Is Radio a Dying Market?

This is a topic that hits close to home for me.  For the past 14 years I have worked building computer system that run and automate radio stations.  During that time I have enjoyed the fact that a majority of the radio stations across the United States I have had a direct hand in building the system that puts their audio on the air and that their talent uses to create what everyone hears.  In that time I have also seen a lot of developments and challenges that have come up for radio and I have heard it asked, and for very good reasons, "is Radio a thing of the past?"

I wouldn't say that it is dead, but I would say that there are plenty of new challenges that radio is facing that weren't there in the past.  These challenges can threaten the future of radio, though local stations are always likely to be in some demand for local programming, news, and information needs.  However with new options available to everyday people radio might have to adapt to remain strong.

Today portable music players dominate the landscape.  People don't have to tune in anymore to get their listening needs met but instead can put whatever they want onto MP3 players, their phone, or a number of other items.  For those listening in the car or home there are options other than radio now as well.  Beyond CD players which were available in the form of tape players in 8-tracks, now there are satellite radios for your home or car which allow you to not be limited to just a couple of local choices but have hundreds of options from several genres.  Then add in Internet radio and streams such as Pandora and the need for radio lessens even more still.

HD radio can help in the fight against these new technologies by offering new options radio listeners but it isn't the final answer either.  The listener is still limited by geographic to what they can listen to and are limited by the same geographical limits to where they can listen to those stations, something not true with satellite or MP3 players.

Radio still has its place for "local" needs, but the niche that radio had carved out is now being filled with other things today and radio may need to re-invent itself to remain truly competitive and viable.