"Steve" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 24, 8:50 am, "David Eduardo" wrote:
"IBOCcrock" wrote in message

ups.com...

Radio Sold Its Soul

"Wall Street has soured on radio. How many investment banks still
actually have a full-time analyst watching this segment? Look to the
falling price of properties. To the few radio deals that get gone
these days. To the pessimism on Wall Street that has put the damper on
the future of radio."

There is more money looking for stations than there are stations for
sale.
That usually means an increased price. Clear Channel felt the market was
undervaluing its assets and cash flow, so they are going private.
Univision
did the same early this year, for over $12 billion. Station prices for
decent facilities have shown no erosion, as proven by the Clear Channel
and
CBS spin-offs.

Yes, and when the market is "undervaluing" your assets and cash flow,
that's always a good sign....lol


With the emergence of new technologies not called HD radio, it would appear
that traditional AM and FM broadcast stations are going to have a hard time
maintaining solid listerner bases. When you consider that you can connect
any computer to practically all kinds of Internet stations that is one
avenue. Another is satellite radio systems such as Sirius or XM. Another is
the fact that so many listeners now download music from I Tunes, Napster or
other online services. That is another hit to the bottom line. So instead of
attracting listeners by finding ways to atrract them through the traditional
media, they would rather find a way to digitize the media Ie. HD radio at
which very few people are interested except for a few shills. I live
somewhat near a major metro and I can assure you that I rarely hear anyone
at my vocation talk about HD radio. They are talking about the Ipod, Zune,
or something else. You don't hear all kinds of talk about this radio station
or that station.

Since the telecommunications mergers the local radio spectrum has pretty
much become a joke in that it is now filled with pretty much the same
garbage up and down the band. I had a good laugh last night when the Chicago
Bears-Dallas Cowboys football game was being talked about at the same time
on no less than 4 local Chicago stations on the AM band. Just an observation
from listening.

While I live further downstate, it is noticeable that our local stations are
now pretty much Clear Channel stations with very little local programming
and a great deal of verbatim and silly talk. Very little substance. You have
the occasional small time shock jock at night talking dirty to the kids
about whatever social norm they are trying to bring about. Just good for a
laugh anyway. As far as musical diversity or anything else, you will hear
the same bland playlists of similar songs or the same song going over two
stations at once in the same market. Not really any way to gain listeners.

For the most part, I've stopped listening to local FM because its the same
old morning talk show host talking about some of the most brain dead things.
Rather than enlighten anyone, it is more on the maintainance of the lowest
common denominator. At leat here, if you want to find out information, news,
weather or talk radio you still do have the AM band and local stations that
broadcast the news or features. FM has been pretty much raided by two or
three media conglomerates so you will pretty much be listening to your Ipod
with annoying commercials. It's a shame that we don't have local ownership
and local tastes to our radio culture.

Instead they would rather give us the big media crap that is presented as
news, entertainment, music etc. I've noticed that Chicago, IL and Memphis TN
have a wide variety of still local flavors. In fact, some of the better
stations heard come out of Memphis TN since much of their local stations are
locally owned and operated and the decisions are not made in a corporate
boardroom in NYC, LA or wherever. But instead, they would rather trash a
perfectly good communications medium in AM/FM radio with inexpensive and
often cheap radios (cheap not implied as junk) and instead would give us
more of the same garbage but charge 200 to 400 dollars for a radio.