I've often thought about how long radio has been a part of society, and I could never picture my life without it because, well, I've never had to. It makes me contemplate exactly how such a technology can sustain all of the changing times so much that it's been around even before my parents. (oh! low blow! hahaha) The obvious answer is because it is wisely used for music, which is constantly changing as time changes. In our society, especially my generation, we have attention spans that barely measure up to that of a goldfish; that is why change is key because we've become such masters at it.
The other day, I was watching Eyewitness News on channel 7 to try to catch up on what's going on in the world around me, even though it's so darn depressing. During a commercial break, I saw an advertisement for a new car, but I didn't remember anything about it-not the name of the car, not the make, not the slogan, or anything that would be essential in a car commercial. That doesn't say much because I don't really pay attention to commercials anyway, but I am usually able to catch the basic details. The only thing that I actually did remember was a fact about the radio in the car: it was able to pause, rewind, or fast forward, just as a DVR does for a television. I went to my computer and googled what car had been showcased on that advertisement, while also checking if I heard correctly. The automobile turned out to be the 2010 Buick Lacrosse, and no, my ears have not failed me yet, for the information I absorbed about the radio was in fact true.
To me, this feels like we've just hopped right over a ginormous boulder that was obstructing our path to even more advanced technology. Some may argue that it isn't that great of a deal because they only took what they already do to television and applied it to radio...But personally, I think it's a tremendous move that was made. I started pondering about the ways that this is going to affect radio. I'm not quite sure if it will have that much of an impact on the number of people who listen to music on the radio, but what it will severely influence is advertising companies.
Radio is predominantly about the music, but it is also heavily situated on advertising. Companies rely on the commercials between songs to reach listeners, but now, they're going to be replaced by the sound of fast-forwarding. Granted, most people change the station they are listening to as soon as they hear a commercial, or at least I know that's what I do. However, when I'm driving and don't want to hit ten different buttons to find some music, I'll leave the station on and let the advertisement play. Sometimes, I actually find myself interested, but if all it takes is one button to skip over the commercial, that's obviously what I'm going to do.
On the other hand though, I honestly think this is so cool. It almost turns live radio into an iPod, just with songs that they pick for you. Radio hasn't drastically changed for a long time because the music does that itself, but this is a much different element of radio that even furthermore secures its place in our lives. The Buggles may have sang that "Video Killed the Radio Star," but I can assure you that radio is not going anywhere anytime soon.
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