Which is why I have successfully, an happily, worked in small town radio for the past 40+ years after starting off my career in the "big city". TIB
Seems radio does quite well still. In fact on another forum a forum member looked up the stats and found over the air radio has more audience than TV believe it or not!
But notice in the age groups and the percentage of listeners in the age groups to the various formats it doesn't go higher than 54. Over that and radio doesn't care about you.
That's why I do this hobby. I like radio as I grew up with it and I can have a station(my own) to listen to and hopefully some others find it too. Playing what they won't.
The station where I've been on the air for 32 years has a listenership ranging from high school kids to senior citizens. High school kids come in for interviews on sports and a vast array of other topics, and also high school kids have their own daily (short) program of school news. Our music is "oldies" covering about 1955 to 1979 (no disco, no hard rock) with a regular music library of about 4,000 tunes (about ten times more than the "experts" say you should have in an oldies format) and we rely heavily on local news and sports, and my morning show which is easily 75% myself and my co-host babbling about whatever and playing obscure records. We are VERY tied into the community and have been since 1948. There are hundreds of similar stations all over the country (although likely without the expanded music).
If you're an oldies station, or a classic rock station, you're certainly shooting for the over 54 demographic. It's well established that generally speaking someone's favorite and most remembered music is that of their high school years. If you were into Led Zeppelin in high school, you're in you're 60's today. If you were into the Doors, the Beatles, etc you're likely in you're 70's. If you're a Buddy Holly, Elvis, fan, you're in you're 80's. And of course tons of young people have discovered this music. I know because my daughter and I own and operate a record store, and music of the 50's through 70's is being snapped up by young people like crazy.
Although the articles rarely reflect it there is plenty of radio, both terrestrial and satellite, aimed squarely at the 54+ demographic.
TIB
My era starts at around 1958, I was 8 years old and I started listening to radio younger than many did, and my era starts quite sooner than my high school years, and since the radio played stuff from the past also, 1955 is where I start from. The end of the seventies is where I exit although some of the 80s rock bands I like.
Problem as I understand it is that advertisers want the 18 to 49 year old age group because they are the engines of the economy and are the ones that buy things.
Happy to hear you are having success with "oldies" and with all ages on your station.
I was in a hi fi store a couple of months ago and was talking to the owner and they have a record section too and I asked about sales of turntables and records and to my surprise he said just last week a 16 year old girl was here and had a bunch of Beatles albums with her and was getting a turntable for her birthday. That was good to hear!
Nice to hear this is the case where you are. I should move to somewhere like where you are and set up my station!
But are there many stations like yours in larger cities?
Zoomer radio here in Toronto which you will get where you are at night is a station that goes for the older than 54 but even they are reluctant to play too much before 1965 except in special shows like Friday night bandstand.
Good article. Thanks for sharing. I posted this link on our LPFM FB page.