Is it just me or do the people on radio/television sound really dippy as of late?
I'm watching (listening to) the Canadian shopping channel as I type this message and they're attempting to peddle this bowl type thing. They're talking about scientific evidence and I'm thinking, WTF? It's a bowl!
I swear, you take on one bunch of weiners that refer to themselves as personalities and the entire broadcast industry gets in on the act. What kind of crazy world are we living in? Who do these people think they're kidding?
Really, I just wanna grab these people and give them a smack and say, "It's a freakin' bowl!"
Anyway, nighty night all...
it is run by the local college, Iowa Western Community College. The jockeys do all the advertising, and it is not stupid stuff, it is straight forward. Tells that there is a product(or service) and where to get it. Most of it is to advertise the college. They also do a donation drive to get the money so they don't have to bring in the dippy avderts. I donate to them twice a year during there fund raiser, and i give ~$30 USD. After that, i get good music, and very little commercials. I think it is easier to give some $ than to listen to some 2nd rate studio trying to do nothing but make money.
Another thing, the station plays stuff from local artists that no other station will play, and features concerts that actually get's bands signed into contracts. 311 is one of them.
You don't have to listen to invasive, LOUD, or annoying ads. So i think $30 to listen to the station for half a year with little interuptions is not bad
Also, when there is very little invasive adverts. you may think "hey! that might be something neat to check out!" rather than, say.. "oh god, it's another commercial... Turn off the radio QUICK!"
Coius:
I know exactly what you mean. The reality is that commercial radio is a dying industry. Companies that place their futures in the stock of commercial radio don't want to and won't admit it, but it's the reality: commercial radio is on artificial life support.
The problem with commercial radio is that it's less about the music and more about money and the lords of greed that run the operation. They hire talentless staff that read material that was written by others, they offer little diversity in their programming so that almost all stations are virtual carbon copies of each other, they hype themselves with so much crap that they pretty much become laughing stocks, they're incredibly juvenile and have tremendous amounts of trouble seeing the forest for the trees, and they live in a world of insanely exagerated self-delusion.
Case in point: Sarnia, my hometown, has a local rock station that bill's itself as "Sarnia's Best Rock." Not so bad until you consider that it's the *only* rock station in Sarnia. This reality kind of makes their "Best Rock" label undeserved and inaccurate. It's much like a politician that runs in an election where there are no other candidates. For such a politician to pat himself on the back and congratulate himself for running an effective and winning election is, well, dumb. Victory by aclimation can in no way be equated with ability, skill, or even talent.
The real kicker: This local rock station is owned by the same company that used to own a similar station in another town. Guess what this other stations slogan is? You guessed it, London's Best Rock! How's that for orginality, talent, or skill?
You wouldn't want to criticize these people for being mental midgets however. At least not if you value things like privacy, human rights, and freewill. Yeah, it's a crazy world. What makes it even crazier is that these people receive critical acclaim for essentially accomplishing nothing.
Case in point: Back to the local rock station. The local rock station received a marketing excellence award in their first year of operation despite having sold virtually no advertising. Makes you wonder what qualifies a business in this town to receive the homour of marketing excellence. Apparently, just setting up shop is tantamount to having achieved a major marketing coup. It's ridiculous!
Anyway, enough of my little diatribe...
One other point of note: The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commision), the Canadian equivalent to America's FCC, recently allowed satellite radio to operate in Canada. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters has issued a press release of sorts asking that there be measures taken to ensure that satellite radio does not infringe on the markets of conventional commercial radio. I had to shake my head in astonishment. These whiny bas***s are going to complain about being unable to compete? Give me a break! Locally, we have three radio stations and all three of them are owned by the same company. Another city about an hours drive away also has three radio stations and all three of those are owned by the same company. They wanna talk about fair competition? What a joke! The same company that owns the three local stations also owns the three stations in Chatham and the three stations in Wingham.
Canadian broadcasters want fair competition? Well, to quote 99.9FoxFM, in response to their plea for fairness, and speaking on behalf of the Canadian people, I say, "Bite me!"