mjh makes some good points. The local affiliates spend all the begging time gathering money to send off premise to those who produce the nationally syndicated shows. Let those shows go satellite, streaming, and podcasting. Much more cost effective. Return the locals to the days prior to NPR and the other "networks". The locals might be forced to serve their local community with local origination. Some of the most creative programming came from local shows and still does. FM radio was great in the late 60's and early 70's before it became financially viable. The owners were suddenly required by the FCC to stop simply airing the same things they put on their AM station. So they hired the cheapest jocks they could get. Young people. And since there was no real money at stake they told them to play whatever they wanted as long as it met community standards (anyone old enough to remember community standards?). Freeform FM radio become so popular that they began to be able to sell some serious advertizing time.... Big money eventually ruined that. Hmmmm, any similarity to the droning begfests looking for those big bucks to collect locally then ship off to the absentee landlords in Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Chicago???
Local public radio stations are going the way of Clear Channel commercial stations. More and more imported programming. Less and less local origination. Automation everywhere you turn. Even local voices and weather reports are loaded to the server. The lights are still on but no one's home.
There are some absolutely great local stations but fewer and fewer as time goes by. Fewer and fewer local news just like at the commercial stations. Very few citizen advisory groups. They want your money but don't drop by to visit. Community stations (often not affiliated with NPR. PRI, etc) are where real local radio still lives.
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mjh makes some good points. The local affiliates spend all the begging time gathering money to send off premise to those who produce the nationally syndicated shows. Let those shows go satellite, streaming, and podcasting. Much more cost effective. Return the locals to the days prior to NPR and the other "networks". The locals might be forced to serve their local community with local origination. Some of the most creative programming came from local shows and still does. FM radio was great in the late 60's and early 70's before it became financially viable. The owners were suddenly required by the FCC to stop simply airing the same things they put on their AM station. So they hired the cheapest jocks they could get. Young people. And since there was no real money at stake they told them to play whatever they wanted as long as it met community standards (anyone old enough to remember community standards?). Freeform FM radio become so popular that they began to be able to sell some serious advertizing time.... Big money eventually ruined that. Hmmmm, any similarity to the droning begfests looking for those big bucks to collect locally then ship off to the absentee landlords in Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Chicago???
Local public radio stations are going the way of Clear Channel commercial stations. More and more imported programming. Less and less local origination. Automation everywhere you turn. Even local voices and weather reports are loaded to the server. The lights are still on but no one's home. There are some absolutely great local stations but fewer and fewer as time goes by. Fewer and fewer local news just like at the commercial stations. Very few citizen advisory groups. They want your money but don't drop by to visit. Community stations (often not affiliated with NPR. PRI, etc) are where real local radio still lives.