Media Empires
Part of the reason my folks wanted to start a media empire was because they were fans of jazz and other forms of music that they were not hearing on commercial radio.
And, I remember in the seventies and eighties, many a new musician was discovered by independent, college, or small radio.
Unfortunately now, even the smaller stations are taken on a corporate mentality where it is all about the ratings..
And in the commercial world, so much of radio is controlled by just a handful of chains such as Clear Channel and Radio One. This means that often times you are hearing the same songs over and over again, whether you are in Durham, Toledo, or Seattle.....Added to this, many of these same conglomerates also own the venues and often times the acts, and you wonder why prices are as high as they are for a concert.
This is definitely the epitome of the definition of a Monopoly......This gets me to thinking what do folks think the future of radio will be...Will more people start turning to Internet Radio and other independent means of broadcasting? Will more people adopt Prince's way of thinking? Also how long will companies like Pandora and Spotify be able to operate under their modern model, or will the government find a way to tighten things up and have greater control, and will the artists get their just revenue from these sources eventually?
Would love to hear what folks think about the modern Radio market, and what directions they fill it is going in, and what directions they would like to see it travel in? Let's talk Radio?
Radio, despite its flaws, still has a very special place in my heart. It's where I saw the power of community organizing and true citizen led media, it's where I got some of my early chops in both the fields of journalism and creativity. It's definitely interesting growing up as a late teen and early adult in the field of radio. I remember coming back home from Milwaukee where I was going to school at Marquette, and having my mom pick me up from RDU Airport which was much smaller then than it is now....On the road home, Mom would ask me what I had planned for the day, and I would tell her I hadn't really had any plans, and basically she would say you do and somewhat guilt trip into going on the air...I enjoyed it thoroughly so it didn't take much arm twisting.
And, even today, I am involved in radio hosting a blues show on WCOM and a blogtalk radio show with my friend Tie Jones And, I have plenty of friends in both Radio and TV Broadcasting, so I definitely want what is best for the medium But, I am curious to hear what you folks think about the current state of the media, and in particular radio I am sure we can have a very lively discussion on it and it's impact on modern society.