"Traditional" Radio is in Big Trouble

Thanks to the internet and other technology, there are so many free and low cost options for audio entertainment these days. I look at how popular terrestrial radio used to be. These days, I wonder how many people listen to traditional radio. The numbers must be very low. There are countless free podcasts out there. Personally, I enjoy the Adam Carolla Podcast, Joe Rogan's Podcast and the Carson Podcast. The final one that I mentioned has interviews with people who appeared on Johnny Carson's show, or people who worked on the show. Johnny's show has been off for a generation, 1992 was his final show. But still, podcast host Mark Malkoff finds many people who were associated with the iconic late night show. The Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR is a free, entertaining option. Another option for audio entertainment is audible.com. One can find endless audio books through this site. It has a monthly charge, but it is a convenient service since it is portable since one can listen to books via phone. Sirius/XM radio is another excellent source of audio entertainment with music of every genre plus countless talk shows. Some radio stations are operating the right way, offering unique content with local talent rather than depending on syndicated, generic feeds for their programming. But, traditional radio will never have the power and influence that it used to.

Tech Guru Kim Komando's Radio Show is a Winner

If you want to learn more about computers, TVs, digital cameras, and all things tech, check out Kim Komando's radio show. Her show airs on the weekends, and she has lots of down-to-earth advice. She takes calls from listeners and she has a long history of working with computers. Go to her website here to get information from "America's Digital Goddess". There you can listen to the show, listen to a podcast, find a station near you that carries the show, find topics discussed on the show and connect via social media. She writes a weekly column about technology for USA Today. The show is based out of Phoenix, and it has become the most popular weekend radio show in the nation. She has hosted her radio show for 20 years. She started the West Star radio network. The network is based out of a 6,000 square foot building. There are plans to quadruple the size of the building. The show is great since it gives good advice on things like how to avoid computer viruses, the pros and cons of different tablets, laptops and desktop computers, getting the most out of your smartphone, how to choose the best HDTV or digital camera, and much more. This past weekend she talked about how to bank online securely, and places to never use your debit card.

Ron Bennington: Entertainment Interviewer Extraordinaire

Celebrity interviewers are a dime a dozen. But, not many do it well. Many do not truly listen to the responses of the person they are interviewing. So many interviewers are only thinking about what their next question will be. Johnny Carson was a top notch interviewer since he really listened and would not go by his notes, rather he would let his next question come from the response to the previous question.

Ron Bennington from Sirius/XM is one of the best celebrity interviewers working today. He does not get the attention he deserves. Satellite radio is not heard by that many people, so many do not hear Bennington's interviews. But, luckily they can be heard for free online. He hosts "The Ron and Fez Show" on Sirius/XM's "Raw Dog" channel. He also has a show called "Ron Bennington Interviews". He talks with various actors, musicians, directors, and others from the world of entertainment. He has talked with people like Willem DaFoe, Oliver Stone, John Lithgow, Jessica Lange, Mayim Bialik, Robert Randolph and many more. His other show is called "Unmasked". That show is dedicated to talking with comedians. He has chatted with comics such as Todd Barry, David Steinberg, Jane Lynch, Tim Conway, Lisa Kudrow and many more. You can listen to these interviews here.

Ron does a fantastic job with these interviews since he is passionate about movies, TV, music and all things entertainment. He knows how to talk to comedians since he is a former comedian himself. He owned a comedy club in the 1980's in Clearwater, Florida. He has worked in radio for almost 30 years, first as the co-host of Tampa, Florida's "Ron and Ron Show" with Ron Diaz. In Florida he met Fez Whatley and they have worked together in Florida, Washington D.C. and at their current gig in New York City. Find out about "The Ron and Fez Show" at this link.

New Media Presents Challenges for Old Media

These days, so many people get a lot of their information via the internet. When I was in college in the late 1980s/early 1990s, things were much different. In college I did not know anyone who had a computer in their dorm room. No one had a cell phone or an mp3 player. None of us had heard of Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google or blogs. My term papers were typed on an ancient device called a typewriter.

The past 15 years or so have been challenging for media outlets. TV stations, radio stations and newspapers have experienced shrinking customer base which leads to less advertising revenue. People figure, why buy a newspaper when I can get information free via my computer? Why listen to the radio when I can get free pod casts and download songs to an mp3 player? People can watch full length TV programs on the internet as long as they have a fast connection, so traditional broadcast TV stations have fewer viewers than they used to. Yes, broadcast TV has had competition from people renting movies, watching cable stations and doing other recreational activities like playing video games. But the internet has been a fierce competitor that changes people's habits concerning how they get entertainment. If you have been in a movie theatre lately, many of them seem to have few customers since people watch movies at home and download films legally (and illegally). Newspapers, radio stations and TV stations seem to be putting more of an emphasis on their online presence which only makes sense.

With a blog like this one, I can put my ideas into a format that is free. It can be distributed widely or selectively. No wonder that we see some news sources like The Huffington Post that is 100% online. No need to purchase printing presses, paper and ink, just put it online. Adam Carolla has a very successful pod cast that many people enjoy. He does not need to have a broadcast transmitter and all the equipment like a radio station does. A person can make a video with a $100 video camera and upload it to you tube for free. Times are changing so quickly, it is amazing to see what has happened, especially since about 2000.

Is the explosion of the internet good or bad for society? That is not easy to answer, and it is up to the individual to evaluate that. The internet has created many jobs, but it has caused many to lose jobs as well. There's no use in fighting about it since we can't go back, only forward. When society went from using the horse and buggy for transportation to the "horseless carriage" or automobile, many were put out of work in that transition too, such as blacksmiths and buggy makers. But, on the other hand, the auto industry created millions of jobs. The only constant in life is change.

Ron and Fez Show on Sirius/XM

My favorite show on satellite radio is the Ron and Fez show. It is on XM 202 and Sirius 197 from noon to 3 pm weekdays. Ron Bennington and Fez Whatley have worked in Tampa, Florida and Washington, DC before coming to New York City. Ron used to be a stand up comedian and he owned a comedy club in Florida. They have many sidekicks and recurring characters on the show such as producers Earl Douglas and David "East Side Dave" McDonald. The show takes a humourous look at what's going on in the world of sports, entertainment, politics, or anything else that is on their minds. Ron is an outstanding interviewer and he hosts an XM show called Unmasked where he talks with comedians about their influences, their style of comedy, and the like. Fez has an odd view of the world and many phobias which he is not afraid to share with listeners. Fez grew up in Florida, and Ron was raised in Philadelphia where he was childhood friends with "Don Vito" Margera from the show Viva La Bam. Above I posted a photo from week 12 of the battle of the beards between Dave and Fez, with Fez on the left.