National Hockey League says Stanley Cup Final on radio in Boston

[D. A.]

> > Localism.....and to be aware of what 95% of the rest of
> the population is listening to.
> 
> Localism, yes.  But how many AM or FM stations
> broadcast anything "local" anymore besides traffic reports
> in drive time or an occasional weather report?  Besides
> WBZ?

Plenty.   If it's nothing more than "The Sox won today", "Back Bay is in a blackout", "Wow, an early snowstorm", The Rolling Stones are coming to Fenway"

These are all small mentions, but do a lot to make a connection with people.   

> And why would I care what 95% of the population is listening
> to?  

...Because if you are a "fan" of radio broadcasting (like the original poster said) then you realize that this is BROAD-casting...an effort to connect with as many people as possible and get them to listen for as long as possible.

> I listen to hear music _I_ like, not necessarily
> what the masses like.

There's plenty of ways for you to hear music _you_ like. Pandora, iTunes, SiriusXM, etc.

People tune into the radio to be "connected", that's what radio does best.  Otherwise just turn on your iPod.   

> > Sirius/XM ratings (as a whole) are miniscule...and the
> formats on Sirius/XM that get ANY ratings at all are the
> ones that duplicate the broadcast formats available to
> anyone on AM/FM.
> 
> That's the point.  They have so many channels that, by
> definition, none would get ratings such as AM or FM
> stations.  

The ratings for the ENTIRE service as a whole are miniscule.

> And which channels, exactly, duplicate the formats available
> on AM/FM?  The 60s on 6?  That's a format that's
> sort of available on AM/FM, but you'll hear songs there
> you'll never hear on AM/FM.

Basically 60's on 6 is an oldies format.  Will you hear songs you don't hear on the radio?  Yes, because they are a niche format.  Ergo their ratings.  It also limits their audience to people who only want to hear 60's music.  

> > I don't know how you can be a "fan of radio" and say
> that you never (ever!) listen to AM or FM broadcast....and
> don't even need to.
> 
> I used to be a fan of radio.  Most of it is
> unlistenable now.  If I listen to FM anymore, I listen
> more to the jocks and sweepers and newscasts and turn away
> when the music comes on.  The opposite of the general
> public.

I think that you are probably closer to how other people in your age group behave than you'd like to think, especially as you travel out of the target demos and the music loses some of it's appeal.