Breaking Up Large Radio Groups

I actually think breaking up large radio groups would be a bad idea. I love when I listen to the radio and affiliates from other stations across the country tune in with their two cents. In this case I think the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a good thing. “It eliminated previous station ownership limits. For radio there are no national limits, and local ownership caps increase with market size” (186).

I also think that keeping large radio groups together would help save money, because when they wanted to purchase the rights to a song or syndication, they would most likely get a cheaper deal for many stations across the nation.

Others would disagree because people would argue that there is not enough diversity on the radio. If it went national, what people in New York were listening to, people in Texas would be listening to. They would lose their culture identity and thus their diversity. According to the text, if there is not enough diversity on the radio for you, you can visit the website: http://www.freepress.net/.

Personally I am happy with my radio experience and there is very little which I would change.
“Fewer radio stations owners than ever are local residents of the area their stations serve, which presumably limits their ability to understand local interest. Fewer owners are minorities or female. Fewer stations are programmed locally because group owners often supply programming from a central source. The local stations are automated and play just the prerecorded programming” (182). That statement saddens me. What does this mean for local radio jobs?