# Why do FM music stations still exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413 "2017-03-17T15:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/101 "2017-03-21T05:48:34Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I don’t any more. I took the liberty of describing my attitude from a prior disposition, which would still be my prevailing attitude under the circumstances. You used the present tense. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/102 "2017-03-21T05:57:17Z")
I agree that OP’ s assumption is wrong, and also radio stations help introduce songs and artists to a large extent. It’s like saying why do television channels exist when people can watch Netflix or YouTube? Radio has always existed in tandem along with cassettes, CDs, YouTube, MP3, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/103 "2017-03-21T10:25:00Z")
**[[Moderating]** **Larry Borgia** , drop it. Whether **jtur88** is or is not blind, or is or is not currently driving, is irrelevant to this thread. If you have a problem with him, take it up in the Pit, not here. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/104 "2017-03-21T13:17:52Z")
Like the OP, I am baffled. Tellings us that they “make money” doesn’t mean anything. That’s not a _reason_ to continue existing. It ducks the root question: where is this money coming from? I don’t get it. (It’s like answering a question about how all those little phone stores stay in business. Sure, they’re making money. But _how_??? The economics don’t seem to be there.) > [@Nema98](#): > > I agree that OP’ s assumption is wrong, and also radio stations help introduce songs and artists to a large extent. It’s like saying why do television channels exist when people can watch Netflix or YouTube? Radio has always existed in tandem along with cassettes, CDs, YouTube, MP3, etc. I don’t listen to radio. I have a tiny microSD card plugged into my car stereo. I have an iPod. I also have a portable “radio” that plays mp3s off a microSD card for when I’m working around the house/yard. And I’m an old dude. The young people I know are listening to stuff off their smartphones all the time. Even many of the NPR fans stream it thru their phones. They don’t hear about new songs via radio. _Gangnam Style_ and _Thrift Shop_ didn’t make it to to the charts thanks to radio. (Despite the charts, still, being too radio oriented for some stupid reason.) Traffic updates? Weather? Last night’s scores? Phone people don’t tune to radio for those. (And when I commuted I found traffic reports completely useless.) AFAICT, the main “audience” are businesses playing music for their employees/visitors. Is that really enough to keep things alive? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/105 "2017-03-21T14:17:21Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > AFAICT, the main “audience” are businesses playing music for their employees/visitors. Is that really enough to keep things alive? I think you grossly underestimate the number of people who listen to FM radio in their cars or at home. From here: [http://www.newsgeneration.com/broadcast-resources/radio-facts-and-figures/](http://www.newsgeneration.com/broadcast-resources/radio-facts-and-figures/) Millennials (those born between 1980 and 1996): - More than 66.5 million Millennials use radio each week (52% male; 48% female) - 92% of Millennials are reached weekly by radio - Almost 12 hours spent with radio each week Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1979): - Nearly 58 million Gen Xers use radio each week (53% male; 47% female) - 95% of Generation X reached weekly by radio - More than 13.5 hours spent with radio each week - Nearly 75% of Generation X listeners work full-time Boomers (those born between 1950 and 1964): - 58 million Boomers listen to radio each week (54% male; 46% female) - 94% of Boomers reached weekly by radio - Boomers spend the most time with radio each week, with an average of over 15 hours ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/106 "2017-03-21T14:29:37Z")
Hell, my wife (towards the end of the Gen X range) a couple years ago asked for an actual terrestrial radio for a Christmas present. People still listen to them, and companies still make them. I always have it on in the car. At home, I tend to stream local FM through Alexa/Amazon Echo Dot. I can’t think of anyone I know who does not listen to FM radio. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/107 "2017-03-21T15:42:19Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Like the OP, I am baffled. Tellings us that they “make money” doesn’t mean anything. That’s not a _reason_ to continue existing. It ducks the root question: where is this money coming from? I don’t get it. (It’s like answering a question about how all those little phone stores stay in business. Sure, they’re making money. But _how_??? The economics don’t seem to be there.) > > I don’t listen to radio. I have a tiny microSD card plugged into my car stereo. I have an iPod. I also have a portable “radio” that plays mp3s off a microSD card for when I’m working around the house/yard. And I’m an old dude. > > The young people I know are listening to stuff off their smartphones all the time. Even many of the NPR fans stream it thru their phones. They don’t hear about new songs via radio. _Gangnam Style_ and _Thrift Shop_ didn’t make it to to the charts thanks to radio. (Despite the charts, still, being too radio oriented for some stupid reason.) > > Traffic updates? Weather? Last night’s scores? Phone people don’t tune to radio for those. (And when I commuted I found traffic reports completely useless.) > > AFAICT, the main “audience” are businesses playing music for their employees/visitors. Is that really enough to keep things alive? you, like several other people in this thread, are making the mistake of assuming your own experiences and preferences are the norm for everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/108 "2017-03-21T16:18:18Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > where is this money coming from? I don’t get it. All those commercials that play two, three, four times an hour or more? They’re paid for. It’s all about ad revenue. That’s how radio stations started. Not for music, or news/talk/sports, but to sell ads. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/109 "2017-03-21T16:23:35Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you, like several other people in this thread, are making the mistake of assuming your own experiences and preferences are the norm for everyone else. But I know people. And especially among young people (some NPR listening exceptions aside) radio is right up there with wristwatches, landlines and Discmans. And if old people like us are rid of radio, then who are these people and where are they hiding? I just don’t see it. I hear people driving around in cars all the time with the music turned up way loud. Never hear a commercial coming from those cars. And on and on. I think the numbers about “reaching” certain groups are stretching things and then some. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/110 "2017-03-21T16:41:47Z")
All Things Considered ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/111 "2017-03-21T16:51:45Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > But I know people. And especially among young people (some NPR listening exceptions aside) radio is right up there with wristwatches, landlines and Discmans. And if old people like us are rid of radio, then who are these people and where are they hiding? I just don’t see it. > > I hear people driving around in cars all the time with the music turned up way loud. Never hear a commercial coming from those cars. > > And on and on. > > I think the numbers about “reaching” certain groups are stretching things and then some. in a country of 320 million people, you know approximately 0% of them. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/112 "2017-03-21T16:53:53Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > But I know people. And especially among young people (some NPR listening exceptions aside) radio is right up there with wristwatches, landlines and Discmans. And if old people like us are rid of radio, then who are these people and where are they hiding? I just don’t see it. > > I hear people driving around in cars all the time with the music turned up way loud. Never hear a commercial coming from those cars. > > And on and on. > > I think the numbers about “reaching” certain groups are stretching things and then some. I know people too. The best people… I find it really hard to fathom why “young” people wouldn’t turn on a radio when they get in a car. Especially in large metro areas. I agree that the people who inflict their music on passers by are usually playing their own music, but that has nothing to do with radio. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/113 "2017-03-21T17:31:12Z")
I listen to FM radio every single day. At least half the people I know listen mainly to FM in their car. So there’s the counter anecdote. The FM audience is mostly GenX and older, which is exactly who most advertisers are targeting. So I think FM radio as we know it will be around for a little while longer. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/114 "2017-03-21T17:53:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What better way to hear a wide variety of new artists and songs for free, so you know what music to get later? > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Bingo. If I wanted to listen over and over again to the same stuff I’ve been listening to for the past fifty years, I wouldn’t need a radio. But I really like hearing good new music, and I tend to do this while driving because it’s a good time to listen to music. And since there are a couple of good stations I can listen to, I don’t feel the need to pay for Sirius. Y’all are pulling my leg, right? Variety? New music? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/115 "2017-03-21T19:18:45Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > That’s interesting. If listenership is stable, why is it so hard to sell radio ads? > > I would imagine certain radio formats will die off more quickly than others. Alternative rock is already diminishing on the FM dial. Any format that skews young seems more likely to have their listeners find other sources. I think you may have answered your own question. Many companies see the millennial generation as the group that they now need to aim advertising to, and they see this group slanting heavily towards digital based media sources. If the music format a station is playing doesn’t cater to this demographic, it is hurt more, but traditional media is viewed as a sinking ship in many ways, it’s just how fast are you taking on water compared to your competitors. We are becoming more and more a “choose your news” culture, and the same goes for music. Why be subjected to listening to 5 songs you kind of like, 3 songs you don’t like, and a bunch of commercials, to hear 2 songs that you love, when you can go to your own playlist, spotify, pandora, or youtube, and listen to just what you love, and be able to skip what you don’t, with a minimum of commercials? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/116 "2017-03-21T19:23:05Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Y’all are pulling my leg, right? Variety? New music? 😕 All the time. This is how I hear music I’ve never heard before by people I’ve never listened to before. It’s what gets me interested in hearing more music by the same people. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/117 "2017-03-21T19:34:10Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > IIf the music format a station is playing doesn’t cater to this demographic, it is hurt more, but traditional media is viewed as a sinking ship in many ways, it’s just how fast are you taking on water compared to your competitors. Aye, and this isn’t just a radio phenomenon, as you likely realize; it’s happening to nearly all traditional media. Newspapers, magazines, and television (both broadcast and cable networks) have all been seeing audience losses. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/118 "2017-03-21T19:35:58Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Y’all are pulling my leg, right? Variety? New music? 😕 Yes, if you pick the right stations. Again, look down on the left end of your radio dial. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/119 "2017-03-21T20:22:04Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > But I know people. And especially among young people (some NPR listening exceptions aside) radio is right up there with wristwatches, landlines and Discmans. And if old people like us are rid of radio, then who are these people and where are they hiding? I just don’t see it. > > I hear people driving around in cars all the time with the music turned up way loud. Never hear a commercial coming from those cars. > > And on and on. > > I think the numbers about “reaching” certain groups are stretching things and then some. Hey, I still wear a wristwatch every day. And I still have a landline. In a country this big, we’re out there even if you don’t see us. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413/120 "2017-03-21T21:23:26Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > I think you may have answered your own question.\*\* Many companies see the millennial generation as the group that they now need to aim advertising to\*\*, and they see this group slanting heavily towards digital based media sources. If the music format a station is playing doesn’t cater to this demographic, it is hurt more, but traditional media is viewed as a sinking ship in many ways, it’s just how fast are you taking on water compared to your competitors. > > We are becoming more and more a “choose your news” culture, and the same goes for music. Why be subjected to listening to 5 songs you kind of like, 3 songs you don’t like, and a bunch of commercials, to hear 2 songs that you love, when you can go to your own playlist, spotify, pandora, or youtube, and listen to just what you love, and be able to skip what you don’t, with a minimum of commercials? (Bolding mine) Really? Why? I suppose it depends on the product, but everything I’ve heard about radio ads is they want to target GenX and older. The ads you hear are mostly for car dealers, insurance, contractors, law firms, not stuff millennials are buying. Using my own example of alternative rock, I think in my area we’re down to one such station. And it’s an independent station. All the mega I Heart stations are classic rock, oldies, top 40 or talk. And the top 40 morning shows are definitely geared toward an older crowd. And if that demo listenership is stable, I don’t understand why ads are getting more difficult to sell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-fm-music-stations-still-exist/782413.md?page=7)