Mike McConnell leaving 700 WLW...

[fearofpopvol1]

Originally Posted by Eric_the_Red

And more of those captives are opting for iPods/mp3 players and satellite radio. I listen to mostly podcasts during my drives. (No commercials.)

I don't think radio is on it's death bed, but as technology continues to expand, i could see radio going the way of the dinosaur and newspapers.

Yep, it's true. Radio isn't dead (yet), especially in Middle America, but it is a shadow of its former self and its audience will continue to decrease.

There are a lot of reasons for the demise of radio...but it definitely started with the Telecommunications Act passed in 1996. If you're unfamiliar, read up on it. It damaged radio permanently. Clear Channel benefited from it and ruined a lot of great radio stations as a result. Problem is, advertisers continue to pull out of radio ads, which forces stations with thin margins to cut budgets and allow for cheaper salaries and mediocre personalities.

As a result of that, people have found and continue to find alternatives, like CDs, podcasts and mp3 players.

Radio will die when the buck stops and the buck keeps getting smaller. It's just a matter of time and radio will be dead.

[gilpdawg]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

See, I don't get this part -- it's a phrase you hear repeated constantly, but the facts on the ground don't really line up.

People still commute to work everyday, and the overwhelming majority of them do it inside of a car (especially in cities like Cincinnati with few mass transit options). Those people are a captive audience -- they can't read, they can't watch television, they can't browse the internet, etc. Radio still has the ability to reach those people and COULD reach those people if they did a better job of offering compelling content.

The death of radio is far from "inevitable" -- it's just a process that has been hastened by mass ownership and self-inflicted wounds.

Oh, "dead" is hyperbole. I should say irrelevant. When every car on the lot can pick up wi-fi and you can get wi-fi almost everywhere, which will happen in the next few years, that's ballgame for terrestrial radio. It won't die, but it will be suffering on life support. However, you are correct, content is king. If they were offering something beside the same old, same old, people wouldn't be flocking to things like Pandora or Slacker in droves.

And I haven't even mentioned podcasts/iPods yet.

[OldRightHander]

The content won't die, just that the means of broadcasting it will continue to change. I still listen to radio every day but it's XM and not the local stuff. It's kind of like newspaper publishers who still think they're in the printing stuff on paper business and not the news publishing business.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by OldRightHander

The content won't die, just that the means of broadcasting it will continue to change. I still listen to radio every day but it's XM and not the local stuff. It's kind of like newspaper publishers who still think they're in the printing stuff on paper business and not the news publishing business.

With XM/Sirius hovering in and around bankruptcy I don't know what the future for satellite radio will look like. Also factor into the equation that it isn't free. I have Sirius radio, got it free for 6 months when I bought my car, and ponied up the cash after words. But I still do listen to my local stations from time to time. I will listen to WLW for the Reds games, Bengals games, Bearcat games, and local sports programming. I mainly continued Sirius to keep ESPN radio all the time, Mad Dog Radio, and CNBC radio. Also OSU affiliates in the Cincinnati area are pretty poor, especially for basketball, so it is nice to have the local broadcast over sirius.

As long as basic radio is free to is listeners it will still have a market. I don't envision it any different from where it is now. There are a lot of people who refuse to pay for something they can get for free.

[Sea Ray]

Unless Wi Fi becomes a free service, local radio will have market. I have found the local talent to be underwhelming so I find myself listening more and more to syndicated radio when in the car. That said, I do enjoy Mike and will miss him. I also like Willie sans his Stooge Report which screams "filler" so I hope he stays

[OldRightHander]

I see radio heading the same direction tv did. When I was growing up most people I knew didn't have cable and the reason would usually be along the lines of not wanting to pay for something that's free. Now I don't know too many people who don't have cable or satellite, mostly due to the fact that a lot of things that used to be on broadcast tv are only found on cable, like many sporting events. The local channels are still there, but most of the local interest programming is the nightly news. I think that's where radio is headed. The local stations will always be there, but they'll be relegated to national programming with some local news and local sports broadcasts, while just about everything else worth listening to will be found on satellite. People got used to paying for tv programming. Why should it be any different for radio?

[redsfandan]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

With XM/Sirius hovering in and around bankruptcy I don't know what the future for satellite radio will look like. Also factor into the equation that it isn't free. I have Sirius radio, got it free for 6 months when I bought my car, and ponied up the cash after words. But I still do listen to my local stations from time to time. I will listen to WLW for the Reds games, Bengals games, Bearcat games, and local sports programming. I mainly continued Sirius to keep ESPN radio all the time, Mad Dog Radio, and CNBC radio. Also OSU affiliates in the Cincinnati area are pretty poor, especially for basketball, so it is nice to have the local broadcast over sirius.

As long as basic radio is free to is listeners it will still have a market. I don't envision it any different from where it is now. There are a lot of people who refuse to pay for something they can get for free.

Only if there's someone willing to pay the bills.

Originally Posted by OldRightHander

I see radio heading the same direction tv did. When I was growing up most people I knew didn't have cable and the reason would usually be along the lines of not wanting to pay for something that's free. Now I don't know too many people who don't have cable or satellite, mostly due to the fact that a lot of things that used to be on broadcast tv are only found on cable, like many sporting events. The local channels are still there, but most of the local interest programming is the nightly news. I think that's where radio is headed. The local stations will always be there, but they'll be relegated to national programming with some local news and local sports broadcasts, while just about everything else worth listening to will be found on satellite. People got used to paying for tv programming. Why should it be any different for radio?

Same here. I remember there being only 3 channels on tv. Now? Too many. Local tv could become public access cable channels and it might not take long.

But what local content could sustain local radio stations?

[RBA]

Rumor: Bill Cunningham going to WGN Chicago too.

[Joseph]

Originally Posted by RBA

Rumor: Bill Cunningham going to WGN Chicago too.

And why not. They surely pay better, but more importantly they will put him on a 'stage' akin to the ego he espouses.

[savafan]

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2010/...gham-decision/

WGN Radio Also Waiting For Cunningham Decision

[Matt700wlw]

Originally Posted by savafan

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2010/...gham-decision/

WGN Radio Also Waiting For Cunningham Decision

The answer will come this week.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by Matt700wlw

The answer will come this week.

I gotta believe it's a harder question for Willie. He has a wife with a job in Cincinnati and can't move to Chicago. He was raised here whereas McConnell did not. And how well will Willie's schtick go over in Chicago? How will the Democrat machine deal with him hammering them everyday?

[redsfandan]

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

I gotta believe it's a harder question for Willie. He has a wife with a job in Cincinnati and can't move to Chicago. He was raised here whereas McConnell did not. And how well will Willie's schtick go over in Chicago? How will the Democrat machine deal with him hammering them everyday?

Some good points. I think I'd rather have McConnell but maybe Willie will stick around. Willie bashing a certain national politician might not go over quite as well in THAT city. He'd likely have a bigger paycheck and more exposure but there could also be some downside with that move for him.

[medford]

There are enough people in Chicagoland that do not like Obama, and/or do not like Dems for Willie's schtick to work. On top of that, there are enough people in Chicagoland that love Obama and/or love Dems that will listen to Willie so they can call in and bash him for what he says. Talk radio is pretty much a conservative format, supported in much greater numbers by conservatives. I'm guessing WGN radio in Chicago is mostly a conservative base to begin with. Why this happens, I don't know, I've heard all the theories and reason, but its backed up by seeing Air America repeatedly fail despite large investements by a couple of liberal supporters.

Anyhoo, sad day for me indeed. I used to love Steve Czaban on the drive in the mornings, wouldn't miss McConnell if I could help it, Willie was ok, his schtick was often entertaining, though I often had to take what he said w/ a grain of salt, and Burbank and the boys were always entertaining on the ride home. Now Czab is off the air nationally, replaced by Steven A Smith (who is better than I originally thought, but rarely listened to), no Mike, Willie (perhaps) which is just OK, and Eddie & Tracy which I can't stand.

Thankfully, Brian Thomas is still around, Sloanie is OK and I can catch 1530 on the ride home. Nationally syndicated is OK, but there are lot of times you want to hear about local issues, local events, local problems. I can only listen to Sean Hanity bash the president so often before I finally say "OK, I get it, you don't like him or his ideas, and while I agree with you more than I dissagree, can't we talk about something else". I think that is why, as mentioned earlier, the Friday Lighter topic was so great.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by medford

Anyhoo, sad day for me indeed. I used to love Steve Czaban on the drive in the mornings, wouldn't miss McConnell if I could help it, Willie was ok, his schtick was often entertaining, though I often had to take what he said w/ a grain of salt, and Burbank and the boys were always entertaining on the ride home. Now Czab is off the air nationally, replaced by Steven A Smith (who is better than I originally thought, but rarely listened to), no Mike, Willie (perhaps) which is just OK, and Eddie & Tracy which I can't stand.

I basically listen to WLW only for Sports Talk, Reds games/pre-game/Extra Innings and, of course, the Hot Stove League. When I lived in Iowa while in college I used to listen to WLW in the evenings for Sports Talk with Trumpy just to glean any bit of Reds information. Willie was on in the evenings then and I'd listen to him from time to time. I listened to Czaben too and liked him and agree about Steven A. Smith but I don't think he's going to survive in this market.