"Big radio makes a grab for Internet listeners"... or does it?

A big story on the front page of the Arts section of The New York Times last week said:

"After ceding ground (and potential advertising dollars) for years to an army of autonomous Internet radio stations, some of which are run from basements and spare bedrooms, the nation’s biggest broadcasters are now marching online, determined to corral the next generation of listeners."

But the details in the story didn't support its thesis.

On the one side of the equation are the "autonomous" Internet radio stations: Last FM (which CBS -- the corporation, not its radio division -- paid $280 million to acquire late last month), other venture capital-funded operations with thousands or even millions of channels like Live365 and Pandora, and smaller entrepreneurial operations like Soma FM (11 channels of hip genres likeAmericana and spy movie soundtracks) and BAGeL Radio (indie rock).

Meanwhile, on the other side, we have the terrestrial radio groups. The article says that for broadcasters, "the bigger focus is on developing features that can be rapidly promoted using the chains’ mass and reach."

What does that mean? Live chat rooms. Blogs. Giving away prizes in those chat rooms. Sending out text messages before a requested song plays on their FM station. For Clear Channel, building "miniature social networks" into eight of their stations' websites and "letting fans choose to hear songs posted by unsigned or other emerging artists."

Do you see the difference? The radio broadcasters aren't offering radio programming! They're "marching online," yes, but to what end? To offer chat rooms!

Elsewhere in his piece, the writer observes, "The trick for the big radio corporations, though, is that pursuing listeners online may mean developing a wholly different approach to programming."

Could you go on? "Many Internet-based stations say their medium allows them to offer an abundance of genres far outside the boundaries of traditional over-the-air music stations, often with playlists that can be tailored to the taste of the individual listener."

The writer concludes, "The result may be a showdown to define the future of the medium." True that.

But right now, when it comes to actual programming and content, the real score to date in this exciting showdown to define the future is pretty much Internet-only properties All, radio groups None.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/arts/music/12RADIO.html?ref=music

or, in case that link gets disabled,
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=167447