Episode Information
Alec Foege, author of Right of the Dial: Photo By Chion WolfIt's been a long time since commercial radio was a haven of cutting edge rock; diverse opinion and local service, and many blame one company.
Clear Channel is the company that nearly ate commercial radio owning more than 1200 stations at it's peak but also major concert venues, TV stations andbillboards. It was hard to escape the reach of this massive media empire.
The big impact? More radio stations that sound the same, playing the same old formats, and the same tired songs. With DJs who sound the same in Iowa, California and Connecticut.
But what led radio down this path? And now that Clear Channel's grip has loosened, will commercial radio ever return?
Today, where we live, we'll talk with the author of a new book chronicling Clear Channel's rise and fall, and a long-time radio columnist, who's given up on the medium that he loves.
And, we'd like you to join the conversation. When you're not listening to Where We Live, do you listen to the radio? What do you listen for? what would you like your radio to sound like?
You can see pictures of Where We Live studio guests at WNPR's Flickr site.
Join the conversation! Add your suggestions, questions and comments below!
In NY State in the early
In NY State in the early 1980s, WLIR (a local Long Island station) was a fantastic commercial radio station that had the newest of the new songs--where are the stations like that now?? Why can't an alternative station make enough money to give us the new music?
Those stations are on the internet
The stations like WLIR are on the interent-- There is plenty of cutting edge music to be found... also hard to find formats like opera, celtic and kids radio.
The future of radio IS the internet.