With apologies to Mark Twain, the reports of radio's death have been greatly exaggerated. As Steve Lohr in his recent New York Times piece points out, "evolution - not extinction - has always been the primary rule of media ecology." The predictions of demise are growing. The web is dead, phone calls, e-mail, blogs, Facebook - last rites given - all are dead. Really? What happened to the prediction that television would bury radio and movies? Lohr points out that it's the impact of the accelerated pace of change and accumulated innovations in the internet-era media that create those rumors. Those starting the death rumors can't comprehend what's happening quickly enough to keep up with them - no less accept them. "Change has changed qualitatively" says Janet Sternberg, an assistant professor at Fordham University and president of the Media Ecology Association, a research organization...
"Radio is a supple and durable technology that has outlived quite a few predictions of its demise," says John Staudenmaier, editor of the journal Technology and Culture, who regards podcasts as the long-lived medium's latest incarnation. "It's the country cousin of radio, still the transmission of audio only." Another timely quote comes from Paul Saffo, a visiting scholar at Stanford University who specializes in technology's effect on society: "We're experiencing the biggest media petri dish in four centuries." ...
So go with it, or go away. I don't want to hear any more predictions about the death of anything because history tells us not to believe them. There's a time for dying for all things but don't believe it's happened until you see a death certificate. You won't find one for radio...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1949] NBC Radio debuts: "Father Knows Best". The show moves to TV in 1954...
2.1952] No-no x 2: Tiger righthander Virgil Trucks becomes only the 3rd pitcher in major league history to throw 2 no-hitters in the same season with a 1-0 shutout of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium (strangely enough, Trucks will finish the season with a 5-19 record for the lowly Tigers)...
3.1960] One is the loneliest number: The AFL in their inaugural season decide to place the names of the players on the back of their uniforms...
4.1984] "Happy Trails": Truman Capote dies of liver disease at 59 at the home of friend and former wife of Johnny Carson, Joanne Carson...
5.1985] Too young to vote: The Mets' Dwight "Doc" Gooden at 20 becomes the youngest pitcher to win 20 games (Doc will finish the season at 24-4)...
6.1991] Emmy Gold: "Cheers" and "LA Law" are the big winners at the 43rd Emmy Awards...
7.1993] Sheik your booty: Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman is indicted by a federal grand jury for terrorist activities, one of which was the 1st World Trade Center bombing...
8.1994] In the drink: Jimmy Buffett's plane flips over after taking off from the Nantucket airport. Buffet will swim to safety (and then proceeds to get 'wasted away again in Margaritaville')...
9.2001] Rock & Roll tragedy: 22-year old Latina singer Aaliyah and 8 others are killed when their plane crashes in Marsh Harbor in the Abacos Islands of northern Bahamas (the overloaded plane appeared to have engine trouble)...
10.2009] Teddy departs: Edward M. Kennedy dies of brain cancer at his home in Hyannis Port. Teddy was 77 at the time of his death...
Music Memories:
•1973] Released on this date: "Ramblin' Man" - Allman Brothers...1975] "Born To Run" LP - Bruce Springsteen...1976] "Boston" LP...1979] "Cars" - Gary Numan...1986] "Graceland" LP - Paul Simon...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": Claudia Schiffer (40), Rachael Ray (42), Billy Ray Cyrus (49), Elvis Costello (56), Gene Simmons (61), Tom Skerritt (77), Regis Philbin (79), Sean Connery (80) & Monty Hall (89)...
Timeline Countdown: 12 days until Labor Day, 15 days until the NFL opener (Minn. @ New Orleans) & 29 days until autumn arrives...
