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Local radio's dying? You say: Good riddance

By David Morgenstern: Contributing Editor, AnchorDesk

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Editor's note: Want to be a guest columnist for AnchorDesk? Click here for instructions on how to submit your essay.

Many media mavens write off television programming as a cultural and intellectual wasteland. But have they been listening to radio lately?

Your TalkBacks offered alternatives to the standard commercial pabulum, including discussions on satellite radio services and Internet streaming radio.

My colleague David Coursey provided the impetus for the colloquy in a recent article on satellite radio. "Both [satellite] services are counting on the same thing: Local AM/FM radio options pretty much suck," he wrote.

But is satellite the answer? For some of you, it sounded great (sometimes). However, cost was a barrier. Others pointed to streaming alternatives, some of which can be downloaded into our current player hardware, if we can find space on the playlist.

Here are some of your most notable responses.

Scott Primeau wrote about his experience with XM Satellite Radio's service.

"I have been able to experience the urban blackouts, and the blackouts that occur when going under a metal bridge or a lot of trees. It can get to be pretty frustrating having your crystal-clear reception disappear completely, like your satellite signal in a rainstorm.

"But worse than that is the impersonal feeling of having few (or no) announcers with anything to say of importance. Anything that the announcers say has to be relevant to anyone who happens to be listening, which is anywhere in the country.

"This does not help me when I am driving home at night and there is a major pileup five miles ahead on the interstate. There is no one [on the radio] to tell me that if I continue traveling this route, I will be in a logjam that will keep me from getting home before my kids get married and have their own kids." READ THE FULL TALKBACK.

Jim Mowreader detailed the sorry programming offerings in his local area.

"Would I buy a satellite radio? I'd sure look into it. I would like to see a classical station--anywhere!--that had a decent DJ. Put on the classical station, and the guy sounds like: 'I use a pound of Prozac, half a pound of [antidepressant] Paxil, 35 cups of coffee, and a whole bottle of speed a day, and I'm still depressed.' Wired as a nuke plant, but still depressed. They're all that way." READ THE FULL TALKBACK.

However, a number of you couldn't wait for the end of local programming. In addition to lackluster content, there were questions about the meaning of "local" nowadays.

Gary Crouch, a 30-year veteran of the broadcast business, suggested that we "go ahead and bury" local radio.

"We had a major tornado event not long ago, with early warnings sent out all over the place. The local station was still pumpin' out the hits when people turned their dials looking for information. But to put as many dollars in the pocket of the owner, THE STATION IS AUTOMATED ON THE WEEKENDS. Wow, what a way to 'serve the public as a public trustee' (taken from their required license renewal message!). READ THE FULL TALKBACK.

Ivan Berger, among others, wrote that media giant Clear Channel Worldwide has helped homogenize local radio around the United States.

"Government rules used to restrict the number of radio stations one person or company could own. Now, station groups have grown so vast as to dominate the market. Think all the stations in your area are playing the same stuff? They probably are, using a playlist from their common corporate owner (Clear Channel, most likely).

"And now we have a handful of major record companies controlling most of what gets recorded, and a handful of station owners controlling which of those recordings get heard. Mega corporations are not renowned for their adventurous tastes, so don't be surprised if the music gets a little boring." READ THE FULL TALKBACK.

Jeff Dickey considered streaming Internet radio a better alternative. He offered links to services such as Nullsoft's Shoutcast and reminded us of the Recording Industry of America's recent demand for licensing fees.

"For the last few years, there has been an amazing variety of music, talk, anything you can imagine [on Internet radio]. I'm presently listening to the stream of Japan Radio, which has no equivalent on the AM, FM, XM, or Sirius bands. READ THE FULL TALKBACK.

David Morgenstern, past editor of eMediaweekly and MacWEEK, is a freelance editor and branding consultant based in San Francisco.

Do you listen to satellite or online streaming radio? What do you think of it? Is it better or worse than your local programming? TalkBack to me!

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