Signing off: CBS is getting out of the radio business — is this finally the end of the medium?

[RKP5637]

This saddens me a bit.

http://www.salon.com/2016/09/27/signing-off-cbs-is-getting-out-of-the-radio-business-is-this-finally-the-end-of-the-medium/

More and more Americans, and particularly young people, don’t tune into radio stations at all anymore. But is that the end for radio, the medium that’s survived existential threats from TV (and MTV), CD players and iPods?

If it is, it appears to be a slow and painful goodbye, as advertising dollars gradually evaporate and audiences dwindle.

The biggest indicator that terrestrial radio (the traditional broadcast) is once again at death’s door is CBS Corp.’s bid to spin off its 88-year-old radio business — once home to Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite — in order to focus on its more profitable television and cable broadcasting segments. If CBS can’t find any buyers for its 117 stations in 29 U.S. markets, it will offer shares of CBS Radio via an initial public offering. So far, no buyers have stepped forward publicly, so the most likely scenario is an IPO that will have absolutely none of the fanfare that Facebook’s did.

While CBS Radio is profitable — thanks to the presence of its stations in major U.S. cities — advertising revenue for terrestrial radio as a whole has been on a downward march for years. CBS Radio reported a 5 percent decline in net income last year, to $1.23 billion, according to its IPO prospectus filed in July. Across the radio industry, ad dollars are projected to fall 2 percent this year, to $14.2 billion, according to New York-based media industry analysts Magna Global.

[Warpy]

1. People still listen to radios at work

and in their cars. I don't think it's quite time to do the obituary. I do think there will be a lot fewer stations out there to choose from and I also think commercials will start to invade a lot of stations being streamed online. Neither is a good thing.

However, they pretty much killed themselves off the way newspapers did, by selling out to conglomerates who fired staff and cut content.

[RKP5637]

2. I have an internet radio I listen too at night and I've noticed more and more commercials creeping

in over the past year. I've always liked radio because it can always reach one unless jammed. Really no infrastructure, of course, just an xmitter and a receiver.

[Warpy]

5. I listen to Radio SingSing

which is an ad free French station with an eclectic format. Instead of commercials, they're running call in testimonials and to tell you the truth, I'd rather listen to ads.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. I'm disappointed in SiriusXM as well

Their talk channels follow the same pattern as AM talk radio, with nearly equal amounts of program and advertising. Just once, I'd like to hear progressive radio without pitches for boner pills and settling with the IRS.

[closeupready]

4. Yes to all this. A core 2 or 300 of us come here to DU every day - to read.

But we aren't here to read romance stories; most of us here come here, day after day, to read about current events, posted by political compatriots, news of interest to lefties.

The point is, there are no LCD displays or sound effects or explosions going on here; it's basic reading, but GOOD reading.

Same thing with any other type of communications - give people quality, and a large portion will return for more. They suffered in the quality department when they began consolidating into fewer and fewer media empires. So if they are losing listeners, it's on them, IMO.

[RKP5637]

7. Exactly!!! Well said!!! n/t

[RKP5637]

11. Here's an interesting piece of history if you've not seen it.

&feature=youtu.be

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Yep. Totally the end. Just like they're not printing

real books anymore.

[RKP5637]

8. IMO there will always be a market for radio. As someone said, it's the content that is

suffering.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I listen to various public radio and community radio stations.

They still offer plenty of content.

[RKP5637]

10. There was also a move for more community FM stations. I don't know how that stands now.

I think community radio is great!