Rock Radio Ebbs, Talk Radio Flows

Reuters points out that Infinity is changing the format of some of the stations that carried Howard Stern after his 12/16 departure.  The new formats will either by personality-driven programming or Jack.  One by-product is that, come January 3rd, New York City will not have a single rock station.  I think this is a harbinger of things to come.   The quote in the article says it all:

"What Infinity is signaling is that a combination of celebrity talk and comedy appeals to its target market more than music in general and rock in particular," says Barry Sosnick, consultant and president of Earful.info. "When you have Infinity, a major player in broadcasting, indicating that music isn't a powerful draw for listeners, (that is) the most frightening implication."

It's frightenting for certain labels that depend on these outlets for promotion but will be a positive for websites, satellite and streaming radio stations that can cater to the music fans that will now seek music elsewhere.   I think I first heard Dave Goldberg say that he thinks music will migrate off of FM radio, in favor of talk.   I agree.  As other media, especially satellite and IP-enabled radio continue to proliferate and ofter many more options for the consumption of music, listeners will migrate.  This does not mean the death of terrestrial radio.  They are great at changing formats to satisfy the changing taste of the consumer.  And so they'll provide more talk-based programming that will appeal to a wider audience.  The medium is the message, and all that jazz.