News, information, stories, and songs are delivered on the airwaves using FM or frequency modulation. Their delivery requires (among other things) a transmitter, a tower, and an antenna. People listen in their cars or at their houses on battery-powered radios or home stereo receivers.
I sound like an old-timer just mentioning the at-home options. Very few of the 20-somethings I speak with even have such a device. And the difference between AM (amplitude modulation) and FM is a total mystery!
They are not confused about the content provided by radio. Many listen on Alexa devices and phones via podcasts and sometimes streaming. The best observers tell us online listening is growing in most demographics.
I said “sometimes streaming” because on-demand audio is far more desirable today. Most of us want to listen on our own schedule, not just catch what happens to be playing at any given moment. If we want to hear a song or a speaker or a story, we find and play it now. We don’t wait until it streams later in the day.
Listening while driving may be the only remaining exception. Many still appreciate a car radio’s ease of use. And the shared experience of a live broadcast on the way to the office can appeal in ways a recording cannot.
Some insist FM remains relevant because it is local. I’m not convinced. Podcasts can be local too.
Long-time broadcasters, like myself, sometimes cling to ideas like this hoping we can “save radio.” But I don’t think it’s in need of saving. That is, not unless we focus on preserving the method of delivery.
Human voices connect with us no matter how they reach us. If we write and produce and present compelling audio, people will want to hear it. We will listen by whatever means becomes available.
We love listening because we can do it while working or walking or doing household chores. We can learn and laugh and use our imaginations without engaging our eyes and our hands. Radio can be part of our lives without distracting us from our lives.
The programs I host can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many other online platforms. You can also listen – at scheduled times – on your transistor radio or via the website live stream.
If those methods become inconvenient we will find others. What we say and how we say it are the most important things. If we get them right, we will always have an audience.