After eventually joining the work force, if the first option proves unsuccessful, a person must seek other directions to fulfill a need. But this time, being older and more acquainted with the vicissitudes of unpredictable working conditions, a second search involves examining many fields with the benefit of personal work experience. Luckily, a search for a second career wasn't required, thanks to my intense interest in radio. Naturally, when one devotes one's efforts to the betterment of the industry, it is of concern when adverse conditions are introduced by those without a sense of history or dedication to the foundation upon which a public service effort is based. In 1996 Congress enacted laws disregarding the public interest and opened the door to the biggies with billions of bucks to amass massive broadcast entities.
Today there are less stringent rules limiting the number of stations a corporation can control.
News items have listed the enormous amounts the hungry moguls are paying for the narrowing of our entertainment choices. Congress is to blame as, when money talks, Congress is all ears. Stations that formerly earned our loyalty have lost identity, being morphed into conglomerates of bean counters while broadcasting's hierarchy is obsessed with pinching the pennies that once provided good programming and good will. Check any home and you will probably find a surfing sofa spud, remote control in hand, commanding the perfect launching spot for an infinite number of retaliatory missiles. As in other takeovers, with a resultant downsizing, broadcasting's creative staffs are becoming anonymous blips on the radar of history.