By Righty
Forget video…it’s the iPod. Who’s listening to the radio? Unless it’s for talk, or sports, or unless you don’t own an iPod, it may be you. But like newspapers, it is slowly on its way out.
from the Boston Globe -
Has commercial music radio become so moribund it no longer serves as pop tastemaker whatsoever? Or does it just seem that way in light of last week’s announcement that WBCN-FM, once the agenda setter for an entire region of hip rock fans and record buyers, is switching to a sports-talk format? Is satellite radio, ad-free and genre-specific, the last, best hope for drawing trend-setting younger listeners to the radio dial?
While its viability hasn’t yet reached endangered species status, music radio does face many of the same challenges other mass media – including newspapers, magazines, and network television – are up against. New technologies and delivery options, more choices tailored to individual consumers, fragmented audiences that can find music they enjoy while bypassing glib-talking DJs and annoying commercials – all are factors driving programmers and station owners to retool themselves for the digital media age.
In short, is music on the radio a lost cause?
