re: [IRCA] economic downturn's effect on radio

["R. F. Tetro" <rtetro@xxxxxxxxx>]

Radio is indeed getting hit hard in the present economy.  The company I
work for has laid off 10% of its employees in the last three months, and
all employees have taken a 5% pay reduction as of Feb 1, except for
upper management who have taken a 10% reduction.  Still, it is better
than letting go 1850 employees as Clear Channel did last month, with
more rumored to come as on Feb 20.  Radio stocks are at their lowest
point ever.  All of this is, of course, public knowledge (including the
info on the company I work for).

Still, it's not just the economy.  It's the technology.  As has been
noted, fewer and fewer young people are listening to radio.  I can
understand that.  Why would you want to listen to a mode of technology
in which one must listen to what someone else wants you to hear when you
can carry around a small device that will hold an entire music library
of music you like?  Logic alone tells you that eventually the latter
will win the battle.  And that can be extended to satellite radio, as
well.

The comments about local programming are right on the mark.  But, I
would take it even further.  Local programming without innovative
programming is still at a disadvantage.  With few exceptions, everyone
does the same formats in the same way.  Radio has become generic.  You
can hear the same formatics in Minneapolis that I hear in Philadelphia.
If radio is to survive, it must reinvent itself, whether it be AM or FM.
It will always have the "one-way" medium disadvantage, as opposed to
technologies that are interactive.  It must find new ways of presenting
what it historically does best:  entertaining.  Without the relatable,
local entertaining factor, radio will continue to have additional nails
hammered into its coffin day by day, week by week, year by year, as
people flee to more flexible media.  Radio has to give people what their
mp3 players can't.

As for me, I'm an old fart like a lot of you.  I am 57 and was raised
primarily on AM. I remember great stations of the past - WNBC, WNEW,
WKBW, WCFL, and so on.  I even had the privilege of working for some
great heritage AMs like WNEW and WPTR.  But, creatures like me (us?) are
fast becoming the exception to the rule.  I still listen to AM, although
not as much as I used to:  except for DXing, of course. I work for two
AM stations, and as an engineer I prefer doing AM to FM.  It is still
the more challenging technology - particularly in the aspect of
directional antennas. But, even I can see the writing on the wall, and I
don't like what it says.  

73,
Rene'



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