ABRockNJock wrote:

"That's one of the things that's long gone. The lack of TV commercials for Chicago radio stations."

TV commercials for radio stations are no longer effective because no one is watching. The networks are suffering from low ratings. Streaming has taken over.

The commercials themselves are **boring!** A bunch of album or CD covers along with a montage of music from said artists. Yawn. "This is ______fill in the radio station>>>>music." It's cheap. A bunch of selected snippets of songs to demonstrate what you will hear if you stick with the station. Think of a bunch of appetizers without the main course in a restaurant.

Today, social media is where you will find activity with radio stations. Facebook pages are maintained and announcements are usually found on that platform before it reaches the air.

The days of radio bumper stickers, bus signs, billboards and TV ads are either long gone or soon to be.

Why call a radio station to hear a song? Really. Most songs can be heard on YouTube, satellite and other platforms. Why wait 30 minutes or longer to hear your song when it can be accessed within a minute?

What I'm reading are notes from listeners who miss radio from 1985. Lots of contests, requests, music surveys, specialty weekends and more. This could be the case in much smaller markets. As for major markets, it's not likely. If it is, I would file it under seldom.

A Classic Hits station may count back the Top 500 songs on the July 4th holiday.

Music is tested within an inch of its life. There have been rock stations in major cities who played the top cuts from the most popular albums. Think lots of repetition. The second cut from a hit album is released and that track is burned to a crisp.

I was listening to talk radio from another state recently and a mother called in from her car. Her 11-year-old son was with her, and the host spoke to him. He asked the lad if he listened to WXYZ station. (Made up call letters.) The kid went silent. The host said on his air, many 11-year-olds aren't listening to the radio. He isn't the only one these days.