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Your Week — Daily event picks
What Radio Means to San Diegans Today
This assessment of what radio has become is right on the money. The beginning of this decline happened the day radio became about the bottom line and no longer about the roar of the crowd. What the Internet provides and what radio has lost is simple: freedom. When radio was king, the maestros of the airwaves had the freedom to communicate without time limits, and touch listeners, each in their own special way. Strict playlists, rigid formats, and people who were not “born to broadcast” are what have suffocated this precious medium. Yes, delivery system has changed, but the magic of communicating and entertaining has not. Produce it and they will listen. I truly believe that people would listen on crystal radios (Ask your grandparents what that is.) if what they found when they got there was exciting enough. Radio as we knew it is not dead, it’s just not compelling. I applaud David Tanny for his insight and if there are any broadcasters willing to listen, I have an idea. Sonny Melendrez www.SonnyRadio.com— January 12, 2009 10:28 a.m.