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Steve Goddard gone from KOOL-FM
- Thread starter ihEARDtHAT
- Start date
So you aged and the station did not. That is how it's supposed to be.
Exactly the opposite my learned friend. I still see a 16-year old face in my mirror. My radio station does not.
Which naturally begs the question: As the apparent new demo for KOOL is those who first heard a lot of these songs on MTV, back when MTV still played music videos, how long it will be before KOOL moves its demo into the post-MTV/YouTube era? "Friday" by Rebecca Black could some day be 94.5's new "Brown Eyed Girl".
About ten years or so.
Think FM as we know it today will still be around in 2025? Los Buckeye Boyz doubt it, but we'll still be running the Media Hut!
The key words as "as we know it today." My response is that FM today isn't as we knew it in 1995, so why should it stay the same ten years from now?
It WILL change, and Dr. Akbar should be prepared.
Your advice should hold true for everyone involved in the commercial radio industry.
Radio once played a central role in American life. As the decades rolled on and other forms of electronic entertainment evolved radio became less and less important. My family is a great example of this. When I grew up in the 50's radio was very important and not a day went by that I was not listening for a good part of the day. I listened at home, on the job and everywhere me and my buddies hung out. Radio was the center of our universe then radio began changing for us. Our favorite DJ's got fired (or pursued some other line of work). The music changed into crap we didn't like. Commercials filled the air non-stop. We quit listening. My kids never had my radio experience. They can't name any favorite DJ's and don't remember when commercial blocks were not 5 and 6 minutes long. They became the pre-set punchers. They don't listen to commercial radio today (but might listen to music services that are not OTA radio). More likely, they are now like me and listen to their own music on dedicated devices. Advertisers can't get to them because they neither watch TV nor listen to radio. Consequently, there is less and less money in radio today with the result that radio is beginning to circle the drain. In the coming years it will mean even less than it currently does.
Yes BigA, radio is definitely changing and not for the better. It is a dying medium. Shot in the foot largely by its own people who were either too short-sighted, too cheap or too corporate to see and understand their own product.
I think you're making judgments based on your own personal memory and bias. That's not the way to see things. Because the change radio made from what it was before you were born was even more dramatic. When you consider that radio was the ONLY electronic mass medium in the 1920s and 30s, and became a trusted member of the family as well as a decorative piece of furniture. The furniture aspect was gone by the 1950s, as TV became as omni-present. That's when radio had to change or die. It changed, and you were at an age to enjoy the reinvention of radio. Radio reinvented itself again in the late 70s. And it's reinventing itself now. You feel that because radio is growing beyond it's traditional platform that it's dying. But it's not. It's part of that transformation, from the caterpillar into the multi-platform butterfly. We're only halfway through that transition now. There are lots of changes to come that will keep radio in use for a long time.
TV is changing too. The way you used to watch TV is quickly disappearing. Lots of things you used to do are changing. Record stores are gone. Have you gone to a concert lately? That experience has changed dramatically in the last ten years. American cars were once the envy of the world, and I haven't owned an American car since I was a teenager. I was visiting my mom and saw her toaster oven. I haven't used one of those since I was in college. Yet they're still being made. She just got a new one. It's all a part of that changing landscape. It doesn't mean any of these things are dying. It means they're changing. Just because you or people you know don't use something doesn't mean it's dead. It's just dead for you. That's fine, because nothing will ever be as good as you remember it. There are very few things in life that stay exactly the same from birth to death. Isn't that right?
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The point is the landscape is quickly changing and listeners won't be using radio the way it's been used for decades. It's all about content and how it's delivered: over the air, streaming, web site, SiriusXM, I♥Radio, Pandora, etc. No longer are you bound to a handful of stations when you can cherry pick content from multiple sources all over the world. Marshall McLuhan's Global Village is finally a reality.
A given. And yes, Los Buckeye Boyz are prepared. We just finished a staff training session at the Buckeye Media Hut on how to deal with the Valley's first 100 degree day this year.
And speaking of Steve Goddard, why do we keep thinking he'd be a natural on KSLX?
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Uh, because he would be?
Of course I am. I fully recognize that radio was much more before I came along and I also know it has dwindled significantly since that date (some 70 years ago if you are keeping score). It continues to dwindle. My point was not that radio has changed for me, although it has. My point was that succeeding generations following mine are not keeping the medium as the centerpiece it once was and as a result it is becoming irrelevant. I don't think anyone on this board can dispute that. As a percentage of total American population radio has declined in TSL over the past few decades. And continues to decline.
I can't say that although if I consider the number of programs I used to watch back in the day it has decreased significantly - due mainly to the decreasing quality of modern shows. I spend more time today watching shows from the 50's thru the 80's, and old movies, than I do anything new on TV today except for live sports.
Not entirely although it has been 20 years since I have walked into one. I would not call digital downloading a drastic change in distribution although the unemployed record clerk might.
The last concert I attended was John Denver and you know why he hasn't performed lately. Prior to that was Don Williams and before him was The Association. You can tell I am neither a frequent concert goer or traditional music fan.
My last American car was a 1985 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe - a great car and one I would gladly buy again today if it was still being made. I have owned almost all Japanese cars since then with the exception of my current Hyundai Genesis R-spec which is probably the nicest, and fastest, "family" car I have ever owned. In many respects American cars have suffered the same fate as American music radio. Their product sucks and is being disregarded by the average consumer. The F-150 keeps Ford alive but their other cars are not world beaters. The U.S. gubmint keeps GM alive. Fiat keeps Chrysler afloat. As a general rule American cars are much better than they were 20 and 30 years ago but they lost me as a customer back then - just like radio.
I have one and use it every week. It makes sense when there are only two of us cooking now and we don't want to use the big oven. It is a change in your lifestyle, not a societal change.
I agree with your last statement but it isn't just me. It is more like everyone I know. When I look at my sons and their friends and see they quit listening to radio some years ago and now play sticks or CD's in their "radios" it sends a message. A message that is very unlikely to change. A message that is not good for radio as an industry.
The way you, your family, and friends consume music isn't good for the music industry either. When was the last time anyone you know paid for a physical CD? Do your kids buy CDs? Or do they simply listen to free streams of their favorite songs? Those free streams pay the artists and record labels fractions of a penny. I'm not kidding. The music industry has lost almost half of its value in the last ten years. Why do I mention this? Because it's part of the same overall picture.
The only real bankable source of revenue for musicians today is concerts, and you've said you haven't gone to one in 20 years. In the meantime, the concert industry has exploded. Someone is obviously going, and they're paying lots of money for those tickets to enjoy an experience that they can't have at home. And radio companies, including IHeart and Townsquare, have invested in concerts and festivals as a way to diversify their income. This is why I say radio is evolving and changing.
Sure, TSL is declining, and has been declining since 1989. But that's not because of radio. It's because of the explosion of other options for people to get the same content. There is nothing the radio companies can do that will cause you or your kids to throw away your phones, computers, or other personal devices. But the fact is that none of them were available when you were a kid. Radio doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's in an overall entertainment marketplace. It all has an effect on revenues for radio. Just as the collapse of the recording industry will have an effect on the music business.
The last "kid" I know of who bought a CD was my oldest daughter and that was about five years ago. One son buys movie DVD's but listens to music via Sirius/XM. Another son doesn't listen to anything AFAIK. The youngest son is also a movie fan but does have a modest CD collection (he is 30).
I thought we were talking about the radio industry, not music, but since you brought it up. I don't notice any big difference in the concert industries as compared with 10, 20, even 30 years ago. The frequency of regular concerts seems to be about the same as always but there are now several "mega" concerts like Country Thunder or Coachella that didn't exist back then. I know of only one girl (about 40 years old) who regularly goes to concerts. That is about her only social activity. Other than that concerts seem to be limited to the youngsters who are attracted to Taylor Swift and/or boy bands in their 15 minutes of fame. 60 years ago the T40 stations in my market were very active in promoting concerts and I am sure they made good money. That business isn't new. I don't hear the same involvement today.
Here is where we disagree somewhat. There are a couple reasons radio is declining and one certainly is the plethora of other entertainment devices available. But another is the quality of the radio product. Fewer entertaining/live jocks. Unpopular music. Too many commercials (this one is a severe killer among the younger crowd believe it or not). About the only daypart that remains viable is morning drive and that is because, and only because, most of the workers across the country are trapped in their cars. I'm waiting for some enterprising station to do a morning drive with top talent from 5-10 am and then sign off for the day. Their profit would go up as their costs plummeted and total listenership would not suffer much.
BTW, in my home there is just wifey and me. I sometimes listen to out of market stations via the internet but it probably amounts to less than an hour per week since my favorites have largely quit streaming out of their markets. Wifey listens to the radio for about 7 seconds each morning when her clock radio goes off. That's how long it takes her to hit the off button.
BUT they love music, right? So they aren't contributing to the financials of the music industry, they just enjoy the benefits of free music. Radio is in pretty much the same boat. There are over 249 million listeners to OTA radio. But no one admits to it. I just saw a story that says the radio industry is actually bigger than the music industry in terms of total revenues. That's more a result of music industry losses than radio growth. But it should give you a point of comparison.
A big part of that is you haven't been to one in over 20 years. If you had, you'd notice the difference. The concert industry is the only part of the music industry that isn't losing money. It's growing. And yes, Country Thunder and Coachella are just two indications of what I'm talking about. Those two have been so wildly successful that there are copycats in every state in the country. Some of them are owned by radio companies. So radio companies are now broadening their income over more platforms than AM & FM. They're getting money from streaming, live music, and other sponsorships. This means that radio is getting money from people even when they're not listening. So radio is actually making more money now than it was when you & your friends were glued to your transistors. Even when adjusted for inflation. So don't bury radio just yet. We're doing OK.
The problem with your theory is that TSL began declining when you and others would say the quality of radio product was good. So if the best DJs and the best music couldn't keep the audience, then why should you blame quality now? The fact is quality was never a factor. It's not a factor now. So don't say quality is a problem, when it wasn't a problem 30 years ago. The problem began then.
Only 2 out of the 5 listen regularly to music. He via Sirius/XM in his truck and she via CD and Internet. She is unique though in that her music of preference is from the country she grew up in, Romania. Tough to find Romanian music on statewide radio stations.
Concerts are concerts. They are largely the same today as they were 40 years ago except perhaps with better light shows.
So when did TSL began declining? I have always maintained that the music began dying about the mid-80's. My listening didn't decline then though because there were still many Oldies and Classic Hits stations in biz. They began dying a decade later and most are just skeletons of their former selves now. That's when my TSL died.
Virtually every time I read something discussing this subject there is always the observation that today's popular music is not up to the quality of years past. It is not my sole opinion but that of many others, some in the business and some outside. My point though is that it is a popular opinion.
Radio is between a rock and a hard place. Being an ad-supported industry it has to appease both its listeners and its advertisers. It appears to me it is having a very tough time doing both. And worse, there doesn't seem to be a solution on the horizon.
No one ever said it was easy. The solution is diversification. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It's partly how radio was done 80 years ago. There are applications today.
The problem with looking at national radio statistics is it includes a bunch of loser AM stations. Those numbers are weighing down the industry. Nothing can be done about AM radio unless the government steps in to fix the audio and signal quality issues. But FM doesn't have those issues, so for over 249 million people, it's still alive. Maybe not for you or anyone you know, but the numbers are very true.
For those who miss Steve Goddard on the air, he has launched a new endeavor, Cool (not KOOL) Interviews with Steve Goddard at: http://www.starworldwidenetworks.com/index.php/Shows/detail/cool_interviews_with_steve_goddard
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