The State of Radio: pilloried, bloodied, gasping for air

[headexplode]

The Linkin Park thread set me to lamenting about the state of radio broadcasted over the public airwaves. Just ten to fifteen years ago there were many independent stations that thrived in this region--they played unique and interesting music and showcased a wide variety of ideas and perspectives that just simply cannot be found today. WHFS is a perfect example. This was my favorite station as a child. They played music you couldn't hear anywhere else (certainly not on the bland and boring DC101) and their DJs were weird and funny and played the things they liked and thought the listeners would like, not what Viacom and Clear Channel wanted them to play. They weren't afraid to challenge their audiences and take chances. This station and others like it have all since disappeared, not only in this region but across the country, as corporations have taken advantage of the fateful Telecommunications Act of 1996 when the rules for ownership became so relaxed that they allowed for the "Wal-Martization" of radio. That is, they take the most generic and thougthless music they can find, couple that with the most lame and uninteresting radio personalities they can find and give you god-awful corporate radio geared towards mass consumption and designed to be cheap while generating lots of ad revenue. Though we still have public radio it seems to be coming under increasing pressure from various advocacy groups across the country to alter its programming and homogenize its content.

So my questions are: is radio forever doomed to be so devoid of any interesting or meaningful content? Am I overstating the severity of the situation? Is there any way we can take back the airwaves for public, not corporate, enrichment? Or is there a way we can balance the interests of corporations and citizens in such a way that benefits all? Or will further deregulation lead to more monopolization?

The reason bands like Linkin Park and Staind and Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach are so offensive to me is because they are so closely associated with the death of radio. Their music sounds more like it was manufactured in a laboratory than anything resembling the expression of the human soul. They are there to reach the greatest audience and sell the most albums but they don't have anything to contribute to the human experience other than easily digestible, formulaic background noise. They are, in fact, the reason I don't listen to radio anymore.

Finally, internet and satellite radio offer many options to listeners that were previously unavailable. There are still independent stations in this country that stream their content online but it's just not the same. It's not the same as listening to the public airwaves in your own region and hearing a wide variety of different music and viewpoints and not being so constantly bombarded by bad music and bad advertising. It's not the same as turning on your radio and hearing unique personalities that are from your region and somehow feeling a connectedness with them and the people around you. You just can't get that listening online or via satellite. And I'm beginning to think maybe we won't ever get it back.

I know this is a wide-ranging rant but I hope it provokes diverse discussion.

[Sisyphus]

Once wireless Internet streaming of 'radio stations' becomes economically viable, I would hope the opposite effect is going to happen. Similarly with independent music distribution via the web. Viacom, Clear Channel and Sony might control the TV/FM broadcast wavelengths but those will be only part of the bandwidth.

I grew up with Dave Fanning on Irish Radio (RTE) and John Peel on the BBC. Many great indie and rock bands first appeared live in studio on their programs. I only wish they had been available to a global audience. With Internet radio you have the possibility of a few small, low-cost studios serving the music needs of every angry teen on the planet. :cool:

[Dan T.]

I miss WHFS too, Headexplode. In Accokeek you should be able to pick up 103.1 WRNR out of Annapolis. It has the flavor, and some of the people, from the old HFS. I tune in anytime I'm traveling within radio range, mostly east of the Beltway and on the Eastern Shore.

Music on broadcast radio is becoming less and less relevant with the explosion of Ipods and other Mp3 players and the availability of cheap downloadable music. As auto manufacturers incorporate Mp3 player docking units into dashboard consoles, broadcast radio music will become even less relevant, IMO.

[headexplode]

Once wireless Internet streaming of 'radio stations' becomes economically viable, I would hope the opposite effect is going to happen. Similarly with independent music distribution via the web. Viacom, Clear Channel and Sony might control the TV/FM broadcast wavelengths but those will be only part of the bandwidth.

I grew up with Dave Fanning on Irish Radio (RTE) and John Peel on the BBC. Many great indie and rock bands first appeared live in studio on their programs. I only wish they had been available to a global audience. With Internet radio you have the possibility of a few small, low-cost studios serving the music needs of every angry teen on the planet. :cool:

I love internet radio, I just would like it to become more localized. I like listening to KUSF out of San Francisco which plays an amazing variety of music: bluegrass, gospel, punk, ambient, jazz, folk, almost any genre you cant think of. Smoothbeats.com is cool for a variety of rap and hip-hop. Attention-span radio plays a lot of weird jazz that I've never heard before. But even still, the public airwaves are there for the public. We've allowed them to be taken over by people whose only desire is to make money. Of course, there are still independent stations in this country, it just seems like I don't live near any of them.

[headexplode]

I miss WHFS too, Headexplode. In Accokeek you should be able to pick up 103.1 WRNR out of Annapolis. It has the flavor, and some of the people, from the old HFS. I tune in anytime I'm traveling within radio range, mostly east of the Beltway and on the Eastern Shore.

Music on broadcast radio is becoming less and less relevant with the explosion of Ipods and other Mp3 players and the availability of cheap downloadable music. As auto manufacturers incorporate Mp3 player docking units into dashboard consoles, broadcast radio music will become even less relevant, IMO.

And that's what worries me. I think the public airwaves are our greatest public assets and they're being demeaned and wasted and taken for granted. And hell, the HFS of today isn't what it was in the 80s and 90s.

[Burgold]

The lesson of the internet (you tube) to these stations, tv, movies, and radio is that people do respond to originality and they don't simply want the same cookiecutter scripts, songs, voices, and styles. Producers have wandered into this hellish no risk zone in the last ten years. They don't want to push any envelope or put anything out there that isn't a guaranteed success. That's a major reason why we get so much bland pablum. That and the belief that everything needs to be dumbed down for American audiences. I hope that originality can resurface. There are still pockets of it if you look hard enough for them, but the Disneyification or the Clear Channelification of the media has really dulled what we get.

[Sisyphus]

I miss WHFS too, Headexplode. In Accokeek you should be able to pick up 103.1 WRNR out of Annapolis. It has the flavor, and some of the people, from the old HFS. I tune in anytime I'm traveling within radio range, mostly east of the Beltway and on the Eastern Shore.

Music on broadcast radio is becoming less and less relevant with the explosion of Ipods and other Mp3 players and the availability of cheap downloadable music. As auto manufacturers incorporate Mp3 player docking units into dashboard consoles, broadcast radio music will become even less relevant, IMO.

It will be interesting to see how far this goes. With DVR, I rarely watch live TV anymore. There's no reason, other than an important breaking news story why I should listen to live radio either.

If you had a lengthy commute (mine is only ten minutes so I just llisten to snippet of NPR if anything), why not just listen to a podcast of last night or last week's show from a station anywhere in the world on the subject of interest to you. :cool:

[headexplode]

The lesson of the internet (you tube) to these stations, tv, movies, and radio is that people do respond to originality and they don't simply want the same cookiecutter scripts, songs, voices, and styles. Producers have wandered into this hellish no risk zone in the last ten years. They don't want to push any envelope or put anything out there that isn't a guaranteed success. That's a major reason why we get so much bland pablum. That and the belief that everything needs to be dumbed down for American audiences. I hope that originality can resurface. There are still pockets of it if you look hard enough for them, but the Disneyification or the Clear Channelification of the media has really dulled what we get.

I agree with you that Americans still crave the unique and the original and the tiny voice among the boorish din of the majority and so new avenues for expression have popped up. I just hope it's not at the expense of the public airwaves which are free and owned by everyone and available to anyone, as opposed to the internet which is available only to those who have money to spend on technological devices.

[Sisyphus]

I love internet radio, I just would like it to become more localized. I like listening to KUSF out of San Francisco which plays an amazing variety of music: bluegrass, gospel, punk, ambient, jazz, folk, almost any genre you cant think of. Smoothbeats.com is cool for a variety of rap and hip-hop. Attention-span radio plays a lot of weird jazz that I've never heard before. But even still, the public airwaves are there for the public. We've allowed them to be taken over by people whose only desire is to make money. Of course, there are still independent stations in this country, it just seems like I don't live near any of them.

I was thinking of listening to Internet radio everywhere, i.e. in your car, on your headset wehre ever you are.

Real-time local info on the TV or radio doesn't do anything for me. My idea of hell would be watching Tracey Neal and the other local broadcasts ... reporting on the breaking news of a cat stuck in a tree in Dale City.

I don't care what's going on in Fairfax twenty miles away that I can't find out via the web and e-zines. I don't need to be told about school closings in Reston or Arlington, as my kids don't go there.

[Burgold]

Money still talks very loudly. At some point, Radio execs are going to look at utube and internet radio and what not and realize that Ed Sullivan had it right all those years ago.

In order to keep the audience you do want the really big acts, but you also need a smattering of the freak show, the unique, and the what was that. When they start losing enough money, someone will be desperate enough to break this trend we're in and bring some local voices or originality back.

Right now, radio is in the phase we're they're losing audience and they're circling their wagons and going with the "sure hits" At some point, circling the wagons isn't good enough, because you don't have enough food, so you have to risk breaking through even at the risk of dying.

Mind you, I think we're a long time away from when the radio execs try to break this siege. Most of them are cowards and conformists by nature.

[matty dread]

I'm pretty lucky to have a quality independent channel in my area, 102.7 WEQX out of Vermont. That's pretty much all I listen to when it comes to FM radio. Most of the time though I'm rockin' out to my iPod.

[Sisyphus]

as opposed to the internet which is available only to those who have money to spend on technological devices.

Costs continue to fall for this ... today's youth have far greater access to music than they did until only a few years ago. While independent radio stations have declined, via the web there is unlimited content and variety available to most ... I think at least two-thirds of US homes have boradband. That's nothing like the penetration of AM radio of course, but it's getting there.

[Zguy28]

I listen to 90.5 & 102.5. Both independent stations which play music.

But I know what you mean Headexplode. I use to listen to WHFS in the early 90's and loved it.

[headexplode]

Money still talks very loudly. At some point, Radio execs are going to look at utube and internet radio and what not and realize that Ed Sullivan had it right all those years ago.

In order to keep the audience you do want the really big acts, but you also need a smattering of the freak show, the unique, and the what was that. When they start losing enough money, someone will be desperate enough to break this trend we're in and bring some local voices or originality back.

Right now, radio is in the phase we're they're losing audience and they're circling their wagons and going with the "sure hits" At some point, circling the wagons isn't good enough, because you don't have enough food, so you have to risk breaking through even at the risk of dying.

Mind you, I think we're a long time away from when the radio execs try to break this siege. Most of them are cowards and conformists by nature.

"Chicken**** conformists like your parents!" Sorry, had a little DK flashback.

I hope you're right Burgold. I like to see radio stations take risks again and showcase a lot of the weirdness we have in our region. There's so much good music around here, but other than a select few bands played really late you won't hear it on the radio. I used to love Capitol Radio. It came on WJFK late Saturday nights and played all kinds of great punk/hardcore music. It died. Now hear this on HFS used to play a lot of unheard music (I don't know if it's still on HFS, but like I said the station isn't what it used to be). There were a lot of other programs on different stations where you could hear things no one else would do.

[ntotoro]

So my questions are: is radio forever doomed to be so devoid of any interesting or meaningful content? Am I overstating the severity of the situation?

Yes, it is.

No, you're not.

Satellite radio and the WWW have given us options that terrestrial radio no longer can or will. When anyone starts referring to music as a "product," you know where the priorities lie.

Make yourself happy. That's the bottom line.

[Prosperity]

The same problems that radio has... tv has been having for a while.

Pop culture is now something that ought to be fought everywhere from MTV to Radio... things like Linkin Park and any Reality TV (like The Hills) show on MTV (or elsewhere) are destroying the human soul. These pieces of **** tell the stupid masses its ok to be stupid, boring, and unoriginal. Instead of vomiting this mediocrity our society is embracing it.

Yeah there is great music out there, as well as great tv shows, movies etc... but I want to know why Linkin Park, Michael Bay, and the Real World make so much money. Honestly, I don't know if the situation is worse or better than before, but it IS intolerable. For god's sake people stop giving up your hard earned money for garbage.

[/rant]

[PleaseBlitz]

In DC i listen to 5 stations. DC101, 98Rock, 107.3, 95.5, and 99.5.

I am convinced there is only 5 songs being played right now.

1) That song by that american idol guy

2) That what goes around comes around song by Justin Timberlake

3) That annoying Gwyn Stefani song

4) Nickelback

5) Ok, only 4 songs.

[headexplode]

The same problems that radio has... tv has been having for a while.

Pop culture is now something that ought to be fought everywhere from MTV to Radio... things like Linkin Park and any Reality TV (like The Hills) show on MTV (or elsewhere) are destroying the human soul. These pieces of **** tell the stupid masses its ok to be stupid, boring, and unoriginal. Instead of vomiting this mediocrity our society is embracing it.

Yeah there is great music out there, as well as great tv shows, movies etc... but I want to know why Linkin Park, Michael Bay, and the Real World make so much money. Honestly, I don't know if the situation is worse or better than before, but it IS intolerable. For god's sake people stop giving up your hard earned money for garbage.

[/rant]

Couldn't agree more, Liberty. It seems like the vast majority of Americans have embraced crap tv and radio. Other than a handful of shows (I like NBC's Thursday lineup) most of the programming is boring, tiresome tripe.

[D'Pablo]

It's funny that you bring this up, Headexplode. There is definately a correlation between Canada's burgeoning music scene and our slumping crap scene. I think it has everything to do with the corporate takeover of the radio in this country. In Canada, that's not the case.

[headexplode]

In DC i listen to 5 stations. DC101, 98Rock, 107.3, 95.5, and 99.5.

I am convinced there is only 5 songs being played right now.

1) That song by that american idol guy

2) That what goes around comes around song by Justin Timberlake

3) That annoying Gwyn Stefani song

4) Nickelback

5) Ok, only 4 songs.

:laugh: :laugh: You're probably right. I don't listen, but you're probably right.

[headexplode]

It's funny that you bring this up' date=' Headexplode. There is definately a correlation between Canada's burgeoning music scene and our slumping crap scene. I think it has everything to do with the corporate takeover of the radio in this country. In Canada, that's not the case.[/quote']

You might be right. I'm not too sure about the situation in Canada, but it seems like a lot of the music I like lately comes from there. Godspeed, Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Do Make Say Think--and a lot more I can't think of right now.

DC had a great music scene for years. I think it's taken a bit of a downturn, but there's still good bands out there. For years, though, we had Fugazi, Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, Chuck Brown, Bad Brains, great jazz and hip-hop stuff, and a whole host of other music that appealed to a wide range of people.

[Prosperity]

If I hear "my leather so soft" or whatever the name that POS is again...

"My leather so soft..."

so are your lyrics you ****ing banal ass hole.

this thread is very therapeutic

[headexplode]

If I hear "my leather so soft" or whatever the name that POS is again...

"My leather so soft..."

so are your lyrics you ****ing banal ass hole.

this thread is very therapeutic

:laugh: Let it all out, Liberty. Let your voice ring like a trumpet unto all these mindless hacks.

[AtticA]

Thank god for satellite radio and 100% commercial free music!

[skinsdude]

Thank god for satellite radio and 100% commercial free music!

Quoted for emphasis.