It’s not hard to believe that insiders think the radio medium is dead.
With Clear Channel and Cumulous Media owning about 900 and 340 stations, respectively, tuning into your FM frequencies often means generic programming, repetitive playlists and a narrow selection of artists on air. Add to that the fact that truly independent radio stations ““ those that do not belong to the radio conglomerates ““ have to battle against Federal Communications Commission rules, corporate record label interests and the allure of iPod FM transmitters, and you’ll find that noncorporate radio rarely exists in the noncommercial realm. In commercial radio, it’s completely extinct.
“Over the past 10 years with consolidation, it’s been harder and harder to achieve an independent radio station,” said the Rev. Moose, editor-in-chief of the College Media Journal New Music Report. “The reality is listenership is dying across the country.”
The only way for the spirit of independent radio to survive is to be able to adapt to the changing times. Still funded by the schools and communities around them, many noncommercial college stations, such as UCLAradio.com, are taking their programming off the radio and streaming it online instead. While these stations may not benefit from rush hour’s captive audience, they receive funding from their sponsoring colleges, which lets them continue to broadcast.
“Technically speaking, (college radio) isn’t independent,” Moose said. “These stations are owned and licensed by a university, which is rarely a not-for-profit organization. Although they have different programming and different laws they have to abide by, it’s hardly fair to call them 100 percent independent.”
However, broadcasting online gives stations new freedoms, including freedom from FCC on-air rules. This allows DJs to choose whatever material they want to talk about or play without fear of repercussions.
“Because the web platform isn’t monitored by the FCC like their on-air programs, college radio has a lot more freedom to do things online than anyone else would,” Moose said.
However, due to moving online, these “independent” stations often lose out on valuable listeners, which in turn translates to less advertising dollars. In order to prevent their complete obliteration, organizations like Free Yr Radio try to help out struggling community-based radio by providing free concerts and promotional giveaways for the radio stations.
“The kinds of stations that Free Yr Radio was fashioned to help are ones that rely on community, government and colleges to keep going ““ these true nonprofit organizations that are crafted to provide a variety of programming rather than a commercial business,” said Kerry Murphy, a principal in 206 Inc., which is helping run the Free Yr Radio campaign. “I think that they are gaining community support, and I hope that they continue to gain community support. Media consolidation is a frightening trend.”
The main goal is to diversify radio ownership and programming: It’s an effort to help the medium survive the changing times.
“It’s a pretty vital community resource to be able to have what is often referred to as “˜less substandard’ programming,” Murphy said. “Commercial radio today does not offer any depth or variety in programming.”
But before you toss your radio and exchange it for one that only accepts online broadcasts, consider that the independent spirit isn’t completely gone from the commercial realm. Stations such as Los Angeles’ Indie 103.1, which happens to be owned by a radio conglomerate, are trying to fight against the monotonous sounds on the airwaves, even if they’re not truly independent.
“What’s going on in the world of radio is that it’s owned by fewer and fewer companies,” said Jason Sheldon, sales manager at Indie 103.1. “Indie 103.1 is providing the educated, independent listener programming that (he or she) can’t get anywhere else.”
Although one of the 48 radio stations owned by Entravision Communications Corporation, a company that specializes in Spanish-language programming, Indie 103.1 is a rare case that gets to play more new artists and music than the other typical stations. Part of this is due to the fact that since its inception, the station was pitched to the Entravision executives as one that would support a different musical community than the Clear Channel-owned Star 98.7 and the CBS Radio-owned KROQ.
“What you have is a lot of cookie-cutter type programming, different versions of mainstream radio,” Sheldon said. “The reality is that it does work in mass media, but if you are trying to get hold of a progressive, independent thinker, there is no way to draw them in.”
Even though Indie 103.1’s commercial programming was handled by Clear Channel from December 2003 to March 2005, Sheldon said that advertising revenue has increased because Indie 103.1 was able to choose its own advertisers. Due to its listening demographic, the station now tailors its advertising to appeal to the same generally young, educated crowd that also listens to National Public Radio.
Advertising successes like this provide a glimmer of hope for “independent” radio, but other recent events forecast a murky future.
With the current merger of SIRUS and XM on satellite radio, it’s hard to tell if the future of radio is bleak or bright. And as of Aug. 1, CBS radio has decided to sell off 50 of its stations, which could mean a complete breakdown of the radio conglomerates, which would allow independent stations to better compete or the death of the radio medium all together. Only time will tell.