Could radio and newspapers save each other?
There is no denying the fact that both terrestrial radio (and probably satellite as well) and the newspaper industry are facing some dire times as they try to find their way in this new media world. A lot of talk has been floating around lately about the online versions of newspapers moving to a paywall subscription type of thing. As well you have the Associated Press seriously thinking of committing hari kari by killing off links and quoting unless you pay for it.
Radio on the other hand is facing a growing pressure from the entertainment industry to change the rules of the game and as a result make playing music on the radio prohibitively expensive. Satellite radio may not survive just out of plain economics and the rapidly changing technology of the web.
With this as the backdrop it was rather interesting to read Doc Searls this morning where he was talking about the conversation that had developed around his earlier post that talked about the sale of WQXR radio station to WNTC, a public radio station in New York. One of the points Doc made was that for much of history of both industries newspapers owned radio stations. This all changed however when the FCC changed the regulations and prohibited that kind of ownership.
That however was back in a time when both industries were more the most part in their golden era as businesses. The idea was that it was wrong to let one buy out the other and as a result consolidate all the news distribution. It was felt that if such a consolidation of news providers did happen it would be detrimental to the public as there would be less choice of where we got our news, and to a certain extent – entertainment in general as well.
But a lot has changed since those FCC regulations were created. The Internet didn’t even exist let alone the growing number of ways that we can get our news. In this new media world those old regulations could actually turn out to be one of the nails in the coffin of old media.
Competition for news delivery to the public is like it has never been before. It is that very competition that is the biggest threat to traditional news distribution like newspapers and radio. It is also the same competition that if they were allowed to merge could see radio and newspapers turn into a smaller better combination of previously separate dinosaurs.
It’s not like it hasn’t happened in the past as Sean Reiser commented on one of Doc’s posts
One of the unique things about the QXR was it’s relationship with the Times. The Times owned QXR before the FCC regulations prohibiting newspapers ownership of a radio station were enacted. Because of this relationship, QXR’s newsroom was located in the NY Times building and news gathering resources were shared. In a precursor to newspaper reporters doing podcasts, Times columnists and arts reporters would often appear on the air doing segments.
There is no reason why something like this couldn’t happen again and who knows maybe it would be the best thing to happen to both of those dying industries.
