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>nowawadays you can just get all of that information off your smart-phone Nowadays you can get all of that information off you smart-phone, but what about peop

>nowawadays you can just get all of that information off your smart-phone Nowadays you can get all of that information off you smart-phone, but what about people that have no Internet access, no cable, no smart phone, and no regular access to any information services other than broadcast media due to cost? I have an aunt (by marriage) that can't afford a computer, can't afford a cell phone beyond a very basic feature phone, can't afford mobile data, couldn't afford the Internet even if she had a computer, and certainly can't afford a newspaper subscription. She listens to the local radio station for her small town to keep informed about what is going on, and occasionally goes to the local library to check her email to talk to her nieces and nephews who seem to be calling less and less lately because "everybody has a smartphone and Aunt Connie can see what they're doing on Facebook". There is a significant section of the population that relies on broadcast media to get information about their community. The fact that you do not does not mean that locally-owned, locally-focused broadcasters are a waste.

Johnny555 7y ago
There is a significant section of the population that relies on broadcast media to get information about their community. The fact that you do not does not mean that locally-owned, locally-focused broadcasters are a waste. I never said they were a waste, I just pointed out that they (like newspapers) are much less relevant to most people than they used to be, which is why they are dying and getting bought up. The low-income people that can't afford a cell phone or home internet, are not the kind of listeners than can support an advertising supported radio station. One solution could be for the government to subsidize local broadcast stations, though I think a better solution would be to subsidize internet access (or even smart phones) because those without internet connectivity miss out on a lot more than the highschool football scores, and no subsidized radio station will improve that.

Johnny555 7y ago

There is a significant section of the population that relies on broadcast media to get information about their community. The fact that you do not does not mean that locally-owned, locally-focused broadcasters are a waste. I never said they were a waste, I just pointed out that they (like newspapers) are much less relevant to most people than they used to be, which is why they are dying and getting bought up. The low-income people that can't afford a cell phone or home internet, are not the kind of listeners than can support an advertising supported radio station. One solution could be for the government to subsidize local broadcast stations, though I think a better solution would be to subsidize internet access (or even smart phones) because those without internet connectivity miss out on a lot more than the highschool football scores, and no subsidized radio station will improve that.