On 31 Mar 2004 01:18:54 GMT, umarc wrote:

Well, we've got WBZ, which is mostly short and sensational
stories; and then there are a bunch of stations that use Metro
News, which means they all share the same source, and that
source does a pretty poor job, sometimes not even getting basic
facts right.

If you want anything deeper than headlines, WBUR is pretty much
your only choice.

It seems to me that what you're really lamenting is the state of radio
broadcast journalism. However, it's not just radio Journalism, it's
all Journalism.

Maybe it was always this way and we just didn't know any better. The
Internet has suddenly exposed a cacophony of opinions and sources of
information that the public simply had no exposure to before. And as
the influence of the Internet spreads, it becomes possible to check up
on what was difficult to research before. So it comes as no surprise
to me that when the public lifts up this rock one can find all sorts
of weird critters lurking under there.

Now, as to format: Attention spans are shortening among broadcasters.
Many are looking for the quick attention grabbing headline and then
forgetting to back it up with a real meaty story. Why bother? It's
expensive to do good research. Only NPR puts stuff like that on the
air, and most have no desire to compete against government funding.
It's cheaper to produce another headline with a thin story behind it.

What these radio broadcasters don't recognize is the value of a long
term investment. They flit from headline to headline until most of
their listenership can barely lift their knuckles off of the floor.
And by then, most of the advertising for smart people has long gone
along with anyone who uses their opposable digits. This explains the
inanity of most advertising you hear on the air.

Radio is hardly the only business which can't seem to focus on the
long term. In my personal opinion, I think the future will see the
audience slowly melt away toward other media. There is an article in
the NYT recently
(http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/technology/29guy.html) about how
18-35 year old men are watching less and less TV. As broadband access
improves, audio programs are getting easier to download. I expect
more people will tend to download the programs they want to listen to
rather than see what's on the radio.

Of course, this is just my speculation. It's worth only what you paid
for it.


Jake Brodsky

"Never mind the Turing Test, what about the Turing Graduates?"