For those who wade through all of the hype in search of the truth, there have always been ‘alternative facts.’
According to a widely-repeated legend, when it was rumored that Mark Twain had died, one newspaper actually printed his obituary. When Twain was told about this he reportedly quipped: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
Like the premature reports of Twain’s death, every new technology has proclaimed the passing of radio.
In the 1950’s it was television that was going to make radio obsolete. In the sixties, it was 8-track cassettes, and in the 80’s it was C.D.’s that were going to kill radio.
Today, reports of radio’s death are greatly exaggerated. In spite of all the new competitors for consumers’ attention, radio still reaches more people each week than any other media.
A Jacobs Media Tech Survey of more than 51,000 adults, revealed that AM/FM radio was the most important technology sought by those planning to buy or lease a new car in 2017.
In the Buggles’ 1980 pop hit, Video Killed the Radio Star, after repeating that title several times, the song concluded with:
‘In my mind and in my car,
We can’t rewind we’ve gone too far
Oh, you are a radio star
You are a radio star’
Radio has gone too far in our hearts and minds to be displaced by new media. Our phones still light up when our ‘radio stars’ play an on-air contest or invite listeners to engage in a conversation. And there is no better way to deliver your message than via the human voice while your prospects are in insulated from all of the new media hype in the comfort of their own car.