Post by bossradio93 on Jul 26, 2004 21:33:50 GMT -5
IPod just one of radio's problems
by TIM CUPRISIN, Inside TV & Radio, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 7.22
Satellite radio, with around 2 1/2 million subscribers across the U.S., has yet to take a noticeable bite out of radio ratings, although its numbers are growing.
And now iPods are becoming a weapon of choice for music listeners bored with commercial FM radio's highly focused playlists, annoying commercials and jabbering deejays.
The New York Post's influential radio writer, John Mainelli, has dubbed the revolutionary little digital music player "radio's latest rival." It earned a cover story in the latest Newsweek and has pumped millions into the coffers of Apple Computers.
Sean Ross, a radio analyst with Edison Media Research, suggests taking a deep breath before talking about the impact of these new toys on FM radio. He tells Inside TV & Radio that the radio industry started to deal with a drop in its audience well before the arrival of satellite and digital music players.
"There's been a decline over the years in radio listening to which you can attribute to a lot of factors."
Among the problems is the overload of commercials that radio giant Clear Channel said this week it's starting to address with limits on commercials per hour of programming. That radio industry's glut of commercial spots has devalued the airtime and helped drive away listeners.
"There's been a larger set of issues piling up," Ross says. "Radio is responding to the broader picture and finding out that there's a tangible demand for variety."
Ross is a consultant for Chicago's innovative new "9 FM," WRZA-FM (99.9), with a format that launched last month with the slogan: "We Play Anything."
Of course it's far too early to measure the success of 9 FM, or commercial radio's new competitors for our attention. But anything that offers more variety - whether it's 100 channels of mostly commercial free programming on satellite, a playlist of up to 10,000 of our favorite songs on iPod, or a radio station that promises to play "anything" - is good news for listeners bored with the present state of commercial music radio.
Los Angeles Radio People-July 23, 2004
by TIM CUPRISIN, Inside TV & Radio, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 7.22
Satellite radio, with around 2 1/2 million subscribers across the U.S., has yet to take a noticeable bite out of radio ratings, although its numbers are growing.
And now iPods are becoming a weapon of choice for music listeners bored with commercial FM radio's highly focused playlists, annoying commercials and jabbering deejays.
The New York Post's influential radio writer, John Mainelli, has dubbed the revolutionary little digital music player "radio's latest rival." It earned a cover story in the latest Newsweek and has pumped millions into the coffers of Apple Computers.
Sean Ross, a radio analyst with Edison Media Research, suggests taking a deep breath before talking about the impact of these new toys on FM radio. He tells Inside TV & Radio that the radio industry started to deal with a drop in its audience well before the arrival of satellite and digital music players.
"There's been a decline over the years in radio listening to which you can attribute to a lot of factors."
Among the problems is the overload of commercials that radio giant Clear Channel said this week it's starting to address with limits on commercials per hour of programming. That radio industry's glut of commercial spots has devalued the airtime and helped drive away listeners.
"There's been a larger set of issues piling up," Ross says. "Radio is responding to the broader picture and finding out that there's a tangible demand for variety."
Ross is a consultant for Chicago's innovative new "9 FM," WRZA-FM (99.9), with a format that launched last month with the slogan: "We Play Anything."
Of course it's far too early to measure the success of 9 FM, or commercial radio's new competitors for our attention. But anything that offers more variety - whether it's 100 channels of mostly commercial free programming on satellite, a playlist of up to 10,000 of our favorite songs on iPod, or a radio station that promises to play "anything" - is good news for listeners bored with the present state of commercial music radio.
Los Angeles Radio People-July 23, 2004