Wired Magazine last month hailed the death of radio in States. Listener figures are at a 27 year low and the growing popularity of podcasting and other technologies means FM radio is on it’s last legs.

American radio stations have suffered from the huge corporate consolidation as a result of a legal policy change back in 1996. Syndication of radio programmes across networks means to the listener everything sounds the same. And as a result of the big-business radio owners wanting to make a quick buck the amount of advertising has increased hugely. That along with the computer generated play lists, according to Wired of sometimes of only 300 songs means people have turned off in their millions.
What does that mean for the rest of us?
There has been a real consolidation in the UK commercial sector, even more so with the Captial/GWR merger so things are moving the way of America.
But we have a saviour – Thank heaven above for the BBC. With a brief to offer programmes to audiences not served by the commercial sector means we have a diverse choice of stations. Supported by the licence fee the BBC will continue to keep radio alive in this country at least until end of the current BBC charter in 2014. After that who knows what we’ll be listening to.
Read more about Radio at Technocrati.