The Death of Radio
Tim Vuotto ~ 01/17/2024
What’s happening to radio? (and how to fix it)
Radio Listenership has been declining for years. This is mostly due to the rise of Spotify, Apple Music, Sirius XM, etc. Newer generations who grew up with said streaming services just aren't connecting as much with traditional radio as they can listen to whatever they want at a tap of the finger. In 2024 , Adults aged 18-34 only spent an average of 9.4 hours a week listening to radio where adults aged 50+, listened to the radio about 15 hours a week. So, What's happening to radio? Well, Since I’m always on the road for work and I listen to a fair amount of radio, and I’ve decided to compile a list of songs I absolutely hate to hear, as I’m constantly hearing the same old songs over and over again, as well as my suggestion to fix it.
Enter Sandman (Metallica)
Don't radio stations realize that Metallica has other hits than “Enter Sandman”? It’s so overplayed to the point where they ran it into the ground. If I have to hear that stupid opening riff one more time I might finally go off the deep end.
Living on prayer (Bon Jovi)
Tacky. Overplayed. Overhyped. I shit you not I’ve once scrolled through the six radio stations I have saved on the console in the truck and heard it playing on three of the channels at the same time. No wonder nobody listens to the radio anymore.
Don’t stop believing (Journey)
Not even the ending to The Sopranos could save this song for me. It has the same issue as “Enter Sandman”. Maybe at one point in time it was great but they ran it into the ground and gives me a migraine every time I’m forced to listen to it .
Love is a battlefield (Pat Benatar)
or any song featuring a female vocalist for that matter. I don’t know what it is about this song as I only hear it once in a while. Maybe the reason I can't stand it is because I’m just an asshole but then again, I wouldn’t have been hired to write here if I wasn’t.
Hotel California (The Eagles)
I love The Eagles but this isn’t it. I once listened to a middle-aged man sing this during karaoke at my local dive bar and it was far more enjoyable than the original recording. I should’ve called a record producer and had him record himself singing it and play it on the radio then maybe, just maybe, I’ll listen to it when it comes on the radio.
Stacy’s Mom (Fountains of Wayne)
No, just no. Please, make it stop.
We will rock you/ we are the champions (Queen)
If you’ve read my previous works on Riot Club you know how I feel about Queen. However, I do admit they have a few hits. In spite of this, radio stations are determined to shove this song down our throats every chance they can. I’m pretty sure if I sat 102.9, 98.1, or 95.7 down for an intervention, they’d be shocked to hear that Queen has, in fact, recorded other songs.
Any Christmas song
Unless you’re a mother of four children under the age of 10, blasting frosty the snowman in the car on the way to Walmart to finally get them to shut the fuck up, there’s no excuse for liking this type of music. No B-101, I don’t want to listen to Megan Thee Stallion and Ariana Grande remix a Christmas song and no I don’t want to listen to that stupid tacky song by Mariah Carey for the 1000th time.
How I would Fix it
Genre specific stations
Some of you may be thinking, isn't this already a thing? And to an extent yes that's true. All I'm suggesting is that radio stations should be more focused on one thing and actually stick to it. I shouldn't tune into a station and hear Metallica and Bon Jovi on the same station. I'd suggest following a formula similar to Pandora or Sirius XM where specific channels highlight a specific artist or music from a specific era. If you can't beat’ em, join' em.
Get rid of stupid morning talk shows
Most people who tune into FM radio on their way to work want to hear music. Nobody wants to hear nobody radio show hosts and guests talk about their messy divorce or how much they hate their kids. It's really not relatable to the average person and it's not entertaining. If you want to rant about things nobody cares about, start a podcast.
Incorporate Underground Music
I don’t understand how this isn't already a thing. Why not instead of running the same bands/songs into the ground, throw in a song or two from an upcoming artist/ band based on the genre of your station. Better yet create a station that is entirely dedicated to helping out upcoming bands reach a broader audience and get out of the underground. Someone with a lot of money and nothing to do should start a record label and a radio station. Then invite local bands to your studio and broadcast it live. If one of the bands blows up that was featured on the broadcast, sign them to a record deal and reap the rewards. Kind of like Brian Epstein with The Beatles or Gene Simmons discovering Van Halen.
Radio is seriously staring down the barrel. This is a wake up call to radio stations. If you don’t want to become completely extinct and avoid the impending asteroid that is streaming services, stop playing the same tacky songs on repeat and start playing some variety. Start incorporating newer upcoming bands and stick to a specific genre and maybe they'll be able to reach the newer generations.
