re: radio is cool, actually

08 May, 2026

I've come across a couple of pages from gb now, the first being caution! zine in progress. From what I can tell, gb is Canadian, possibly living in Ontario? I'm going to reach out after I finish writing this response post.

And that post I'm replying to: radio is cool, actually

A caveat: I work in radio, so I have skin in the game. However, at 42 years old, radio has been a fixture in my life for over 35 years (I couldn't tell you when I first listened to a radio station, but I'm sure it has been a constant background noise while growing up - my parents listened to CBC regularly).

Nobody really talks about radio anymore. And by "nobody", I mean people my age.
--gb

I disagree with this statement, except to say that I see comments on reddit all the time when the topic of radio comes up with people saying variations of "radio? what's that?" (in a sarcastic "tone") or "I stopped listening to radio years ago, I just stream". As with anybody posting anonymously on the Internet it's impossible to tell how old these users are, but I imagine they are elder millennial (my generation) to Gen X; I suspect boomers (my parents) still listen to radio and a lot more of it than the previous generations I mentioned¹.

So why did radio get left out of that conversation?
Is it because radio is associated with cheesy hosts, pop and old people?
-- gb

The arguments against radio that I see the most online are:

• too many ads
• annoying hosts - people want to hear music, not people talking about music
• the same music over and over

So I think gb is correct with their guesses. There is often not a lot of new music discovery unless you listen to a station targeting younger audiences; for example, when I listen to CHEZ 106 I know what I'm getting: rock music that stands the test of time; if I listen to LiVe 88.5, I get new alternative music (with "classic" alt rock from the 90s mixed in that crosses over with CHEZ) along with new songs and bands that come onto the scene. There's another pop music station that does "New Music Fridays" but they tend to feature pop artists they already play - not breaking new sound.

Unfortunately that's the nature of radio right now: play what's popular and easy for somebody to put on for background listening. It's why you'll hear radio stations playing in businesses that don't pay for streaming or satellite.

There are still independent music stations out there, and college/university stations do very well with playing music you won't hear on traditional stations. The great thing about radio is that it's free - all you need is a radio and start tuning in. It's probably the most accessible music medium out there.

Maybe it's the next "retro tech" to catch on after vinyl and cassettes and film photography.

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