Radio's Challenges

Recent events have caused me to think a bit about where commercial terrestrial radio is, where it's been, and where it might be going. In the 1950s, radio was thought to be dead because of television. That didn't happen. I even remember a car that my father had for a week-long test drive that had a 45-RPM record player that worked on a glass-smooth road for any speed up to about 10 MPH. In the 1960s, owning an AM radio station was the same as having a license to print money. Then came FM and AM radio nearly died. That was followed by cassette players and CD players in cars. Other challenges radio has faced include CB radio, CD players, Apple's Ipod, and now satellite radio. Nothing has killed terrestrial radio. At least not yet.

All media fight with each other for your eyes and ears. Today, there are more choices than ever. Satellite radio, terrestrial radio (AM and FM), newspapers, magazines, television, blogs, podcasts, on-line audio sources, on-line video sources, on-line text sources, and probably some choices that I've omitted are all competing for your attention.

If you're in a car (one of terrestrial radio's strongholds) the easy choice is AM or FM radio. But today's cars have cassette players, CD players (some of which play MP3 CDs), and satellite receivers. A satellite signal won't give you local traffic, news, or weather, but it will give you something you might not be able to get any other way. I recently bought an XM radio and I've found 2 jazz channels that provide something I can't find locally. There are also classical channels. Channels dedicated to decades (the 40s through the 90s), comedy, talk, country, blues, sports, and anything else I might think of. There's no local content, though, so it's not either/or. It's a combination. Satellite, CD, terrestrial radio -- they're just choices I have.

But the one thing terrestrial radio can provide that satellite channels can't (at least not yet) is local content. Local news, John Corby, and Bob Conners aren't available on satellite. They're on the air because people listen and people listen because they like to hear about local concerns.

I grew up in a small town that had a local radio station. WOHP was a farm/country radio station in the morning, a middle-of-the-road station during the mid-day, and a rock station from 3pm until sign-off (about 5pm during the winter and 8pm during the summer). In the 1970s, I worked for a radio station in the Wheeling, West Virginia, market. All of us at WOMP (all news in the morning and late afternoon with local talk programming the rest of the day) wished that we could sound like WTVN in Columbus.

WOMP is still on the air and, ironically, the station now sounds a lot like WTVN, but only because both stations now suck programming from satellite feeds. Listen to WOMP or WTVN – or any of hundreds of other stations around the country – and you'll hear exactly the same program.

Radio used to work like baseball: Players in markets such as Bellefontaine could move up to the minor leagues and play in Lima or Marion. Then they could move up to markets such as Toledo or Wheeling. When they developed their talents sufficiently, they could begin playing in Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Denver, or Dallas. The best or us could eventually move up to Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. Today, the farm teams are gone. If stations in Bellefontaine or Lima have any local programs, they're done by people who have been there for 30 years or more and they're in the morning drive time. The rest of the day, you'll hear satellite feeds.

Where will tomorrow's radio talent come from?

I don't know. Neither does anyone else in the business. Maybe it won't matter. Maybe podcasts and satellite will take over. But I still hold out some hope for terrestrial radio.

The future of Technology Corner

Wow! I'm amazed. Over the past couple of weeks, Joe and I have received a lot of messages from people who will miss Technology Corner Sunday mornings on WTVN. Sometimes those of us who are involved in broadcast forget how important we become to those who listen. I'd expected to receive a couple of messages when the program ended. Maybe a dozen. I wasn't in any way prepared for what happened. If you have written and I haven't responded, I apologize. I do hope to reply to each message, but it may be a while.

Below are some of the messages sent to me, to Joe, or to WTVN's management.

A couple of points are important: First, I havened worked for WTVN since the mid 1990s and Technology Corner has continued to be part of Joe's Sunday morning program because we both enjoyed it. Second, it would be easy to criticize Clear Channel management, but it would be wrong. Clear Channel's managers are charged with making the most money they can. If that means replacing Joe's program with recorded programs, they're simply doing what they're supposed to be doing. I have no real argument with that, but I feel compelled to suggest that short-term gains may not be enough for long-term viability. In plain-speak: You may win the battle but lose the war.

What I've heard from listeners in recent weeks ...

Hate to see the show go. One of the few really informative tech shows I know of - some good informative advice and ideas. Guess the "free" thing is what possibly did us in. I have gotten a lot of good ideas, least to say Snagit, from your program. Let's hope they find a good slot for you and us listeners. Please keep the weekly e-mails up.

Say it isn't so! There are pleanty of us who are not Columbus based who depend on reading the REAL thing in your online column! I am a graphic designer in Massachusetts with my primary client base in Florida. Please don't go anywhere! You perform one of the best (OK, besides CNet, THE best) review, plain talk and occasional erudite column, bar none!

Stay with your fans, please! No matter what!

Sorry to hear this news...I have listened to bits and pieces of this show almost every Sunday as we are getting ready for church. I have learned so much from listening to the two of you. Hope the "powers" that run that station can find another time slot for your show.

Love the show. Hope it reappears soon. Keep up the good work.

Bill - I heard the program this morning and other than "sayonara" it all seemed rather mysterious and made no sense at all. So the mystery is now explained -- but it still makes no sense at all. I don't care who Clear Channel sold the time to.

That's one of the misfortunes of a company that becomes so big, so driven to buy up everything in sight. They alone decide what's best for their listeners and couldn't care less about listener attitudes and opinions, likes and dislikes. I sometimes wonder if it ever occurs to them that once you've heard any 10 or 12 minute segment Monday through Friday mornings (half of which is commercials), there's no need to listen further. Everything that follows is maddening redundancy -- which is why on weekday mornings, 610 has my undivided attention...for about 5 minutes. After that, I'm gone. As I will now be gone on Sunday mornings as well.

You and Joe have brought a lot of valuable information and a great deal of help to those of us whose knowledge, thanks to you, has been broadened a bit beyond the limits of the "On" switch.

I was dumb founded, to say the least, when I heard about the end of the Technology Corner on this AM's show. I have enjoyed you both (the bantering back and forth, and whatever) very much over the years and feel like I have learned something in the process. I'm glad the newsletter will live on after the show. HANG IN THERE GUYS. PS...Clear Channel is beginning to really upset me with these "firings" "terminations" - if Connor or Corby go, I'll go as there will be nothing left. Sports are fine, but it is getting to be too much for me to handle. PSS..Hope Joe got his plumbing problem handled. I sympathize as I have had problem along those lines myself.

It figures that they sold you out. You have been a part of my Sunday morning for a long time. I will miss the broadcasts, and hope you return to the airways real soon.

How can we get your program to stay? It such a great program. Do we need to call or email someone at 610 WTVN? Lets get going on this to keep you guys on.

I was very concerned when I heard your show's closing dialogue this morning. I only hope the groundswell from all your avid listeners will prevail and your extensive knowledge, delivered in such a humorous and provocative manner, will continue in another time slot. Please pass this on to the "powers that be" to let them know how much you are appreciated.

Many thanks from a computer novice who needs your expertise and enjoys your delivery.

So what's going to help me get up at 8:00 AM on Sunday now? :-(

What a bummer announcement. I understand the station wanting a paid "program" in that spot but where will the fans go for some accurate guidance on technology?? Good luck on your search for a time to have the show. I guess we need to send messages to the station to ask for show time. Shoot darn poop then #$ %%^ *($$ **!!

I hope CC will find another time slot for your show, because that's what you are, radio broadcasters. The show, and the website, are very informative, a "public service" as far as I'm concerned. I've learned alot from you the past 3+ years.

You have my vote for continuing TC, both on air and the website.

This has been a fear that I'm sure all of your listeners have had for some time now; we can read the writing on the wall. WTVN has been changing for the past few years. I have listened to the station since 1974 and have seen a lot of good local talent go and not be replaced.

As with technology changes so too must the world around us. It is unfortunate that it has come to this. The only time that I listened to WTVN was on Sunday mornings for the Technology Corner and At Home with Gary Sullivan, and since the football season began last year they have dropped him and he has been picked up by 1230 AM in Columbus. (I always did think the station was kind of cheap recently, going with someone who wanted to talk about OSU Football year round, but come on everyone needs a break).

Therefore I must say that I have enjoyed the show for many years and am sorry to see you go. In closing I have one word to offer you as an alternative to broadcasting : Podcasting

I have owned an iPod since October and have found it invaluable as a media player to get my technology updates with. Hopefully we will see you and Joe there soon.

Just wanted to thank you for the show and express hope for a speedy return. It seems that 610 management is trying to do everything they can to be sure that I never have reason to tune into the station.

Over the years I have always followed the show and it is a part of my Sunday morning(s). As you know I tape the show and play back at a more convenient time so I've not heard today's show as of this writing.

I fully understand the issue of money vs "free time" but that does not diminish my sadness to hear the news. For me it is the latest in a series of radio programs and whole stations which have gone away over a period of several years. Loosing them is very disheartening and while I understand things change, that doesn't make it any easier to absorb. These changes are part of my life which have gone away. Perhaps that may sound melodramatic but it's not. Life must contain enjoyment and when those things which one enjoys disappear it takes a toll.

This is but another of the changes with which am not in agreement. Heck, I even changed ushering "crew" at my church 'til 11:00 service so I could hear you! Certainly hope you are able to work something out...the Big Bear syndrome needs to cease and desist.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YHE GREAT SHOW GUYS!!! You have been as much a part of my Sunday morning as Church, sausage and eggs!!! You got me to get my first computer and Post Graduate Degree On-Line. I could never have done it without you!!! Thanks Again Guys!!! Sincerely PS.I just renewed my AVG Antivirus program that you suggested.

As is the case with nearly everyone else in Central Ohio, I have been a faithful listener to Technology Corner for who knows how long. If I remember correctly, the program started as a half-hour program. I also seem to recall that the program started as just a five- or ten-minute item at the end of the eight o'clock hour. Am I correct on any of the former lives of the Tech. Corner?

Naturally, I want the program with you and Bill to continue, as well as your regular Sunday program. I looked for the program director's email address on the radio station's Web page, but I could not locate it. Are you at liberty to let me have it?

I am hoping that Clear Channel will change its mind and keep both of you on the air on Sunday mornings. If I can do anything to help sway that decision by emailing the program director and then he/she contacting Clear Channel.

I enjoy your show. Is there someone at WTVN I can email to show support for your program?

Sorry to hear about the best radio show for computer people. With all the people changes at WTVN I think they are on a downhill slide.

Hope you find a new spot. Will look for you whereever that is.

I read the paper this a.m. I know enough about the radio biz to know that listener comments directed to a PD are as well received as a special prosecutor inquiry by the Clintons. It would be a shame and a huge loss if the Technology Corner were to go the way of the 5 1/4" disk, the dot matirx printer and cryptic DOS commands. (note clever technical references) As I confine this message to a "reasonable" length, I hope the program continues in some manner. You have been a great help over the years, it is one of the few programs with any real value to the listener. Thank you, thank you, thank you and of course, thank you for all the humor as well. Please keep us posted on future developments.

I think 610 is really changing. First your show, then Steve Cannon and now Cornel What is happening at the station?

I have been listening to Technology Corner for years and look forward to the Sunday morning show. I was very disappointed when it was recently replaced by other programming.

I certainly hope that you are able to find another location for the show for your dedicated WTVN listeners. Joe & Bill do a great job.

I will miss hearing your voice on Sunday mornings. I am a long-time listener and will continue to plug into your web site weekly. Hopefully you will find a way to return to the station, but, in the meantime, I just wanted you to know how very much I appreciated your show and the information you provided. Thank you.

What can we do to help get you back on! Can't imagine a SUNDAY MORNING, without your show.

Last Sunday morning, I heard the news that Technology Corner was airing its final program because Clear Channel was making a change in the schedule. Although neither Joe nor Bill even hinted at it, I strongly imagine that the change has been mandated and that WTVN has little if any say in the matter. If that is indeed the case, I feel sorry for your station; having such a small amount of input into your own programming must be frustrating.

However, if WTVN has the opportunity to help determine what will be broadcast on Sunday morning, please count this email as one vote in favor both of Technology Corner and Joe Bradley.

As is the situation with many thousands of us in Ohio, I have been a faithful Sunday morning listener for years. In terms of Technology Corner, I have been listening since close to its inception. I didn't miss very many of the initial spots, if any at all.

Of course, I will listen tomorrow morning to hear what has supplanted my favorite content-specific program of the entire week. I hope that it will be something worthwhile, but it will have to be special to keep me listening every Sunday morning. If it is not, I will, of course, either have to listen to another station that might have a program of more interest (which is doubtful; 610 is king in my book) or just turn off my radio.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. One last time: I am really going to miss Bill and Joe. If you can do anything to keep them, please think about helping to have that come about.

If you can't find a place for the radio show, what about doing a podcast? Post it in iTunes and you'll have thousands of listeners instead of hundreds.

I for one hope that it continues as a website.

This is a 'statistic post' so you can count the interested parties.

A very significant number of the programs I use daily are a result of this program; many I would not have known to ask about without TC.

It seems to me that you have two audiences - one local, with AM or FM tuners, the other world wide, maybe larger, or at least the potential to be so. A little tweaking and you might have something for Google to latch onto. Or Stumble. Thought of a subscription gimmick to help support the time requirement?

Liked listening to the Sunday morning show with coffee and breakfast. Disappointed to hear the show has been cancelled. Thanks and good luck.

I'm sorry to hear that your program is leaving WTVN. I'm sure they'll put some more lame satellite junk in its place. Now all that's left that's any good is JC and Rush. Any idea what they are trying to accomplish? It just makes me want to listen less. I hope your weekly information page and emails continue, though.

I think CC will be a victim of its own success. I listen for info. I miss the show and all of the help it has given me. In today's market, I am willing to pay for the info I want and need. It used to be that I could and would listen to 610 anytime day or night and be informed. No longer the case. Midnite to 5 or 6 AM is out, so is most of the weekend lineup as well. I get what I want via the net now. Hope you can find a new home.

I did enjoy listen to your program and hope WTVN finds a place for you. Thanks.

I was just woundering where your show was going to end up at now that it is not on 610.

Just turned OFF my radio. I am a long time listener. did I say am, was!! Your new format for Sunday morning leaves a lot to be desired. Wall Street info, followed by Town Hall Ohio, and then another Wall Street!?! Sunday morning used to be a time for me to leisurely get up, drink my coffee, listen to Bradley and his laughter and banter, NASCAR news and notes (I go back to double-clutchin' Dave Gibson and before), and the Tech Corner, for over the last ten years or so. The computer I am writing this on has several updates and improvements that came about as a direct result of listening to Joe and Bill on Sunday's.NO MORE!! The "canned" line up leaves a lot to be desired. I tried to listen to the Town Hall program about eminent domain, this morning, but it was just as though they were reading a set script. These guys had no personality, whatsoever. It was dull, to say the least. This is NOT good programming. I am a large land owner in this area, and if I want to get info on Farm Bureau, or agriculture, I already have sources for them.

I suppose that this is a no brainer for the powers that be at 610. You just have someone stick in a pre-scripted tape and then run the news on the half hour. I am sure that I am not the only one that is very disappointed in the direction that the programming is going. Instead of having listeners on Sunday mornings, I can hear the OFF buttons being pushed as I write this. You folks have managed to successfully ruin the one morning some of us have to kick back and enjoy the radio. As Bob Conner's says over and over. to determine the real reason that an action is taken "you have to follow the money." Truer words were never spoken, than in this case.

Good-Bye Sunday morning radio, hello music CD's.

Wall Street information in place of Technology Corner? That is one heck of a disappointment.

As I stated that I would in my previous email, I gave the new program a try, and I didn't last very long. I switched back to WOSU 820 AM, the station to which I used to listen before Joe and Bill began.

Every so often, I tried the Wall Street program again, but it just didn't cut it. I can find the same information on just about any other station, most especially WOSU 820.

If you have any influence with the powers-that-be in the Clear Channel office, please lobby for the return of Joe and Bill.

Wow. Sunday morning without you on the radio is like a morning without coffee. (I hope the headaches don't start from withdrawl!) Thank you for the many years that I have enjoyed your show. I hope that you will be back soon.

I only visit you two on the web and have learned so much from you. Am considered the "computer guru" here and depend on you to make me look good! Sorry you're having trouble with the show; please continue the email version!

loved your show and sorry to see it dropped of the air. I do appreciate the updates via email. I just hope you can keep at it since I feel it provides information regarding current technology / software and problems associated with the same.

thanks for all of the past shows and your continued effort to keep the technology movement alive

The bottom line

There are more questions than answers.

Thanks for listening for the past 15 years or so. Technology Corner will continue on the Web, probably as a podcast, maybe on another Clear Channel station, or possibly elsewhere. Nothing is definite now, but the absolutely amazing respone from the friends I've never met tell me finding a new home for Technology Corner is something I should do.

Wow! What a ride. Thanks for coming along!

Nerdly News

Ignore it and maybe it will go away

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) continues to be "I can't" and seems to believe that ignoring a parable will make it go away. The organization has voted against a proposed agreement for a "XXX" top level domain.

Pornography will not go away, even if ignored, but it could be corralled into a manageable area. The proposed XXX top-level domain (as in "hotbabes.xxx") would make it possible to segregate sites in a way that would make control easy. ICANN doesn't buy the logic, though. Some opponents said that creating an XXX domain would "endorse pornography" and those in the porn industry were worried about the controls. In the final analysis, the prudes and the porn purveyors worked together (strange bedfellows, indeed!) to scrap the plan.

Own a Mac and believe you're safe? Dream on!

Macs are still harder to infect than PCs, but those who feel (and act) as if Macs are invulnerable will wake up someday to a nasty infestation. McAfee has joined the group of companies that provide anti-virus support for Intel-based Apple computers. McAfee VirusScan for Mactel 8.0 runs under Apple's Rosetta emulator to protect Apple computer users from Macintosh and Windows-based viruses, Trojans, and other threats.

McAfee says Macintosh platform vulnerabilities have increased more than 200% since 2003 due to the rising popularity of Apple's consumer products, notably the IPod media devices and iTunes media services. While the Mac OS X operating system remains more secure than Windows-based platforms, the rapid growth in critical vulnerabilities confirms the need for ways to protect systems in work environments that include both PCs and Macs.

According to the company, McAfee VirusScan for Mactel detects, cleans, or deletes infected e-mails and attachments.

McAfee VirusScan for Mactel is available now. For more information please visit http://www.mcafee.com.

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