From the sound of Jeff's writing, it's like once you listen to satellite radio you never should listen to local radio again. Mostly because of all those annoying commercials. The commercials that let the community know what is on sale, about a new restaurant, new products available, educational opportunities, new hospital services or cancer care. Those annoying commercials that help bring people to the stores to buy the store owners' products so they can make a living, pay employees, buy a newspaper and pay for satellite radio if they choose.
I will admit that satellite is not all bad as most of my music program on WIOI is provided by satellite and my announcers are national stars that could only be provided to the area listeners through satellite. But I pay for it so my listeners don't have to since those commercials provide the means to do so. He says that satellite radio will be the demise of local radio. That makes as much sense as saying the Internet is the end of local newspapers. I can get all the print news I want on the Internet but if I want to know what's going on locally I might want to read about it in the community newspapers.
The invention of radio was to be the quietus of the newspaper; TV was to wipe out radio and DirecTV the end of cable, but they all are still here. Should we lay off all the postal workers since we can all e-mail? Should everyone in the radio business just pack up and go home. Oh, but wait a minute, not much local news on the net, no local info on DirecTV or on satellite radio, and no sense of community there either.
I feel that I can speak for myself, as well as my compadres in the local radio business, that as long as there is a local community we will be here to pass on vital information and maybe even some minutia along the way for your entertainment.
Chip Maillet
WIOI Radio
Portsmouth
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