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

[Tim Kridel <tim@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of my locals, KFRU, just fired the rest of the news staff who hadn't
already been let go, along with the meteorologist.


> From: "R. F. Tetro" <rtetro@xxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: <rtetro@xxxxxxxxx>, Mailing list for the International Radio Club of
> America <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 12:26:38 -0500
> To: 'Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America'
> <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [IRCA] economic downturn's effect on radio
> 
> 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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