Thank you Bill for your insight on this topic. As far as I'm concerned you are the knowledgeable source when it comes to radio. Also, this is most definitely on topic for this list do to the nature of radio today.
Best,
Terri Hedgpeth
-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Bill Pasco
Sent: Sunday, February 2, 2020 2:07 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Do you think that radio will ever go totally on line?

I was a career broadcaster, 42 years in the business. Though a lot of what Ted said is correct, there are some small pieces of misinformation in his post I'd like to correct, and also give my view.
First, I think this actually is on topic. Why, because we are confusing terms a little bit here. It is the portability of an audio local information source that you would mostly miss if conventional radio died out. This is in fact being replace by your GTE wireless devices. 
The iPhone and Android phone already have the hardware ability to get conventional radio signals, but the manufacturers have purposely left it turned off because the evolving GTE cell network make it obsolescent and not really necessary. Being tied to the web does not mean being hard wired. Nearly all local radio stations already have web based streaming services through Tune-In, Pandora, I-Heart radio, or directly through Amazon's Alexa app. I have a hunch that Google and Apple also have these services. Nearly everyone under the age of 60 already has a smart phone of some kind, and many older folks do too, though not all. 
Most folks keep that phone with them 24-7. Web services are easily compatible with other functions of that phone, so even while listening you can take or make calls, surf the web, check email or whatever.
It is actually not true that conventional radio does not pay artists for using their music. They do not pay directly, that is true. But every radio station has to have ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC licenses. Based on what is played, these organizations collect fees for those songs, and it is then paid to the artists who are a part of those organizations as artists. If the artist is totally independent, then he has to take care of his music rights himself, and that doesn't work so well.

FM and AM both are already available through digital. Not every area has it, but most major cities do. FM HD, which is just a branded term for digital, features a simulcast of there standard FM signal, and then also often adds one or two additional HD channels to the signal. You must have an HD radio to hear it. There are portables and table top HD radios out there, and all car radios now have this ability. It has been slow to catch on, but it is still out there.

AM also has HD. It makes AM sound prety darn good, but it has very limited range. AM frankly is very expensive to operate, and by todays standards, it is just to limited technically. It will die eventually.

ShortWave is already dead. The only conventional short wave stations still around are religious. Everyone else has gone to digital web based systems. The only other thing still using SW are some digital text and video services which you cannot decode anyway.
So, conventional analog broadcast radio will slowly die out, but the stations will still exist, and you will still be able to reach them using some form of over the air digital. I predict that it will all eventually migrate to your personal device, sometimes called a smart phone. I honestly think satellite based radio will die too, Serius XM already offers a robust streaming service and they are having trouble making money with the satellite audio service. Satellite will mostly be used to relay services and signals to local hubs for distribution through the cell network.  Guess what, we'll all still call it radio. 
Technically, it is still radio. Signals being transmitted through the air but digitally encoded.

The problem with local verses national information is really not related to radio in itself. It is related to ownership of content producers. Local ownership is almost gone. Conglomerates own most of the distribution capability of content. So, my friend, as usual, it comes down to a question of money.

Hope this was helpful. Sorry for the length, but it is a complicated subject.

Bill


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