"Nobody Listens to the Radio Anymore"

[k9ez]

The key words were "20-something year old".  This age groups tend to listen to less radio, until they are older when they dont have the time to deal with iPods, MP3 players ya da ya da.  Then they have to deal with responsibilities like JOBS (real ones), kids etc.  He is just relating to what he knows in his age group.

In reagrds to radios being in stores, I have no idea what you are talking about.  They are everywhere.  Am I missing something?

> According to a store electronics clerk at Circuit City,
> anyway.
>
> -- By Steve West
>
> Gang, I went shopping last weekend and one of the places I
> went was
> the aforementioned store.  Here's the setup:  I'm looking
> through
> the electronics section at the numerous home theatre
> receiver
> systems, hoping to find a standalone AM/FM receiver like you
> could
> get in the 70s & 80s.  When I ask the clerk what the specs
> on the FM
> receivers are (5 gangs of RF stages, 4 IF filters), the
> clerk says
> to me, "Well, I can't get you specs like that... I can tell
> you how
> many watts, etc., or I can look them up online in our
> cataloge.....
> But, nobody listens to the radio anymore anyway, that's why
> we don't
> carry just radio receivers".
>
> So, incredulous that this 20-something year old manager
> actually
> SAID something we've all heard but didn't believe, I go on
> the
> explain to him that he's talking to a 25-year broadcaster.
> We
> talked for at least 20 minutes, and among other things, I
> asked him
> why he said that.  His answer?  "Well think about it.  I
> DON'T
> listen to the radio.  None of the kids that comes in here
> listens to
> the radio.  My brothers and sisters don't listen to the
> radio".  So,
> naturally, my next question is, "So how do you know what to
> buy for
> music?"  "Online", he replies.  "Do you know about Bit
> Torrent?  Well, that, MTV, and I have XM Satellite radio."
> At about this time I'm thinking to myself that this manager
> is way too young to know what's going on... but on second
> thought he's closer to the demographic than any of US,
> working in a store that sells electronic gadgets.
>
>
> RANT FOLLOWS--
>
> Radio today just keeps going on as if it's business as
> usual.  For
> those of you still IN radio - your GM or OM is still
> thinking inside
> the box, as if that station is going to be there in some
> form for
> years to come.  They keep accepting those ads from XM for
> broadcast
> (thats kinda like the crosstown station advertising on
> yours), they
> keep cutting the airstaff and increasing voicetracking and
> automation, thinking that by lowering the bottom line and
> creating
> more profits for investors that the money will always be
> there.
>
> Meanwhile, the programming gets more bland and amateurish
> every
> day.  The magic that brought in new listeners and held
> longtime ones
> is gone at most places, replaced by a satellite feed and
> local
> liners.  The music is safe.  Everywhere, safelists abound by
> young
> consultants who say it's best to play it safe and never take
> the
> chance some P1 listener will change the station because they
> don't
> like a particular song.  Um... hello.  The P1's are leaving
> anyway
> because there's nothing interesting on the air.
>
> Why do the corporate suits not get it?  Whether it's me or
> some
> retired radio legend trying to tell them, they don't listen
> when we
> say that the product is too watered down, is run by Wall
> Street
> investors and the music industry with it's payola tactics,
> and the
> audience caboose is that 35 year old who remembers FM's CHR
> wars in
> the 80s - and even they are leaving.
>
> Why, may I ask, is it that CHRs can't make a dent in the
> ratings in
> most markets?  The young audience isn't listening to radio,
> they're
> downloading their songs to their I-PODS.  Oops, there's that
> dirty
> word.  And, it's not just the young audience that's
> disappeared.  
> Radio AND it's advertisers have shot themselves in the foot
> by
> ignoring the 55+ demo.  Things like the brilliant format
> change at
> WCBS-FM New York show just how far to the right the
> stupidity meter
> is pegged.  Somebody say Jack?
>
> Admittedly, much of this is not necessarilly the fault of
> radio,
> with so many new technologies out there, listeners are very
> much
> distracted away from radio.  But, the one tool stations have
> at
> their disposal, the one weapon they have in attracting and
> keeping
> an audience is having a LIVE, LOCAL presence that is
> involved in the
> community.  And, it's the ONE thing that most stations are
> speeding
> away from at light speed in this nit-witted effort to lower
>
> operating costs.  The line of thinking at most stations
> these days could be summed up this way:  Here's what the GM
> or his national brand manager is probably thinking: "That's
> right, fire the DJs, in fact, fire the
> Newsperson and Public Affairs person and make the one
> morning jock
> do their jobs along with his.  It works in a factory, so why
> not in
> radio, make people do more for less.  In fact, why do we
> need an
> airstaff at all?  I'll just have my production guy work to
> fit
> everything in during the week, after all he's on salary so
> he can
> live at the station.  I'l farm out the liners to a cyber
> jock."
>
> Now, have you heard the station lately?
>
> Forget entertainment and attracting an audience, you now
> have a
> station that simply BORES the audience to death.  The guy
> you have
> doing morning news can barely get through a newscast without
>
> stumbling over half his sentences. And you wonder why
> nobody's
> listening?
>
> Can anyone remember the great old days of AM Top 40?  I
> literally
> remember striking up a conversation with friends about what
> the DJ
> did the previous night on WKBW Buffalo - a station about 500
> miles
> away we got on DX at night.  Yea, my FRIENDS even listened!
> Not
> because it was DX, but because it was great radio!!  Would
> we have
> listened if we had the internet?  Probably not as much but
> definitely yes!
>
> You who run radio stations had better pull your head out of
> your ass
> cheeks.  Better find a way to attract the young audience,
> but fast,
> because if you don't there really WILL be no listeners left.
>  Your
> main audience is probably 38-60 instead of any numbers the
> so-called
> professional bean counters have quoted you.  And, as soon as
> the
> advertisers wake up to the fact that nobody's listening to
> the
> radio, your precious revenue stream will dry up.  Then what
> do you
> do?
>
> GET LOCAL. It is the ONLY way you will attract an audience.
> That,
> and let your DJs be DJs again.  Throw away the liners and
> cue
> cards.  Open your playlists.  Expand the horizons, and do
> what XM,
> Sirius and MTV can't - talk to and entertain your local
> audience.
>
> Before it's too late.
>

[radiomojo1]

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?feed=AP&Date=20060119&ID=5430456





> According to a store electronics clerk at Circuit City,
> anyway.
>
> -- By Steve West
>
> Gang, I went shopping last weekend and one of the places I
> went was
> the aforementioned store.  Here's the setup:  I'm looking
> through
> the electronics section at the numerous home theatre
> receiver
> systems, hoping to find a standalone AM/FM receiver like you
> could
> get in the 70s & 80s.  When I ask the clerk what the specs
> on the FM
> receivers are (5 gangs of RF stages, 4 IF filters), the
> clerk says
> to me, "Well, I can't get you specs like that... I can tell
> you how
> many watts, etc., or I can look them up online in our
> cataloge.....
> But, nobody listens to the radio anymore anyway, that's why
> we don't
> carry just radio receivers".
>
> So, incredulous that this 20-something year old manager
> actually
> SAID something we've all heard but didn't believe, I go on
> the
> explain to him that he's talking to a 25-year broadcaster.
> We
> talked for at least 20 minutes, and among other things, I
> asked him
> why he said that.  His answer?  "Well think about it.  I
> DON'T
> listen to the radio.  None of the kids that comes in here
> listens to
> the radio.  My brothers and sisters don't listen to the
> radio".  So,
> naturally, my next question is, "So how do you know what to
> buy for
> music?"  "Online", he replies.  "Do you know about Bit
> Torrent?  Well, that, MTV, and I have XM Satellite radio."
> At about this time I'm thinking to myself that this manager
> is way too young to know what's going on... but on second
> thought he's closer to the demographic than any of US,
> working in a store that sells electronic gadgets.
>
>
> RANT FOLLOWS--
>
> Radio today just keeps going on as if it's business as
> usual.  For
> those of you still IN radio - your GM or OM is still
> thinking inside
> the box, as if that station is going to be there in some
> form for
> years to come.  They keep accepting those ads from XM for
> broadcast
> (thats kinda like the crosstown station advertising on
> yours), they
> keep cutting the airstaff and increasing voicetracking and
> automation, thinking that by lowering the bottom line and
> creating
> more profits for investors that the money will always be
> there.
>
> Meanwhile, the programming gets more bland and amateurish
> every
> day.  The magic that brought in new listeners and held
> longtime ones
> is gone at most places, replaced by a satellite feed and
> local
> liners.  The music is safe.  Everywhere, safelists abound by
> young
> consultants who say it's best to play it safe and never take
> the
> chance some P1 listener will change the station because they
> don't
> like a particular song.  Um... hello.  The P1's are leaving
> anyway
> because there's nothing interesting on the air.
>
> Why do the corporate suits not get it?  Whether it's me or
> some
> retired radio legend trying to tell them, they don't listen
> when we
> say that the product is too watered down, is run by Wall
> Street
> investors and the music industry with it's payola tactics,
> and the
> audience caboose is that 35 year old who remembers FM's CHR
> wars in
> the 80s - and even they are leaving.
>
> Why, may I ask, is it that CHRs can't make a dent in the
> ratings in
> most markets?  The young audience isn't listening to radio,
> they're
> downloading their songs to their I-PODS.  Oops, there's that
> dirty
> word.  And, it's not just the young audience that's
> disappeared.  
> Radio AND it's advertisers have shot themselves in the foot
> by
> ignoring the 55+ demo.  Things like the brilliant format
> change at
> WCBS-FM New York show just how far to the right the
> stupidity meter
> is pegged.  Somebody say Jack?
>
> Admittedly, much of this is not necessarilly the fault of
> radio,
> with so many new technologies out there, listeners are very
> much
> distracted away from radio.  But, the one tool stations have
> at
> their disposal, the one weapon they have in attracting and
> keeping
> an audience is having a LIVE, LOCAL presence that is
> involved in the
> community.  And, it's the ONE thing that most stations are
> speeding
> away from at light speed in this nit-witted effort to lower
>
> operating costs.  The line of thinking at most stations
> these days could be summed up this way:  Here's what the GM
> or his national brand manager is probably thinking: "That's
> right, fire the DJs, in fact, fire the
> Newsperson and Public Affairs person and make the one
> morning jock
> do their jobs along with his.  It works in a factory, so why
> not in
> radio, make people do more for less.  In fact, why do we
> need an
> airstaff at all?  I'll just have my production guy work to
> fit
> everything in during the week, after all he's on salary so
> he can
> live at the station.  I'l farm out the liners to a cyber
> jock."
>
> Now, have you heard the station lately?
>
> Forget entertainment and attracting an audience, you now
> have a
> station that simply BORES the audience to death.  The guy
> you have
> doing morning news can barely get through a newscast without
>
> stumbling over half his sentences. And you wonder why
> nobody's
> listening?
>
> Can anyone remember the great old days of AM Top 40?  I
> literally
> remember striking up a conversation with friends about what
> the DJ
> did the previous night on WKBW Buffalo - a station about 500
> miles
> away we got on DX at night.  Yea, my FRIENDS even listened!
> Not
> because it was DX, but because it was great radio!!  Would
> we have
> listened if we had the internet?  Probably not as much but
> definitely yes!
>
> You who run radio stations had better pull your head out of
> your ass
> cheeks.  Better find a way to attract the young audience,
> but fast,
> because if you don't there really WILL be no listeners left.
>  Your
> main audience is probably 38-60 instead of any numbers the
> so-called
> professional bean counters have quoted you.  And, as soon as
> the
> advertisers wake up to the fact that nobody's listening to
> the
> radio, your precious revenue stream will dry up.  Then what
> do you
> do?
>
> GET LOCAL. It is the ONLY way you will attract an audience.
> That,
> and let your DJs be DJs again.  Throw away the liners and
> cue
> cards.  Open your playlists.  Expand the horizons, and do
> what XM,
> Sirius and MTV can't - talk to and entertain your local
> audience.
>
> Before it's too late.
>

[Seven_Costanza]

Just before Xmas I was in CompUSA (THE geekyist of the retail chains, their floor folk really know their stuff) buying my son a computer.  I overheard a woman ask for some inside info on sat rads...

...nobody had a clue what to tell her.  It's off their collective 20-something radars.

[KJCB]

> > A statistic I've seen is that heavy iPod users listen to
> about 15 minutes less > radio per week. That is not
> "abandoning radio in droves
>
> I agree. I have an iPod myself! You know what it displaces?
> Mostly satellite radio! When I'm travelling, instead of
> paying XM or Sirius or trying to pick up local stations from
> the freeway, I just record my favorites, pop it into the
> iPod and off I go.

Good point. The hipsters making $7/hr at Circuit City might enjoy listening to the binaural beats of XM's Madagascar channel, but they're in the minority. And did one ever consider that someone that works at an electronics store might actually have a penchant for... electronics! I doubt it's the benefits and attractive red polo shirt uniform.

What gets me is how everyone talks about how music is so easily duplicable on so many other medias (iPods, what have you), but they proceed to say that FreeFM and similar approaches are ridiculous, stupid, and dragging radio down. You can't get Tom Leykis on your iPod (well, you know what I mean). I may occassionally listen to music on my XM, but since I'm not a big music consumer in the first place, it's more a novelty than it is replacing FM... I never listened to music on FM in the first place. Yet I spend countless hours listening to interesting content I couldn't get anywhere else.

[jimbo]

>>> I miss the radio of the past, but I note that what I listened to wasn't "local" as far as I was concerned.  <<<

Yes, but it was live wasn't it?   Not voice-tracked or automated.   You knew there was someone at the other end of the radio having a great time and drawing you to the station night after night.