FalconHunter

Anyway, where do you feel FM/AM radio is going?

So, it will slowly vary by market. For example, in my market we had a juggernaut of a regionally owned station. It was rock/alternative in the late 90s and into the mid-00s. They used a repeater to extend their listening coverage to nearly the entire state. They also worked with touring artists to create a series of acoustic live albums over the course of several years (Google "Live in the X Lounge" and check out the tracklistings!)

They were bought out and re-formatted. It stunk.

Eventually, the several of the folks responsible for the success of the pre-corporate station got together and did an independent internet radio broadcast. It was so successful that they gained financial backing and launched (or re-launched depending on how you look at it) a very successful, non-corporate, local terrestrial radio station "Birmingham Mountain Radio.")

I see this happening in markets where corporate radio destroyed the terrestrial radio quality, but only if passionate people are willing to do it and can get backing from investors and advertisers.

Terrestrial radio began to decline in the mid to late 90s as listenership declined. Corporations (Clear Channel being the biggest offender, Cox, Citadel...) began buying frequencies in markets and then putting the same bland formats on-air (Top 40, Country, Urban, Talk, and Adult A/C.)

More and more station owners willingly sold out for more than they would likely make if they remained owners. Additionally, those that didn't sell saw the corporate bully use any tactic that they could to leech away listeners.

Ultimately, radio died when so many other avenues for entertainment existed. Internet radio, iPods/Players, Napster/Limewire, ...there just wasn't a reason to listen anymore when there were so many better options.

What about the low salary, lack of job security, and live promotional events? That's what caused me to leave.

Actually, most broadcast journalists will tell you that they often watch coverage from multiple outlets. This is to ensure that they have a big picture of not only a specific story, but the current events in general.

Not only is Mr. Rather's comment believable, it's actually the standard practice.

Well, first, look at the permissions the app wants. You can be sure that all of that is being shared with Clear Channel.