Why Radio is Dead

A short while ago I shared my view of the local radio here in Jacksonville, Fl. At the time I lamented the programming on both the FM and AM band. As a quick review the FM band is so tightly programmed that a ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ CD is all anyone is allowed to play, and the AM band is so clogged with homers and hate mongers you’ll go cross-eyed if you listen for too long(true story, try it). I also mentioned that because of my wife I’m now listening to more and more of the radio, and I’ve noticed something: it’s a dead medium.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not going away, but the days of it making a difference, of people caring what’s on, are over. Bye bye. Sayonara. Adios. Etc. Etc. Why do I say this? I’m glad you asked.

Over Programming

I mentioned this in my last blog about radio. Top 40 is too cliché, constantly repeating the same songs week after week, which are themselves derivative of the same songs from the year before. Originality has been all but illegalized in favor of a ‘guaranteed’ hit as dictated by some formula David Geffen discovered and used to become Midas. Even if you like a song, aren’t you ready to drive off a cliff the seventh time you hear it in a 2-hour span? Other formats are not much better. Glam/Pop/Neo-Punk rock bleeds into Top 40, making it very difficult for the Alternative Rock stations, and many times I’ll notice them claiming to play “new” music, while simply relying on 90’s standouts Nirvana, Bush, Soundgarden, et all. These should be the new “Classic” rock, but the ‘Classic’ stations are playing the same songs over and over again as well, because, by definition, they’re in the business of old songs. Songs, which keep getting older as the gap between the heyday’s of the 60’s and 70’s and bubble gum factory music, widens. Light jazz may be playing new music, but it all sounds the same to me; which is to say a nap in an elevator stuck between floors. Spanish stations? I’m not sure what they’re playing, but they’re all VERY excited about it. Terrifyingly so. Sometimes I land on their frequency and I get a little worried the Mexican-American war is starting up again and they’re the mouthpieces of the revolution. No joke.

On Air “Talent”

I add the quotes because the notion that some of these individuals are talented is dubious, at best. The polarization is so intense over targeted demographics that there is literally no middle ground. It’s either insultingly stereotypical male driven talk, which always centers on sports, bathroom humor, and/or strippers(why this is so popular in a medium devoid of imagery boggles the mind), or vapid and useless celebrity obsessed gossip presumably aimed at women. Despite the fact that men between 18 and 50 supposedly have the most buying power, these shows are almost always aimed at the lower end of that demo, often times below it.

There are notable exceptions; Tony Kornheiser’s radio show out of Washington, D.C. is a near perfect amalgam of current affairs, politics, and sports sprinkled liberally with self deprecating humor and an air of self awareness while not being overly narcissistic. Radio shows like his however, are not as common as they used to be, and by that I don’t mean 10-20 years ago. A little over a year and a half ago WJFK out of Virginia flipped formats to all sports, displacing a lineup that while male-centric, was not exclusionary to women, or people of different age groups.

Commercials

The nasty fact about radio is that the radio stations that are doing really good, aren’t playing much of what you really want to hear. Like all businesses, they’re out to make money. If a show or timeslot is highly rated, i.e. high in listeners, it’s highly sought after for advertisers. Listen closely, and notice that the highest rated shows feature more commercials than content. Ever wonder why? It’s because the advertising revenue garnered during these programs can pay for all other programming. This is why talk shows at late hours are always more content heavy; no one’s listening, so no one’s paying. The next time a new radio station attacks another with the same format for playing twice the commercials, remember: it’s not that the new guy wouldn’t play those same advertisements; it’s just no one’s made the offer yet.

Location, Location, Location

The only place people listen to the radio is in their cars. While there may be an isolated individual here and there who listens at home or at work, the majority of people listen in their cars on the way to work, while out to lunch, and on their way home. Again, this means that the window of available listenership is narrow at best. Why aren’t people listening elsewhere, and how long will this bastion of radio dominion persist?

Programmable Technology

While all the above reasons are frustrating, they aren’t anything new. This started in earnest long ago, and will likely continue into the future. The real reason that radio is dead is this: on demand content and players. With the advent of the Internet, music and other content has become more and more accessible to people anywhere at any time. No longer are people forced to turn to the local DJ for what’s new and hot in music. No longer do people need to wait for the local news/sports station to get updates. People are getting their content when they want it, often times meaning RIGHT NOW. In addition to this, iPods and other such devices are so prevalent, that nearly ever person can program their music before they start their day. They can download podcasts of their favorite news/sports/entertainment show and listen to them at their leisure. Rather than suffer through the inanity of commercials, people can simply download the program without the advertisements, listen to the parts they want, and leave the rest. I mentioned 2 shows/stations out of the D.C. area, I live in Jacksonville, FL…did you think I had a really big antenna?

Radio personalities know this. Adam Corolla, one of the most sought after talkers in the business, has left the traditional radio route, and now records a podcast from his home, publishes it to iTunes, and any profits are his alone. Mike O’Meara, formerly of WJFK, now records a podcast out of his home, distributes it on the Internet using Facebook and Twitter to promote. There are others, many others, who know the best way to reach their audience is to eliminate the middleman.

Car audio is also providing other options. I just bought a new Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT headunit. In addition to the AM/FM radio sources, Satellite Radio (the very definition of too little, too late) it features a direct connection to my iPhone allowing me to access all my songs and podcasts at the touch of a button. It also features another nail in the radio coffin: Pandora radio. For those of you who don’t know, Pandora is a free online service where you specify an artist/song/genre you like, and a customized “station” is created for you. It streams over your cell phone, letting you enjoy content of your choosing while still exposing you to songs, both old and new, you may not have known about but may enjoy. Why would I ever listen to local radio again for music?

In conclusion, the march of technology has made another important technological innovation irrelevant. Like newspapers, record shops, and soon libraries and bookstores, radio has ceased to be an important part of our culture. It’s odd and more than a bit sad. I remember in middle school sitting in my room, waiting for my favorite songs to come on so I could rush over to my stereo to record and make my own mix tapes. While my iPod is so much better, there was something satisfying and exciting about that time that the instant gratification of on demand just can’t match. I didn’t leave radio though, it left me, and sadly it’s not coming back.

Why Shaun White isn't quite so great

Following Shaun White’s overwhelming victory in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics, many of my friends want to know my thoughts. You see, I’m a pretty avid snowboarder; I lived in Salt Lake City for 2 years, I keep up with everything snowboarding, I read the magazines, track the riders, watch the videos, drool over all the new gear, etc. So naturally I have a clear and definite opinion about Shaun White: He’s wasting his talent.

Most people are shocked to learn this, as he’s the dominant figure in snowboard competition, the literal favorite in every contest he enters. This is because most people don’t understand snowboarding, not for what it really isIn other sports the measure of the athlete is based on how much they have won or accomplished in direct relation to winning.

Take the big 3 American sports: Football, Basketball, and Baseball. In Football there are stats related to yards gained, touchdowns scored, completion percentage, receptions, sacks, tackles, etc. In Basketball it’s the same: points, blocks, assists, 3 pointers, foul shot percentage, etc. Baseball is the mother of all stat based sports, where there seems to be a stat for everything, including the number of times a guy scratches while waiting to hit. Players are measured by these stats, and their value is decreed based on them. In every one of these sports, the ultimate goal is to win the league championship, without that you can’t ever be truly considered great.

Snowboarding is not like this. It’s not about the competition, which rider won the most contests or the biggest purses. In this way, snowboarding is different than other sports, and why many core riders don’t believe it is a sport. While there are competitions, no one tracks the total number of spins, or flips, or rails grinded a rider performs over the course of a lifetime. We don’t measure the greatness of our riders along this standard. While it is far less exact, we measure it by style. The indescribable, indefinable, and ethereal attribute that separates the truly great riders from those who are simple better than you or me. We track this style not through the competitions that are occasionally shown on television, but through snowboard videos.

For the last 20 plus years the progression of snowboarding has been chronicled by Mike ‘Mack Dawg’ McEntire, the Hatchett brothers, Patrick Armbruster, and many others. The videos they shot are seminal to snowboarding. Without videos most of us who ride would never have known about snowboarding, never seen the unbelievable fun that could be had, never thought about rearranging significant portions of our lives so we could be part of it. Videos have chronicled the careers of great riders like Terje Haakonsen, Bryan Iguchi, Damien Sanders, Johan Olafson, Craig Kelly, Kevin Jones, Peter Line, Jeremy Jones, JP Walker, Gigi Ruf, Nico Muller, the list goes on and on. Ask any snowboarder, any real snowboarder, and they can tell you something about any of these men, likely that their video parts have made significant impact on their lives.

Competition has always been part of snowboarding, but only a small part of it. Terje Haakonson, Craig Kelly, Shaun Palmer, and many others have competed in various ways. The difference between them and White is how they’re remembered. Haakonson is remembered for his progression, being so far ahead of everyone else there was no comparison. Craig Kelly is remembered for his abandonment of the competition circuit despite his dominance, and heading into the woods. Shaun Palmer is remembered for his insanity, and refusal to accept anyone’s rules but his own. Each of these men are remembered, but not because of they were world half pipe champions(which they all were, multiple times).

Much has been written about the incredible progression Shaun White has ushered in with the inclusion of the double cork tricks. There is no denying the incredible achievement of this trick, and while some credits him with its creation, this is wrong. JP Walker, one of the most influential snowboarders of all time, was the first to do a double cork, and he did it in the backcountry, far away from the controlled setting of a private half pipe with a foam pit and an entourage of sponsors. The next person to do the double cork, and the person who really brought it to the consciousness of the snowboard world was Travis Rice, when he did it over a life-or-death Chad Gap. How do I know this? Was there television coverage? No, but I have the videos.

Videos let me watch these incredible feats again and again, feeling the excitement each time, urging me to get on my own board. This is where progression really takes place, with riders pushing the limits of what terrain can be ridden, and what’s possible on that terrain. Videos document this.

White should know this, after all he professes that he hasn’t sold out, that he hasn’t let the money and the fame affect him. White had the opportunity to credit his forbearers in an interview with NBC. When asked a direct question about the trick “he invented”, he failed to acknowledge these others. He didn’t talk about how Travis Rice has been using the double cork to win competitions for the last 3 years. He didn’t mention that Louie Vitto, a fellow Team USA competitor, was the first to land a double cork in a half pipe competition. He didn’t mention any other snowboarders.

It needs to be said that White’s talent is not disputable. From an early age he’s been pushing himself, pushing the possibilities, dedicating himself to his craft. He was the first to bring the double cork to the half pipe, and this is a tremendous accomplishment. The amount of time in the air, even on modern 22 foot super-pipes, is so short, that to flip twice and spin three or more times is incredible. To be able to do this consistently is another measure of his extraordinary talent. To be the first one to look at a trick, done with so much air time, and dedicate yourself to bringing it to the half pipe is nothing short of incredible. As a competitive snowboarder, he is without peer. However, this is also a reason that he should go into videos.

White’s accomplishments this year are nothing in comparison to what he did 4 years ago. In the winter of 2005-2006, heading into the Torino games, White was undefeated. Not just in half-pipe competition, but in slope style and rail jams, 2 competition varieties distinctly different from the half pipe. Just as there are riders who specialize in half pipe riding, there are those who specialize in these other forms, and they’re really good. White beat them all, quite handily. No one had ever seen anything like it, and it’s not likely anyone ever will. To put this in perspective, there are athletes who compete in multiple sports. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are probably the best examples. Imagine that these competed not just in Football and Baseball, but in Basketball as well. Then imagine that they won every game they played in each sport for a single season. It’s that remarkable.

White has nothing left to prove, and nothing left to accomplish. Competing at this point is only about the money, and that’s not true to the soul of snowboarding, and it’s selling out. With his astonishing level of talent, he could produce video parts that we would watch forever. He could reclaim himself from the corporate leeches who have nothing to do with snowboarding, and are only using it’s popularity to make a buck. It’s unlikely this will ever happen, the allure of money and fame is just too much, but he owes it to snowboarding, and he owes it to himself.