Radio killed the iPod star? Not quite but, as reported this week by Ad Age, a recent study of online and radio listening habits of a youth/young-adult demographic, revealed some interesting findings.

The study, which was conducted by Paragon Research in a random survey of 400 14-24 year olds, showed that this group has increased its time spent listening to radio by 11% this year, while its time spent listening to iPods has actually decreased by 13%.

In the Ad Age story, Jeff Haley, president-CEO of the RAB (Radio Advertising Bureau), said the study confirms what the radio industry has heard anecdotally by reflecting the "lack of inertia in the MP3 experience. You don't have the ability to refresh or any kind of automated way to come across great new music. As a result, that isolated programming effect does not allow you the serendipitous experience the way radio does."

Indeed, that is exactly what makes listening to your favorite (especially local, non commercial) radio station in real time so special: the surprise and sense of the unexpected; never knowing what will be next on the DJ's playlist or in his/her mic break. But of course, a radio or an iPod are merely listening devices and it is only a matter of time before all digital players such as iPods will be easily able to pick up all terrestrial radio stations' streams on their iPods and other music players.

The End of the Golden Age

On this day (September 30) in 1962 CBS radio broadcast the final episodes of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and the Golden Age of Radio came to a close. 

 

Beginnings

Radio Drama (also frequently referred to as Old Time Radio or OTR) really began in the 1920s. Before that, there was audio theater which consisted of plays performed for radio broadcast. It wasn't until August 3, 1922 at the Schenectady, New York station WGY that the in-house actors, The WGY Players, broadcast a performance that augmented the drama with music and sound effects, creating a vivid aural tapestry. The result was a worldwide explosion in what was an instantly popular new art form. Within months there were radio dramas being produced across the USA, as well as in Canada, Ceylon, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK.



Radio Drama's Adolescence

In 1934, the anthology series Lights Out debuted and exploited many of radio's unique qualities to massive success. The program was penned by Wyllis Cooper and aired at midnight. Cooper employed stream of conscious monologues, multiple first-person narrators and internal monologues which were at odds with the characters' spoken dialog. It's most often remembered, however, for its gruesome and explicit sound effects which attempted to suggest joints being ripped from sockets, skin being eviscerated, heads being decapitated and other depictions of violence that would still be pushing the envelope, even on modern cable television programs.

The recent business news story reports on the $27 billion sales figure deal by radio station-owning company Clear Channel Communications to Bain Capital and THL Partners have focused on how the two big investment giants had, as of last week, sued a cadre of major Wall Street banks to force them to finance the extremely large dollar takeover.   You see, with all the recent drama and fallout and uncertainty of the US economy, the Wall Street bankers who were supposed to finance the takeover (initially agreed to in 2006) basically got cold feet.

In court Bain and THL said that the banks supposed to pony up the cash essentially had "buyer's remorse" when they realized that, with the recent turns in the US economy, that they would not rake in the profits they once foresaw.

 Anyway, all of this news merely blurs, or perhaps further highlights, the real news story here:  The story of the slow decline and final death of (commercial) radio, once upon a time a vibrant creative media form which in the last decade and more -- thanks in great part to Clear Channel, along with other like-minded, huge but soulless entertainment conglomerates -- has been drained of its former glory and destroyed essentially.  This new deal is just the final nail in the coffin.

Of course there are still amazing non-commercial radio stations (especially if you are lucky enough to live in the Bay Area) as well as oodles of great specialized streaming online music feeds, not to mention your iPod's collection of your favorite fifty thousand songs. But long ago commercial radio also satisfied that same need to hear good music, new music, different music, and presented by DJs who personally programmed (and loved) what they played.   But the days of fun, freeform creative commercial radio stations - a la the fictional WKRP Cincinnati or the real KSAN San Francisco- are long long gone.

If you turn on your favorite radio station or webcast Tuesday, June 26th, and you are surprised to hear nothing but dead-air, pure silence, be forewarned that it will not be technical difficulties you're experiencing. Rather, it will most likely be that your favorite webcast or radio station is participating in the national planned "day of silence" in protest of the new webcasting rates that look likely to go into effect within three weeks and, if so, will have serious consequences on streaming music online. As you already know, the future of Internet radio is in immediate danger because royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). So in protest, traditional and online radio stations are going silent. In addition to the 'silent-treatment' protest, some stations around the country, including WFMU in Jersey City, will make their protest by not going silent, but rather by boycotting all RIAA/Sound Exchange music and only playing indie artists outside the RIAA governed titles.

For more information about this important day of protest that will affect how we listen to new music in the future, visit here or SaveTheNet. To find out more about participating in the actual day of silence contact dayofsilence@savenetradio.org. There are also many benefit events planned to help raise awareness, including one in San Francisco (home of numerous webcasters, including the wonderful, electronic music "extremely independent" SomaFM) at the Bottom of the Hill this Sunday (July 1st: 6PM-10PM) that is being organized by Reapandsow, SomaFM, SonicLiving, myopenbar.com, and BAGeL Radio. Meantime, you reading this should seriously consider calling your Congressional Representatives right now to voice your opinion on this important issue.