iPod Vs. Radio?

[Arel]

DJs Defensive Over iPod Assault
By JOHN MAINELLI, New York Post

July 21, 2004 -- Apple's red-hot iPod digital music player is the latest rival to batter the radio business.

The iPod has become a radio station-in-a-pocket that pumps out thousands of songs, at random, from your very own personal hit parade.

No bad songs. No DJ chatter. No commercials.

And that's meant plenty of harm to radio stations already suffering from a stagnant ad market, dismal stock prices, bored listeners, and online competition.

The ability to go to iTunes.com, pay 99 cents for a song, and put it in your iPod — something that 3 million people have already done a total of 100 million times — can't be good for radio, which has already seen listening levels drop nearly 10 percent in the last five years.

Five years ago, 15.7 percent of all 18 to 24-year-olds were tuned into radio, on average, at any given moment. Last winter, it was down to 13.5 percent, according to Arbitron ratings data.

"By leaving the 'computer' behind, Apple's new devices bring your MP3 files out of the personal, private sphere of a headphone environment and into the space where radio currently lives," said Tom Webster of Edison Media Research.

"A high-capacity MP3 player set to randomly shuffle through gigantic playlists can provide the sense of surprise and discovery that was previously the exclusive domain of radio," Webster added.

But two prominent radio programmers told The Post they've got what computers don't — and never will.

"If they want to listen to nothing but music, they'll go to iPod," said Power 105.1's Michael Saunders. "People are entertained by the radio . . . that's why you have huge morning personalities."

Added Hot 97's Tracy Cloherty, "They've got a great ad campaign, and kudos to their marketing people, but radio still remains the most portable, the most local and the most personable."

Although radio boosters also say that, unlike iPods, their medium exposes listeners to new songs, singers, bands and trends, Edison's Sean Ross said that's changing as well.

"It seems more people are now getting to music faster than radio gets it to them," Ross said, citing clubs, portals, user groups, MTV, BET and the consumer press — not to mention iTunes browsing.

[nytlyf]

Can someone erase this thread? Disturbia...

[Epzilog]

no not erase the thread the thread starter make lots of sense. If a mod can actually just delete that OT 2nd post please. thanx

[johannes]

Folks, this thread is 4 years old already. Radio's still alive.

@ nytlyf: Why do you want the thread erased considering it's, as I've said, 4 years old already?

[nytlyf]

oops...taking my word back. thanks.

[Epzilog]

ok just to clear everything. somebody randomly post something about having jobs in Canada around 2 hours ago on this thread so both me and nytlyf reacted about that OT post. I think the mods already got rid of it so there is nothing to worry about.

[rogue]

shocked to read it's four years old...

this article appeals to me coz i for one have stopped listening to the radio myself. but not four years ago... just maybe the last two years. :-p

i just can't stand senseless DJ talk sometimes.

[PatrickGaerlan]

Sorry, for the confusion. I deleted a spam posting (it was a reply to the original, over 4-year old post) and another message referring to it. I didn't realize that other people started replying and referring to it after I deleted the messages.

EDIT: In an effort to stay on-topic, just want to voice out that I haven't listened to radio since I discovered podcasts several years ago.

[davidvgonzales]

iPod AND Radio... "why can't we all just get along?"

On second thought, I hate all the DJs of Monster, some of the DJs of Magic, and Love radio in its entirety. Yes, I know this post is 4 years old, and no, I haven't been listening to radio since I first heard Kanye West and discovered the iPod.

[greta87]

my signature for the last 4 years in another forum says: 'terrestrial radio is 6 feet under"