Local radio vs. I-pod

FredLeonard · **Joined:** Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:02 am **Posts:** 1732

Ego, I used to know stations like those you describe. I have even worked for some. And I've seen some swallowed up by Clear Channel, Cumulus, et al and turned into repeaters for satellite-delivered programming. I've seen some taken over by religious broadcasters or brokered time operators (including some outfits who fit both descriptions). In any case, the people like those you describe (and people like I have described) were gone. From the numbers I've seen, so were most of the former listeners.

It keeps getting harder to find something to which to listen on the radio. Even harder to find something satisfying. If you still have work in radio you enjoy doing, I'm happy for you. But, tell the truth, when you get in your car at the end of the day and become a listener, how happy are you with what you hear? (Or are you listening to something other than terrestrial radio?)

Dan Drolett · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:40 am

I do admit that the localized, community-oriented small-market stations are getting harder and harder to find - much harder than, say, 30 years ago. It's not a lost cause, though. They're still out there, and when you find one, it's like finding a pearl. I live in the middle of three such stations. Two are 20 miles to my east in Owosso, and yet another is 30 miles to my west in Ionia. Not everything has been sucked up by corporate giants, and not everything is just a repeater for the bird. Those rare gems are just a little harder to find these days.

Ed Joseph · **Joined:** Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:27 pm **Posts:** 556

BeerMan wrote:

- An iPod never soothed your fears when a tornado leveled your neighborhood
- An internet stream never volunteered its time and money for your local community
- A satellite radio station never brought your favorite music artist to your town
- A mobile phone never tossed you a free T-shirt at a concert
- You never call Apple to play a game or request a song or enter a contest
- Internet radio never helped you find your way around an accident on the freeway and never helped you know what to wear to work or school. It never made you smile or cry or feel like you're a part of an extended family, singing along to the same tune and laughing along to the same jokes.

The magic of local radio is not that we play the same songs our competitors do, but that we do everything else they can't.

I don't know that even live radio would "sooth my fears" in that situation. The problem is that with station staffs so cut to the bone nowdays, most stations can't really do much more than tell you there's a tornado coming. In that situation, I'm using my portable scanner tuned to the Skywarn net. If there's a tornado I have the info I need before anyone else can get it out to the public, including NOAA weather radio.

Otherwise, I agree totally with your post. The problem lies in the fact that the vast majority of stations DO NOT do these things anymore. With the exception of a precious few "pearls" as DD says, most radio today is simply background noise for the office.

The fact that WOAP has overcome the obstacle course it had laid before it and is still on the air proves that radio can still be relevant and viable. Sure, they're not getting rich, but it's a 1kW local. But they're still there, even with the struggle of having the apathetic owner they had. Truth is, I'd rather listen to a small market live station like WOAP than all the other corporate/religious/brokered garbage on the dial. Back in the day, we often tuned to the small market stations for the entertainment of hearing how lame they were, while listening to the big stations the rest of the time. Nowdays, I'd be happy just to have those "lame" locals still around instead of being a satellite repeater of the same crap that is everywhere else on the dial.

Some stations are so bad they make me wonder if anyone ever listens to them other than the owner.

Neckbeard · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:17 pm

HugeEGO wrote:

The last six posts only go to show that ANY topic on this board can be spun down to personal attacks not related to “radio.”

I submit that the generalizations posted by some are so wide they’re impossible to substantiate. They’re more like insults to many readers who would choose to visit this site:

“all radio has left are those who can't afford other options (not an attractive target for advertisers), plus wing-nuts and religious fanatics (big overlap between those two groups). Sadly, that tends to be who goes into local radio these days. Radio once attracted smart, talented people.”

Any person gainfully employed in radio making an honest living and an honest effort to contribute to the craft of the media deserves better than to be included in such a statement. Many a small market employee, manager or owner actually is seen as quite the opposite by their community and in fact, is highly respected! Most “radio people” from any size market should find that statement quite insulting.

But then, those same people know that the rewards of the radio medium come not from putting any credence in statements made in a conversation of this (low) quality, but rather from taking pride in their work, no matter in what part of the industry they are employed.

We now ATTEMPT to return to the topic at the title of this thread. As if that’s possible on this board anymore.

Come on, people. Grow up a little. Communicate like credible adults.

Dan Drolett · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:57 pm

Ed Joseph wrote:

I don't know that even live radio would "sooth my fears" in (a tornado warning). The problem is that with station staffs so cut to the bone nowdays, most stations can't really do much more than tell you there's a tornado coming. In that situation, I'm using my portable scanner tuned to the Skywarn net. If there's a tornado I have the info I need before anyone else can get it out to the public, including NOAA weather radio.

Times have changed greatly in that respect. I can remember a day when WJIM, WILS and WITL would completely suspend regular programming during a tornado warning, and basically broadcast a continuous loop of information until the warning(s) were expired. Now, if the station is automated, the warning is broadcast once, and that's it. Anyone who tunes in after the initial alert misses the information. Add to the fact that we no longer have WLNS on 87.7, which was a continuous source of information for those whose only access to such during a power loss was a battery-powered radio. Now, your best bet is a NOAA radio (if you can receive the local station, which in our neck of the woods, we can not) or a scanner tuned to the local Skywarn frequency. I was lucky - I found a scanner for a steal at an estate sale several years ago, but those things aren't so inexpensive on the retail market. eBay is your best bet.

Tony Clark · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:19 am

But Dan, wasn't it just a few short years ago all weather and EAS warnings were to be delivered through our cell phones? And for good reason. In my six months away from radio, I have observed many people who have their iPhones, Androids and what-not, either checking out e-mail, Facebook, and many with ear buds plugged in. Broadcasters, wake up! This is your new radio, and unlike the old radio, the listener/viewer sets the appointment, not you...or me. This is where they are, young AND old!

Dan Drolett · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:41 pm

Tony, I have the Accu-Weather app on my Droid. It does quite well when it comes to severe weather alerts, and it reminds me if the alert hasn't been checked. It has become my new "weather radio". Plus, it follows me from location to location, so if I'm, say, in Mackinaw City, it will alert to that location. Kinda nice, since if you're taking a NOAA receiver with you, you have to change frequencies.

barron · **Posted:** Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:35 am

I LIKE MOST OF WHAT FRED SAID---ACTUALLY-----
AND BOY DOES THIS SITE CONTINUE TO BLOW CHUNKS.......

Tony Clark · **Posted:** Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:30 pm

Tim, I like what you say on both counts. But if the site blows chunks, why do we keep visiting it? It's a pretty sad commentary if the Buzzboard is the most exciting game in town...well, at least after 10am.

Dan Drolett · **Posted:** Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:22 pm

barron wrote:

I LIKE MOST OF WHAT FRED SAID---ACTUALLY-----
AND BOY DOES THIS SITE CONTINUE TO BLOW CHUNKS.......

And yet, we keep coming back, so they must be doing something right. :razz

Tony Clark · **Posted:** Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:37 pm

Yeahhh, Tim was bored...it was either post on the Buzzboard or walk over to Kroger for some chicken...

Dan Drolett · **Posted:** Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:20 pm

When I worked on South Cedar, there was a pizza joint a block from the station. All the pizza you could eat and unlimited drink refills for $5.99. I walked out of there bloated many times. They eventually went out of business, and I could see why. That was a much too attractive proposition for we minimum-wage radio jocks.

Business 101....if you're gonna open an all-you-can-eat pizza place, don't do it next to a radio station. That's a bankruptcy waiting to happen. :lol

FredLeonard · **Joined:** Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:02 am **Posts:** 1732

Dan Drolett wrote:

When I worked on South Cedar, there was a pizza joint a block from the station. All the pizza you could eat and unlimited drink refills for $5.99. I walked out of there bloated many times. They eventually went out of business, and I could see why. That was a much too attractive proposition for we minimum-wage radio jocks.

Business 101....if you're gonna open an all-you-can-eat pizza place, don't do it next to a radio station. That's a bankruptcy waiting to happen. :lol

Also, radio people tend to fat. Partly due to lack of activity. Mostly due to lots of eating. It's not just the pizza. Microsoft gives its people free pizzas and drinks - to fuel all-night and marathon code writing sessions. You don't see many fatsos on the Bellevue campus. It's something about radio. Either the kind of people it draws or what it does to them. Maybe even something about the difference between old media geeks and new media geeks.

G G · **Posted:** Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:38 pm

How did I get dragged into this? I am ingreat shape, especially for my age. I heard you were in a good shape too, Simpleton. ROUND!

Radio1 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:03 pm

KFC buffet? Is there such a thing?

Local radio vs. I-pod

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