#197 Not so Sirius Radio

So I’m listening to a radio station. And an ad comes on. Funny thing is, the commercial is for a new type of radio. And that type of radio is a subscription type for which you pay a monthly charge in order to avoid having to listen to, yep, you guessed it, commercials. So in order to get the word out ad-free radio has to advertise on ad-rich radio. Is this a great country or what? Personally, I love advertising. It’s where some of the most creative stuff in the media is happening and as cultural barometers go, it can’t be beat.
A couple of observations. People are always talking about the death of radio. But like Darth Vader, the force lives on whether you burn off its limbs and fry its innards or not. People love to listen to the radio and they do it for very simple reasons. They love the connection it gives them to the rest of humanity. They trust it to keep them plugged in to their community. And they like the music. Ipod schmi-pod. People will always come back to radio. Why? It’s not just because even though you can program in two weeks worth of songs on an Ipod you only have a battery life of 3 hours. It’s because an Ipod, even on shuffle, is still your playlist. And, truth be told, it not only reflects your taste, it only reflects your taste. Having someone else introduce a different song every now and then makes life more interesting. And listening to someone else’s playlist is interesting too, because their minds wander in a different direction and it’s good to expose yourself to a different path. That’s known as learning, growth, and developing your potential. It’s not just sitting around with your earphones on playing the same old record over and over and over again like a, well, broken record.
And you know what, that’s what advertisements do too. They expose us to a different product, or a different place to do business, or a different restaurant. Ad-free radio won’t do that. DMX and Muzak have existed for years as ad-free alternatives. Great for elevators and doctors offices, but for life? I don’t think so.
So radio and DJs and Personalities and, yes, advertisements, immerse us in the milieu of growth and change and new things and new ideas—something I like to call living. I ask you this, if you’re serious about satellite radio, how’d you hear about it? And that dead Ipod hanging from your neck? How’d you find out about that? From a friend of a friend of a friend right? Who saw or most likely heard an advertisement. And, by the way, need someone to show up for your charity bake sale, or your kid’s concert in the local park? Sorry. Ad radio’s dead. Maybe you can tape a banner to that satellite flying by tonight.
America, ya gotta love it.