The Infinite Dial

Between an ailing Dad and terrible weather, I spent an inordinate amount of time watching television this holiday period -- especially sports.

One thing that was immediately apparent was that Sirius/XM had bought complete saturation coverage of sports (and also some entertainment shows) over the holidays. And well after Christmas, the spots were still coming. You know, this one with Howard Stern joining the pantheon with Elvis, Michael Jordan, and Richard Pryor:

As I kept seeing these ads over and over it occurred to me just how long it has been since I have seen a single radio spot in New York or anywhere else. While I see the stray billboard here and there (mostly when the boards are owned by the same parent company as the radio station), I would venture the guess that advertising expenditures by US Radio stations in 2009 were at most 5% of what they were in whatever their peak year was (just guessing again -- 1999?).

Kind of like having a child, advertising is an optimistic act. You advertise because you believe it will move your product, because you think it has a future, because you are prepared to make a bet on that future.

As the US 'terrestrial' radio industry has retreated from any 'external marketing' it is not just failing to remind people to listen. It is sending a quiet message about its future. If Sirius XM can afford to advertise (Sirius XM! -- the company that 'terrestrial radio' was cheering the demise of just recently) then surely America's radio stations can find some free cash to promote themselves. They have to remember they aren't just promoting this station or that, they are promoting an entire medium.