Future of radio

Shelly Palmer has an interesting blog about the future of the radio business "When will radio die?" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelly-palmer/when-will-radio-die_b_56165.html). His main point revolves around the fact that there is such an install-base of radio-capable devices (ie: cars, clocks, stereos, etc.) that radio will take a long time to die out. What's the fatal flaw of radio long term?

According to Palmer, its that radio is too generic. Programming a great radio station is an art form in and of itself that very few stations are capable of doing. Add to that, the complexity of getting a fresh track list, and the HIGH cost of royalties to play the songs, and you start to see why 99% of Clear Channel stations absolutely suck.

Internet radio technology is interesting in response to this argument. Whereas, radio's technology prevents it from being able to customize a stations content based on user preferences and feedback (at least on the micro level), with Internet radio technology, this is not only possible, it is being done by companies like Last.FM and Pandora. Assuming, the royalty fee situation gets worked out, these technologies are not perfect, but they are personalized (maybe too personalized in some cases as they block a lot of good music from getting to the listener and are too narrowly focused).

But all is not lost in traditional radio. If you want to see how a great station can be operated and programmed, look no further than Seattle's 90.3 KEXP (http://www.kexp.org). Pure brilliance with an eclectic blend of all kinds of music that encompasses anything innovative, fun, or interesting. You will never be bored listening to that station for hours. Its listener-powered so there are no commercials and it is the farthest thing from "corporate", you have ever heard. Maybe there is hope after all.