Re(2): Thinking About Buying A New Car? Posted on December 20, 2025 at 07:04:45 PM by megatrend observer
Start complaining instead about corporate radio. Jim's convinced that rman's the only one who trashes them. Dunno why, I'm not sure he's ever worked for a corporation other than KFDI in Wichita, and they probably sold to a big chain decades ago. I got out before the FCC opened ownership up to investors so the only one I worked for was Storz and they were so corporate, even the local GM here in KC shook in his boots when Armstrong came to town. That was 50 years ago! And they sold WHB to a sports outfit, but when I left they were getting slammed by the SuperQ and there was nothing they could do about that, being a blowtorch at 710 AM. First FM I heard was KBEQ, or was it KXTR playing classical...I knew AM was in trouble then because stereo sounded so good. I left to go back to doodah, and was the ND/morning newsman/str8man for a really talented jock at an AM rocker.
News disappeared and KEYN was eating KLEO's lunch because it too was FM. I actually hired Tracy Jo from Garden City and she made quite a name for herself in Wichita after I'd moved to TV news and quit listening to radio althgether. Radio news died when Reagan rolled over for big media investors and degregulated radio of news and public affairs promises as well as the Fairness Doctrine. AS ND I had to do all that ascertainment survey paperwork for license renewals. But that ended with Reagan's administration and radio's been a music machine ever since. I think most of Wichita's radio companies are owned by the same half dozen that own Kansas City's. I got out of radio just as it was being taken over, and did the same thing, ending my TV career when all the local stations sold to conglomerates as well. Nothing live and local survived radio or TV right about when the century turned 25 years ago.
NOw another major megatrend. The TV networks ABC/CBS/NBC and Fox have also thrown in the fire and have been bought up by entertainment corporations. ABC just does Tabloid TV after being bought by Disney. NBC's owned by a cable conglomerate (and they spun off MSNBC and CNBC) and CBS was bought by Paramount. Now its shark attacks, planecrashes, and storm damage on all 3 networks, using ABC's ratings capturing playbook. Instead of covering the news, they just cover THEMSELVES covering the news. The golden age has passed as we oldsters have as well.
So news as a craft is now gone too. Won't be long before Democracy collapses as well. Its no coincidence the Republicans took over the government just as they took over the media. Anybody still in the media today, they wont' be saving the nation, they're just hired help.