After 20 years of listening to talk radio, not to mention that minor "economist" thing I do, nothing surprises me anymore, nothing is new, and thus for intellectual pursuit I go elsewhere.This rings true, as does the rest of his analysis. Go check it out.
While that may be my particular case, that does not mean it holds for others. Sure, younger people coming into the world of adulthood tune in. Young college boys, disillusioned why women hate them, why their professors hate them, and why they can't find jobs, start to find an explanation why the world isn't turning out they way their high school teachers said it would in right wing talk radio. Young women who can't find a decent date might listen to Dennis Prager. But after 5 years the "treatment" of talk radio runs its course much like an anti-biotic treatment - it ends. It does no more good.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Home truth
Aaron "Captain Capitalism" Clarey, on the market failure of talk radio:
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5 comments:
His description of the life-cycle of a TR listener certainly rings true with me. It feels smart for a while, it makes you feel good to hear what you're thinking articulated back to you (probably better or at least more entertainingly than you can probably do yourself) and then...one day you realize you've heard all they have to say, and you're spending 40% of the time listening to commercials for Sleep Number beds.
And I think that arc applies to pretty much everyone in (at least commercial) radio, regardless of their political leanings.
There's a universe of podcasts covering every conceivable area of interest, now: culture (high and low), comedy, story telling, history, science, and if you must, politics, which can be had sans polemics or with as much as you like.
I don't know why anyone bothers with AM radio anymore.
Since getting an iPhone I've switched from AM sports and politics to lectures on church history. Much more interesting. And the great thing is that when I'm done with that I'll have other podcasts downloaded and lined up.
The reason I switched, other than just having the capability, is that I didn't want to think about FAIL anymore. I don't want to spend my life immersed in it.
what Brian said i could have said. totally.
I walk to and from work most days (about 25 minutes each way) and I try to give the dog at least half an hour most evenings, so that's a good 12 hours or so a week I get to spend alone with earbuds (or my thoughts, which I also do) and I NEVER run out of stuff to listen to.
Excuse me, 8 hours. Pre-coffee math is bad.
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