Comments on: “The local voice of radio has been muffled by greed”

By: boiseengineer

boiseengineer — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:56:15 +0000

What comes full circle here is for now you can listen to the streaming of your “local” stations in the car.

Then again, only those with a lot o’ money to pay the streaming rights, or off-shore will be available soon.

Will it come to pass that advertising will be obsolete? Will a store (what-ever that may be) just pay to be in the databases a consumer goes to? Google takes over the worlds economy.

By: RadioActive

RadioActive — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:20:27 +0000

There is no doubt about it, Rainshadow you are right.

Its kind of like Wal-Mart. Folks tolerate it for the low prices for awhile. They put up with the rudeness, the untrained department clerks working for low wages, the range of one time offered low ball products, etc.

Noboby that I know is in love with the store that they are truly loyal, they tolerate it. When they find a local store or an internet supplier that offers quality products, with true service and the concept of customer service/satisfaction- folks ususally bail on Great Wal-Mart of China. They realize the long-term value of supporting local business’ as long as they are keen to offer quality service and fair pricing.

I cannot remember exactly how it goes but the concept is good money drives out bad. People want something that is worth something. And they are willing in the long-run to pay what it is worth as well. This the economic concept that a currency backed by something (gold-silver, tangilbe anything) is better than a currency backed by nothing but lies and promises and good faith, etc.

I cannot think of anyone in the Treasure Valley that really has a true level of localism like it used to be. Hopefully, there will still be a few of us “oldtimers” around when the time comes for a change in the paradigm to be able to put it back together again….

By: Rainshadow

Rainshadow — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:47:37 +0000

Just after WWII, coffee companies decided to save money by lowering the quality of the beans they used, banking on the idea that the buying public wouldn’t know the difference.

Everything went along fine until companies Tullys and Starbucks came along and showed the buying public what REAL coffee tasted like.

The same will be true of local radio. Right now, the listening public tolerates crap because that’s all they can get. I’m willing to bet that, when someone finally comes along with the guts to program quality local radio, ratings will go up along with profits.

By: Wrabbitt

Wrabbitt — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:08:17 +0000

Not far. Even here in Twin Falls I can get free WiFi all down Blue Lakes and most of the major roads. WiFi phones and radios are available. I can see an ipod (any name brand) being able to receive WiFi eventually. A person could have their favourite stations anywhere. You can do that now on a laptop at the Mall, fast food places, coffee shoppes and some restaurants.

By: RadioActive

RadioActive — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:16:54 +0000

How long until the entire Treasure Valley could have that level of Wifi service… Being overall disgusted with the level of “local” radio, I would opt for that if available.

By: boiseengineer

boiseengineer — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:55:38 +0000

In-car WiFi is also eating radio alive. In the larger cities you don’t need a radio to get news and traffic.

By: Buster Bronco

Buster Bronco — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:21:31 +0000

“There’s a sucker born every minute” is a phrase often credited to P.T. Barnum. If Cliff Topp’s claim “…that Arbitron has been tracking double digit losses in radio listenership since the biginning of de-regulation. I recently read a piece on radio revenues averaging an un-impressive 1% growth since 2000″ is true, it sounds to me like the suckers are the corporate managers who hire the programming managers that put crap on the radio. When are we going to learn that businesses, TV and radio stations, and schools are best when they retain local control and not operated by corporations with agendas.

By: Cliff Topp

Cliff Topp — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:47:06 +0000

It might have been H.P. Barnum that said,”no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public”. This statement maybe true for quite a bit of radio and certainly movies and television. Yes, the American public might seem to be buying into that philosophy when you see the results, however, I believe that Arbitron has been tracking double digit losses in radio listenership since the biginning of de-regulation. I recently read a piece on radio revenues averaging an un-impressive 1% growth since 2000. Radio revenues prior to de-regulation were robust and records for radio revenues were breaking records almost every year. “Times they are a changing,” but not all change is good.

By: Buster Bronco

Buster Bronco — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:49:04 +0000

The moral of this story is to not allow the community to become “…was tired of the same old songs, over and over, and over again” and allow managers, most of whom have come from California, to be “…influenced and {take} programming {advice} from a bunch of girls in the sales department” while being community minded.
So much for KQFC’s 98 in a row song package and intelligent, community oriented programming. No wonder Boise radio is going to hell in a handbasket. Idahoans need to take back control of their radio just as they did with KBOI and in the Jon and Chris situation.

By: The

The — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 08:14:36 +0000

“The thing we’re forgetting here is that, people like crap.”

Well, maybe, but that doesn’t explain why terrestrial radio’s audience is shrinking each year. Yes, the advent of the portable MP3 player and satellite radio certainly doesn’t help but I think that relatable localism and compelling personalities would help stem the retreating tide of listeners.