Over theyair radio is not dead as some people would like you to believe

We've been hearing it quite a bit lately. How radio terrestrial radio is dying and will be gone in a few years. Some are saying people are flocking to satellite radio in droves because of radio stations becoming more automated and sounding "cookie cutter" playing the same thing no matter where you travel. Is radio really on its death bed? I think not. The fact is this predicting the death of radio has been going on for decades. When TV first came along it was going to be the end of radio. When FM radio came along AM would not survive. When 8 tracks became popular that would surely be the end of radio. Same when CD's came out. Now with the invention of I pods, the internet, satellite radio etc we are hearing it again. The truth is that a very small minority is willing to pay the twelve bucks per month for satellite radio. Most people are happy with radio the way it is. Also automation and voice tracing have been around for decades. Granted it was not as easy to do but trust me it was around. People also forget that cookie cutter formats have been around since the sixties. Even when DJ's like Larry Lujak and Robert W Morgan were on the great top forty stations of the past, those stations still played the same songs over and over again. No one seems to want to remember that fact. Also people were listening to the old TM stereo rock formats of the seventies and eighties which were automated and did not complain about it. There were poorly programmed stations long before Clear Channel came along. There are those who say that all Clear Channel stations are programmed from a central office and all there stations especially the Kiss Fm stations sound the same. Both of these are myths. First, each station has its own program and or music director. Also not all Kiss FM's sound the same. Some are Rock leaning top forty stations, some are pop leaning and some are rhythmic leaning. So those who say that all top forty stations are the same must not listen to much top forty radio. As I said earlier, the top forty stations of the past played the same songs over and over again. That is what most radio listeners want to hear. They want to hear their favorites. Stations have tried playing unfamiliar songs and people flip to a station playing something more familiar. Those who would stick around to find out what the unfamiliar song might be are in the minority. Stations have tired this and their ratings have suffered. Again, most people are happy with what radio is doing. Playing their favorites. People also complain that radio is not live and local anymore. As mentioned earlier. radio has not been live and local for a long time. Automation has been around for a long time. Long before deregulation. I maintain that people chose not to remember this. It is a product of selective memory. People want to remember things the way they wish they were and not the way the actually were. The automated stations of the past also used piped in DJ's from companies like TM century and Drake Chanuldt along with reel to reels and the stations would play these and insert their local weathers and commercials. It could be pretty funny when the system would fire the wrong event. Now automation is much easier and less likely to screw up but it has been around for a long time. Something else to think about. People complain about radio not being local but no one ever complains about TV not being local. When was the last time you saw an actual local programmed TV station. You see the same program from town to town and TV has been using networks since it began but no one seems to find anything wrong with that but they insist radio be local. I find that to be an interesting double standard. If used correctly automation is a good thing. I will admit that there are stations that are just plugged in to a satellite and forgotten about. You never hear a weather update, you're lucky if you hear news or any connection to the local community. Those kinds of stations have been around for decades. Long before the Clear Channels of the world. There's always going to be poorly programmed stations.
This is not to say radio should ignore satellite radio, I pods, etc. That would be dangerous. Right now satellite radio has about nine million subscribers between the two companies SIRIUS and XM. Remember back when Direct TV and Dish Network started out ten years ago. Cable companies did not take them very seriously. I remember the head of the cable company where I live said, "Companies like Direct TV and Dish Network will be popular among tech geeks but that's about it." Boy was he wrong. I can only think of a couple people I know who have cable. Satellite TV is seriously cutting in to cable companies profits. This could happen to radio if terrestrial radio does not do a couple of things. First. Connect with you're local community. You can do this even if you run a satellite feed 24/7. Run p s a's, in the commercial breaks, tell people what is happening around town, do local news, These are things satellite radio cannot do. It is true that satellite radio can give weather reports but it only gives those for the biggest markets and cannot tell you about the tornadoes heading for your house. Terrestrial radio can do this. Satellite radio is good at delivering formats that aren't on terrestrial radio. If I want top forty, I have a great top forty station in my area. same for rock, country, oldies, Adult Contemporary, but for the notch formats that have not worked on radio like eighties wich I happen to be a big fan of but as a format on terrestrial radio failed miserably. It was too nitch. Same with the all seventies formats back in the nineties. They were hard to sell and appealed to a narrow audience. Satellite radio can serve this purpose by giving people a choice. If you want to hear classic pickloe music you can turn on satellite radio but most people are happy with radio the way it is. If classic pickleoe music worked on terrestrial radio they'd be doing it. The fact is most people are happy with what is being piped out over the air waves. I think radio will survive just fine in the new century. There is room for both terrestrial radio and satellite radio just as there has been room for terrestrial radio and TV, 8 tracks, cassettes, cd's and anything else technology throws our way. There will always be people who are looking for something more than the average person. Those are the people who will be using alternative means of getting their radio. There will always be people predicting the death of radio just as they have been for decades

"The Book of Daniel" on NBC. My two cents

Since most people seem to be talking about the NBC TV show "The Book of Daniel". I guess I'll chime in. In case you have not heard, "The Book of Daniel" debuted on NBC Friday night January 6th. It is about a Episcopalian priest who has a wife who drinks a little too much, one son who is guy, another who is having premarital sex with his teenaged girlfriend, and a daughter who deals drugs. The priest, who's name is Daniel, has conversations with Jesus about his problems. hey, sounds like most families I know. All kidding aside you have probably heard groups like the American Family Association and focus on the family up in arms over the show. They have even convinced a few NBC stations not to show the program. I believe in those markets the show is available on another station. This group and others like it find the show offensive because it according to them shows Christ as a lord who just kind of winks at sin and says kids will be kids. The AFA has made these comments without even seeing the show. Keep in mind the show did not debut until Friday. Yet these "religious" not balls are already to send the show to hell. Groups like the AFA want to tell you what you should be watching. In there mind, if they don't like something than it should be banished. They apparently have not heard of the off switch. Instead of just turning off the TV or, gasp changing the channel they have been pressuring affiliates not to air the show. Thankfully most affiliates have been ignoring them. and even threatening boycotts of the advertisers. This group of "Christians" thinks that they can dictate what we watch. Now I personally have not seen the show. I don't watch much network TV but I'm certainly not going to tell someone else they can't watch it just because I don't care for it and I might watch this Fridays episode just to see what the fuss is about. From what I've heard though there isn't really anything on "The Book of Daniel" that is any different from what is on any other show. I've even read on another message board that the show was kind of boring. But because of the controversy my curiosity is up enough to tivo next weeks episode. Of course the AFA is not in to people making there own decisions. They'd rather have anything that deal with real world issues such as homosexuality, pre marital sex, drug use. banned from the airwaves because kids might see. If your child uses drugs because they saw it on television than your not doing your job as a parent. The TV does come with an off button and probably one or two that change the channel. I know mine does and when I see something I don't like I even know how to use it, If I can find where the dog hid it. Yes the AFA has a right to their opinion. They want to say they don't like the show they can certainly do that. However they don't have the right to keep people who want to see a TV program from watching it. Here's my novel suggestion. Watch the show. Judge for yourself whether it is worth watching. don't let some religious nut tell you what you should be watching. Watch the show and decide for yourself whether it is offensive. If you find it offensive, change the channel or turn it off. Don't go whining to the advertisers or the affiliates. Just because you don't like something does not mean someone else should not be able to watch it. I know the American Family Association does not like the idea of people thinking for them selves but this is America you do have the right to do that despite what they want you to thnk.

Pat Robertson opens mouth inserts foot, again.

By now we have all heard about "religious broadcaster Pat Robertson's comments on Prime Minister Arial Sharon of Israel. If you haven't Robertson said that Sharon's stroke was Gods wrath for splitting up his, meaning Gods land. In case mister Robertson was wondering. Here are the actual causes of a stroke.
http://www.medicinenet.com/stroke/article.htm Although when you think about
it a statement form Robertson like this is not all that uncommon. Robertson has a history of saying some pretty outrageous things. He claimed that the 911 attacks were God removing his protection from the United States because of the country turning its back on God. . He also called for the assassination of a world leader. I wonder if he actually believes the stuff that comes out of his mouth or if he is just saying this because he knows he'll get publicity. After all. This has been all over the news and in many on line blogs including this one. I wonder if the best thing to do the next time Pat Robertson makes one of these statements is to just ignore him.

This did not need to happen

This is just sad. A Chicago area woman and her unborn child were killed by an alleged drunk driver who was passing several cars in a no passing zone, speeding, crossed the center line and hit her head on. Here's the story.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/5859431/detail.html

I don't know where Mr. Homatas was going in such a hurry but it sure was not anywhere that was worth killing a woman and her unborn child. No passing lanes and speed limits are put there for a reason. Because this jerk could not slow down and had to pass in a no passing zone, be in such a hurry to get who knows where, a families joy has turned to tragedy. This man, and I use the term loosely, is in critical condition at a hospital. I hope he survives and has to live the rest of his life knowing what he has done. Dying is too nice for a person like this. This also goes to show that the driveling test needs to be a little tougher. Anyone can drive good just to pass the test. This person according to the article posted above had a terrible driveing record but was somehow able to get a drivers license. How this was possible I would really like to know. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief April's husband must be feeling right now. I just cannot imagine what it would be like to loose your wife and unborn child weeks before the baby is due. My prayers go out to the family. I don't know them, never met them, probably never will but this story upset me so much I felt I had to say how I felt and express my condolences. The most upsetting thing is that this could have been avoided if Mr. Homotas had slowed down. I'm sure where ever he was going was not worth the price of three lives. Like I said, I hope he survives so he has to think about that the rest of his life.