Theresa, I believe you’re wrong in your assessment. It’s not necessarily that not enough people listen to traditional country; it’s that the wrong people do. Advertisers want to reach young suburban women. They will pay in the order of twice as much per minute of advertising time if they know they’re reaching their preferred demographic. The four major radio conglomerates want to maximize their earnings, so they’ll program their stations with this target in mind.<SMALL>If Gaylord isn't making money and people aren't watching who do we blame?</SMALL>
The problem, IMHO, is that the media industry has become oligopolistic. This has happened because the federal government reduced the limits on how many broadcasting licenses one entity could own. Four companies now control the huge majority of them. The demand for licenses is still great, but the market has been cornered. Hence the cost of a broadcasting license in a major metropolitan area has become prohibitive for all but the large corporations.
What bothers me about this is that the airwaves are public property—you and I own them. But the politicians let them be gathered up by a precious few. Do you think any pockets got lined? It’s nice that young suburban women get entertained, but what about the rest of the public?
Joe<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joe Miraglia on 24 January 2003 at 03:06 PM.]</p></FONT>