Local radio takes another hit.  Let me say that it was just a matter of time.

Local radio stations are becoming less owned by local broadcasters being replaced by spreadsheet dominated corporations.  I have in my career worked for small market radio stations.  The first reminded me a bit of WKRP in Cincinnati.  Great people and a best first station to work.  But financial pressures of a shrinking local advertiser market caused the station to go dark (the term for going off the air and going out of business.) The next station was two signals, AM and FM.  The owner when I worked was a radio person who bought under performing stations and made them more profitable.  He sold the station to a conglomerate and eventually the FM station became a format and the AM eventually went dark and became a Walgreen store.  The third set of stations I worked still have small ownership groups and seem to be thriving and local.

Iheart Radio which also has a large presence in the podcasting business has decided to pull resources from the radio side.  It is true that radio is seeing a bit of stress and possibly a contraction.  However, this is a different type of contraction.

Iheart started regionalizing programming.  It was very evident in Iowa where the last nail in local programming for WOC Davenport came when the Morning show was simulcasted with WMT Cedar Rapids and also and the afternoon shows for WOC and WMT simulcast with WHO Des Moines. Unfortunately that was not enough for Iheart as they have tanked the morning simulcast.  The WMT morning show is where I was introduced to the likes of Megan Gufstason, Caitlin Clark then the WNBA.  It won’t be the same.

I make this suggestion.  If you are going to do a podcast, stay away from Iheart media.  Use Rumble or YouTube or your own hosting. It is time to hammer Iheart with their spreadsheet mentality.  Iheart are not broadcasters and they will kill pod-casters next.  If Iheart kills radio, create local programming through the alternative routes.

The internet has many locals creating local newspaper equivalents and through open source software anyone can do a local podcast for free.  It is time for the entrepreneurial spirit to shine!!

Up yours Iheart!